My dad, who is 87, and one of the individuals who fought in a war to defend this country, reads that special document every day. He keeps a copy of it in a frame he made himself in his workshop. And in honor of today, he took it off the wall and put it on an easel at the front door for all visitors to see. In case the wording was too small, he made typed photocopies of the Declaration of Independence as give-aways too, and stacked those up beside a red, white and blue striped hat he found. And of course he is flying the American flag. My mom and dad are old school. These things all have meaning, as they should, and it's more than just a day at the park.

And though I'm looking forward to grilling organic chicken sausages and goofing off with my family and friends, which is always something to look forward to -- there is an added layer beneath it all today - something that feels almost holy.

All the corn on the cob, hot dogs, watermelon and sparklers will merely be the window dressing. At the end of the day, when the magnificent fireworks go off "in the "twilight's last gleaming..." I'll have tears in my eyes. Why? During those quiet moments, I'll be pondering the reality of our freedom, and the complications of our world. It will overwhelm me. I'll be flooded with the thoughts I usually resist, like, 'there are too many despots running countries, famine and disease cripples too many lives, there is marginalization of women in many cultures, there is gender imbalance, and on and on.' My mind will run at the mouth so-to-speak.

Most importantly, though, as the last fireworks display disappears into the night sky, and we all hug and wander back to our respective homes, I'll be aware of the fact that freedom isn't free -- and men and women from these United States, and from our allies in countries that have declared themselves our friends from around the world, are still paying for it with their lives. How strange is seems for us to be on the other side of the world, enjoying ourselves seemingly without a care.

I'll be thinking how grateful I am that my parents raised me and my siblings to feel lucky to be Americans - to be patriotic, to honor our servicemen and women. I hope we pass the torch, and teach our children to cherish freedom -- to respect it and to honor it for our allies, as well.

By the way, our Declaration of Independence is worth a re-read now and again.

Happy 4th of July to one and all.

While the day is celebrated as a holiday weekend, and families typically take to the parks, beaches and other recreational areas to spend time together, the reason for the hiatus from work must certainly have taken up mental space in most minds at some point during that day. In some towns, Boy and Girl Scouts placed small American Flags on the graves of those killed in action. At cemeteries and memorial parks everywhere, spouses, parents, siblings and friends gathered at the gravesites of their beloved, reminded yet again of their irreconcilable loss, mixed with a gut-wrenching sense of pride and patriotism.

I am among the lucky ones. So far, thank God and the fickle finger of fate, I have been spared the personal grief (in my immediate family circle) that so many thousands of families grapple with on Memorial Day. But nevertheless, I spent the day thinking about those who have sacrificed their lives for us, about all those who continue to serve in the military - who shoulder the task of putting themselves in harm's way, both here and abroad. I also thought about our Allies, and the risks, injuries and deaths our supporters have endured as well.

What I am constantly aware of is that I am grateful. Whether I agree with the wars - past or present, is irrelevant. I wholeheartedly support our troops - and with all our ups and downs, I'm vigorously proud to be an American. One way I show my gratitude to our servicemen and women -- and nearly 20 percent of today's military is women -- is to support organizations that support them. Here are a few: www.operationhomefront.net, www.military.com/benefits, www.militaryspousehelp.com, www.helpourmilitaryfamilies.org, www.uso.org, www.operationaffirmative.com, www.anysoldier.com, www.ourmilitarykids.org. Because our military is on call 24/7, three hundred and sixty-five days a year, just thinking about them for one day is not enough. You can bet the families who have lost a loved one think about them every single day. How can the rest of us do less?

Ahh, the questions. At the end of the day, if we’re honest about it, love is something we all crave. We yearn for it, search for it, and we struggle for it. Yet, since it is something we want so badly, how can we attract more of it into our lives? How can we give more of it to others?

