Wisdom from Evelyn Roberts Brooks

I can wrap up this advice in six words: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes!

I’ve made tons of errors in judgment, picked the wrong men to fall in love with and done things that I’m amazed I survived. And yet, because of learning from my mistakes, I discovered my strengths, and I found out what I really value in life and want to experience more of.

I spent so many years reacting to everything going on around me and thinking that my job was to smooth things over and make everyone else happy, even to the point of sacrificing my own dreams in the vain attempt to please. It took me a long time to come to the awareness that I was tearing off pieces of me everywhere I went. No wonder I felt exhausted and unfulfilled.

I learned that the real value lies in serving others by allowing Divine Love to flow through me and spill over onto others, not by draining myself in a misguided attempt to help people fix their own lives.

The bottom line is that after years of studying personal growth books, coupled with self-examination and working with my mentors, I’ve learned to take care of my own happiness first. That hard-won lesson taught me that I need to shift the emphasis on pleasing and bring it inward before I can help others. Once I recognized my own purpose in life and the valuable gifts I have to offer, it became a more joyful journey where my attitude of gratitude had space to flourish and thrive….Continue reading at InspireMeToday.com.

Evelyn is an author, Dream Builder coach, speaker and host of the annual Your Dream World Summit.

Photo Credit: Gail Lynne Goodwin

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Elena T.

2:16AM PDT on Apr 14, 2013

Thank you :)

April 14
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Danuta W.

2:42AM PST on Jan 7, 2013

Thanks for sharing.

January 7
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Cheryl I.

2:57AM PDT on Sep 10, 2012

Thank you for sharing.

September 10
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Nyack C.

11:28PM PDT on Sep 9, 2012

Thanks

September 9
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Sally A.

10:42PM PDT on Sep 9, 2012

Thanks for the article. I feel like I am going through something similar myself. Pleasing everyone else instead of looking to taking care of my own happiness.

aj E.

7:26PM PDT on Sep 9, 2012

thanks

Debra G.

6:16PM PDT on Sep 9, 2012

paula e.

3:56PM PDT on Sep 9, 2012

Thanks. Good article.