Chapter 13

Be Yourself—Everyone Else Is Taken

 

Be true to yourself, your values, and your ideas. Strive to make a difference no matter how small. Always be someone who adds value to a situation or relationship— not someone who detracts from it. Always, always maintain your integrity and dignity.

—SHERRY NOTTINGHAM, PHILADELPHIA

 

I once asked my ex-wife to give me an example of when she felt as though she wasn't being true to herself. Without hesitation, she said when she felt pressure to be somebody she wasn't, just to make someone else happy. I continued my inquiry. “How did that make you feel?” “I didn't like it. . . . I felt phony and, depending how phony I was being, I felt pretentious, . . . just not good about myself,” she said. ...

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