Well, consider this: when we think with love, act with love, and speak with love, we’re much more apt to get those vibrations and reactions bounced back to us. Sound a little bit too new-age? Not at all. New Age has grown up to middle age, so embrace it. This concept of you getting what you give has been around for ages, and shows up in songs and stories all the time. Consider the Beatles — “…and in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make.” You know what? It’s true. Love works. Thinking, acting, and speaking with love can turn around a loveless and seemingly hopeless situation. Okay, it may take time — but if you put positive energy and effort out there, there’s no doubt that you’ll reap rewards. Care. Bring flowers to each other just because. Say “I love you.” Show someone that you love them by smiling, touching, caressing. Have grace. Show grace!

Keep stoking the fire — building the passion, sending big and small messages of love and affection. If you’re married, remember that marriage isn’t ownership — it’s partnership. Nurture it …continue to be unconditionally loving, compassionate, and interested in your relationship, as time slips by. Learn to be tolerant of your differences, and respect them — embrace them.

Thinking, speaking and acting with love suggests that you allow your heart to remain open. A big part of being able to love others, is the ability to love and respect yourself. You can’t really attract the love you’re looking for, until you are able to accept yourself as the worthwhile individual you are. Open your heart not only to others, but to the authentic sense of you. And trust me, when you do so, you will feel cupid’s arrow that much more acutely. To lovers everywhere, I wish you a happy Valentine’s Day.

With that said, the concept of friendship is evolving - and there are different ways to define it. Yes, we have those friends that we see regularly, and for me, my girlfriend posse is extremely important. But there is more. When we give back to our communities, and reach out to help people who need it, we’re offering a special level of friendship, and it’s one that feels particularly good, too. Friendship is a precious gift. We’re clearly looking for it, and perhaps even crave it. Just look at the success of internet social networking sites.

Being a friend means you step up even when times are bad. This tough economy has been devastating for many and for some people I know, recovery of financial stability has been slow and elusive. Friends are even more important when our lives turn upside down. The comfort of a friend — even when the support is in the form of a tweet, email, text or post, can make the difference between a day spent in sadness, and a day that offers promise.

This new year, with all of its hardships, economic difficulties, and global challenges, I plan to extend my hand in friendship to as many people as I can. I’ll make sure that I see and acknowledge the inner worth in every friend.

Millions of women across the globe grapple with their status in the current status quo, and are looking for ways to bring about lasting change for themselves, their families, and for the planet. There are no hard and fast rules for change that work for every culture — a woman’s road is nuanced with personal challenges based at least in part on the cultural soup she is born into. That said, however, there is one commonality for us all. No matter where you live, or what your starting position is, the first step to moving forward with positive change is knowing that you’re worth the effort. The next step is facing your fears.

Since I thrust myself into the public eye to promote my new book, What is Your Self Worth, A Woman’s Guide to Validation, I’ve experienced plenty of fears — perceived boundaries, worries about my ability, and feelings of intimidation.

Overcoming fear is one of life’s biggest challenges, and as all of you know, it’s a recurrent theme. Fear, whether it is fear of failure, fear of abandonment, fear of ridicule, or fear of criticism, is the pernicious gatekeeper that attempts to block your progress in efforts to reach your full potential.

I came face to face with one of my fears while taping the Larry King show — the fear of using my voice, of public speaking. I was so intimidated by the surroundings that I felt I had lost all my brain cells at once. Though others may not have noticed my deer-in-the-headlights moment, I felt it like a postmenopausal hot flash. Fortunately, I got a grip during the first part of the interview, and had a very strong internal conversation with myself to get my ‘mojo’ back.

Life pitches all of us curve balls — we need to accept that. However, life also gives us some formidable internal resources to deal with them. Realize that you may miss a few swings, but don’t give up. Stand up to your fear. Turn your courage on, and instead of being terrified of defeat, be determined to learn how to hit those curve balls out of the park the next time.

My dad is 85. His hair, once jet-black and shiny, is now snow-white and shiny. His strength, which when I was a young teen seemed more like unyielding, stubborn toughness, is a sense of comfort to me now. I see his fortitude not as the stumbling block to the teen-aged shenanigans of my youth, but rather as the fuel and attitude that is helping to prolong his life. And this thought makes me feel happy, lucky, and blessed.

