I'm in a quote mood today, so I thought I'd share five of my favorite quotes from five amazing women: 

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson 

“I have a brain and a uterus, and I use both.” ~ Patricia Schroeder  

“Always be a first rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” ~ Judy Garland  

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” ~ Beverly Sills  

What quotes inspire YOU the most?

There are many great quotes on resentment and forgiveness.  Two of my favorites are: 

“Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.” ~ Carrie Fisher 

“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”  ~Catherine Ponder 

We can decide that it is more important to be happy than to be right any second we choose.  We can never control what other people do, but we can always choose our response.  And we can know that forgiveness is really a gift we give to ourselves more than to anyone else. 

Are YOU ready to choose forgiveness today?  And are YOU ready to experience more happiness as a result?

Over the last few years, as I found the courage to leave a career I hated (law) and I began writing my first two books, If Women Ran the World, Sh*t Would Get Done and What Would You Do If YOU Ran the World?, I have met so many amazing women who are doing so many amazing things in the world.  In fact, I’ve started to wonder if kicking butt is actually our twenty-fourth chromosome!  

Yet, I’ve also started to realize how often women sacrifice what matters most to them, be it because of self-doubt, other people, circumstances, or the society they live in.  I’ve noticed that settling for less than what we want can be as common for women as our love affair with chocolate or our hate affair with cellulite.  I think it’s time for that to change! 

This week, as we head into the Independence Day holiday and a celebration of freedom, ask yourself the following question: 

What am I ready to be free of so I can live my dream life? 

No matter what the answer is (be it low self esteem, unsupportive friends or even an unsupportive partner, a lack of belief or something else), know that your dreams are waiting for you to say yes to them. They can't happen otherwise!

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."  Isn't TODAY the perfect day to start saying yes to yours?

Did you know that, according to statistics from the National Eating Disorders Association (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org),

In the United States, as many as 10 million females and 1 million males are fighting a life and death battle with an eating disorder such as anorexia or bulimia.

Over one-half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives.

42% of 1st-3rd grade girls want to be thinner.

Love My Shape was started by Megan Woolever who, after years of dieting and hating her curves, finally learned to Love Her Shape (you can read more about Megan’s story at www.lovemyshape.org). Her goal in creating Love My Shape is "that every woman will love her body for its unique beauty, and that young women will grow up in a society that celebrates their own unique shape."  Megan is inviting other women to log on and share their stories because, as she writes on the site, "When we hear ourselves in each other's story, we realize that the power to change is inside of each of us as we connect together in love and purpose."

Drew Barrymore once said, "I used to look in the mirror and feel shame.  I look in the mirror now and I absolutely love myself."  Are YOU ready to love your shape and love yourself? 

One of my best friends in the world is one of those people who, like many of us women, was raised to always say please and thank you.  But, like many of us, she also learned another habit, one that was not so good to develop:  Pleasing other people at the expense of herself.  Growing up, if there was cleaning to do around the house or younger siblings that needed to be watched, she would do it, albeit reluctantly because it often meant missing out on movies, slumber parties, or other fun stuff.  In her relationships, she has cleaned, painted, landscaped, mountain biked, and worked longer hours to bring in extra money to make her partner happy rather than because she wanted to.  Can anyone relate?  I know I certainly can! 

Recently, my awesome, amazing, beautiful friend experienced the break up of her marriage and she decided there was another break up it was time for her to experience, one that she would welcome and that was long overdue.  She decided it was time to end her lifelong habit of pleasing others.  She realized that working hard to please another person is not the key to a successful marriage…or a happy life.  She realized that since she will never be able to please everyone, she might as well please herself for a change.  She’s also going to let herself enjoy every second! 

Margaret Thatcher shared a great habit years ago when she said, “I will not change just to court popularity.”  Doing something because you want someone to like you or you want to make them happy never really works (even if it seemed to in high school).  You deserve better and you deserve to please yourself more than just once in awhile.  Are YOU ready to start today?