I SO love it when you comment on something! THANK YOU!! - for checking out the "newsletterish" and for sharing your thoughts. I'm aware (generally) of what you've described and have certainly experienced those feelings, too. You would think having a working knowledge of how the brain works with this stuff might help, but...!!!

Funny how all the education and information about this stuff can still take a looong time to sink in to the point where we CAN change. It's not necessarily easy, but it can be done - thank heaven. Jeez, Louise, I would so not want to be me in the past (the further back I think about it, the more horrified at the prospect I become!) 😂😂😂

I can understand what you mean about your personal experience - not seeing success anywhere would make it a foreign concept. Even in that - achieving financial success - it's tied up with other ways we need to be or feel successful.

My family wasn't poor but we were living mainly on my mother's salary. My dad worked part-time at best and only sporadically and drank most of that money (or all?). We had the necessities and the odd little treat here and there. I was grateful for music lessons eventually.

My mother had a very successful career in the Royal Bank but because of the emotional toxicity in the house with lots of abuse, no support etc., I was pretty much left to figure out life for myself. No one ever asked if I wanted to "be anything when I grew up" or even asked about school work. I didn't know about having dreams or setting goals or that I had choices. I left home at 16 and quit school shortly thereafter. Oops.

So even seeing a successful woman in business didn't have an impact on me because of the other stuff.

We are such complex creatures, aren't we?!! Thank you so much for reading this and sharing your thoughts. I am going to look for that article you wrote (and check out some of your other goodies, too!) - tomorrow - must get to bed shortly.