I've learned a lot from my dad. Not all the lessons were easy ones, but nevertheless, learn, I did. As I've gotten older, I've become more receptive -- and this is probably because I've put on mileage, and gained some wisdom of my own. I'm much more able to appreciate his perspective and understand his personality. Now that I'm in the second half of my own life, I relish his stories. I love to hear him talk about his younger days, and to see how gingerly he treats his memories.

One of the many things my dad has shared with me over the years, is a small marble collection that he kept safe among his belongings throughout his more than eight decades of experiences. I love the fact that he still has "most of his marbles." This could be construed as a flip twist of words, but actually, in his case, entirely true. My dad is vibrant, persnickety, and as interested and engaged in life as he ever was, though perhaps less physically able to climb the mountains he used to climb. No matter. He tends his vegetable garden, his fruit trees, and works with wood in his workshop. And as often as he can, he takes road trips with his dwindling group of buddies who band together in a club they call, The Dirty Old Men.

Dad's small collection of marbles are beautiful in their simplicity, and represent a world of memories for him. Shiny, smooth, round, colorful orbs of glass, they could easily travel with him in a leather pouch in his pocket and show up on the ground just about anywhere for a game of ringer that could keep him and his pals entertained for long periods of time. Friends -- engaged in a group effort, spending time together having fun. It conjures up all manner of "Tom Sawyer-like" visions.

My dad didn't grow up within a disposable culture or mindset. Possessions, though just 'things,' were prized because they were few, and kept whenever possible, for a lifetime. Friends were precious, and never thrown away. This kind of camaraderie is important no matter which generation you belong to.

Though I don't see kids playing this game today, the allure of marbles lives on. I discovered several websites that are dedicated to marbles, and for obvious reasons, it warms my heart. Some things, thank God, never change.

Never seen a marble collection? Check out www.MegaGlass.com, or www.LandofMarbles.com.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

It may be typical for kids of this age-group to socialize, hook-up, and alter their sense of reality from time to time, but the L-word descriptors in my title aren't the L-words I associate with the students I met. These students, who all wear uniforms by the way, are being listened to, loved, and liberated, in an atmosphere of respect. They were engaging and engaged, enthusiastic and pro-active, and I was thoroughly impressed.

West Adams Prep High School was constructed using architectural creativity not usually afforded school buildings, and only after the input of numerous community focus groups to truly suss out the needs of the community. It resembles a college campus more than a typical high school setting, with its huge well-groomed track, socializing spaces, and wise use of light, space, and color.

The outstanding curriculum that encourages entrepreneurial attitudes, is focused around six different 'schools' -- the School of Business & Enterprise, the School of Performing Arts & Literature, the School of Science & Technology, the School of Invention, Design, Engineering & Architecture, the School of Education & International Studies, and the School of Media, Film & Art. The students - a couple of thousand of them, are learning and living an educational experience that most of us would crave, and which will serve these young people well; a recent Gallup survey released by the non-profit organization, Junior Achievement, stated that employers and managers dubbed entrepreneurial attitudes as important in any field of endeavor.

This relatively new, huge and innovative community high school is run by MLA, a nonprofit organization whose mission is improving schools and empowering neighborhoods in some of LA's most disenfranchised communities. It's an ambitious quest, particularly during the current economy. However, this year, West Adams Prep is poised to graduate their first senior class, and already the accomplishments of this school, these students, their teachers, and the committed pioneers of MLA are palpable. For most of the graduates going on to college, they will be the first in their families to do so.

I was invited to the school to talk to a couple of classes about my new book, What is Your Self-Worth, A Woman's Guide to Validation. The students I visited had already started reading my book as part of a class exercise. I was touched by their attentiveness and eager participation. They were extremely enthusiastic about having an author visit their classroom, and especially happy that I was going to sign their books. The 50 or so young women I spoke to were in a cheerleading class, which in itself presents an enormous hurdle for many of the girls in this community to leap over.

