They are meant to inspire and motivate you. Engage these stories and let them move you to do whatever comes up for you. When a story makes you think of another person, call the person it brings to mind and share it. If you find yourself moved to share a story with others, do it. Take the time to digest them and make them your own. There are more explanations and explorations of how to apply the lessons and principles to your everyday life. In our seminars and workshops we take more time to set up and discuss the implications of each story. It is all essence with very little froth. It is a meal with no vegetables, salad or bread. One last thing: Reading a book like this is a little like sitting down to eat a meal of all desserts. It represents thousands of hours of culling the “best of the best” from our 40 years of combined experience.

Some will give you a warm feeling all over. Some stories will speak louder to you than others. Ask yourself, what does it awaken in me? What does it suggest for my life? What feeling or action does it call forth from my inner being? Let yourself have a personal relationship with each story. Listen to the words in your heart as well as in your mind. When you are reading these stories, please forget everything you ever learned in your speed-reading classes. Stories we tell every day have had to be rewritten five times to work as well in print as they do live. It is difficult to translate the spirit of a live presentation into the written word. High self-esteem and personal effectiveness are available to anyone willing to take the time to pursue them. We know everything we need to know to end the needless emotional suffering that many people currently experience.

Behind the Tears by Marita A. Hansen