To say that self-worth for girls in an area of town that is often troubled by poverty, disrepair, and gang activity can be fragile, is an obvious understatement. But the fact that they are in a school that in all ways -- from the surroundings and high quality of its educators, to the sports programs and hands-on learning experiences, treats them with respect and constantly reinforces their potential, will certainly help them to discover, and ultimately to express their self-worth, despite the outside influences and challenging life circumstances many of them cope with.I felt honored to speak to these courageous and spirited young women. I became one of West Adams Prep High School's biggest fans, and can't wait to visit them again. I liked the 'vibe' there. As one of the women I quote in my book, What is Your Self-Worth, stated, "...treat everyone as though they have worth; giving someone their dignity is never a mistake." I wholeheartedly agree.

Self-esteem is described as confidence in one's own worth or abilities, and pertains to a personal appraisal of ourselves. Yet, unfortunately, we often make this evaluation based on cues we receive from society. In other words, we look to others to establish who we are, how we should behave, and how we're valued, even though this societal reflection won't be an accurate indicator of what we're made of.

Trying to measure up to a dominant mindset, antiquated cultural rules, or stigmatizing stereotypes that don't serve you well isn't the best plan. Using such subjective measuring devices may also explain why you don't always feel like a good fit. Bottom line, try not to rely totally on the outside world to validate you. A better option is to equalize the playing field by believing in, and validating yourself.

Belief in yourself isn't just a good thing to do; it's a survival skill. And giving yourself a pat on the back for being a sentient being with ability, heart, potential, and immeasurable possibilities, is directly related to your quality of life. You need to feel worthwhile. You need to believe that you can affect circumstances and situations in your life in order to have the confidence and courage you'll need to meet the many challenges you face.

But, okay, that said, how do you start believing in yourself when you're so used to being a non-believer? How do you begin to care about being you, if you've become habituated to feeling so hopeless, or helpless that you project the message that you don't care at all? The short answer is, by taking personal responsibility for doing so. Class dismissed.

Okay, so perhaps it's not that easy. And it would be truly disingenuous of me to trivialize the difficulties many people face -- and that is not my goal. Still, those who study happiness state that the only way to be truly happy, is to decide to be happy. It starts with you -- your own perceptions of you, your abilities, and your potential. Actually, nobody else can truly devalue you, but you. This power is entirely yours, and is manifested by an attitude you come up with in your own mind.

You can thank Victor Frankl, among others, for proving this. Dr. Frankl was a holocaust survivor who realized during his captivity in Auschwitz that the only thing his captors couldn't take from him was his mental life -- his spiritual life. He was able to find meaning even in the most painful of situations. Though this is perhaps an extreme example, you can try to follow his lead. Choose your thoughts -- change your attitude, and decide to believe in yourself. You'll soon attract a happier experience into your personal universe and feel energized with a sense of freedom and independence.

Belief in yourself may begin as a small light at the end of a tunnel -- a glow, a feeling of hoping, and then knowing. It's an awareness that though you can't change any of the facts of your life, you can change the way you think about those facts.

Once you have the attitude that you're worth the effort, you'll find it easier to start taking care of you. Eat responsibly, treat your mind and body to regular exercise and take time to enjoy nature, and breathe fresh air. Listen to soothing music, read interesting books, take warm baths, listen to the sounds of nature, and laugh belly laughs. Cuddle up with someone you care about, get and give plenty of hugs, compassion and empathy, and honor and treasure your family members. These are all important activities for wellness.

Remember that your body is a temple, and you are a treasure. You are unique, precious, and one-of-a-kind. Believe that you have a right to be here; that you are worth the effort of saving, educating, healing, playing with, working with, loving, and sharing a lifetime with.

Say the following words like a mantra. "I believe I am worth believing in." Say these words every day. You'll be amazed how the universe will contrive to make it so.

This latest revelation of the theft of non-profit funds is a reminder that independent supervision and oversight is vital. It's also a wake-up call to individuals who donate to charitable organizations. It's not always easy to give money away -- it requires due-diligence and follow-through, and a personal effort to determine whether those non-profits have the proper checks and balances in place to ensure that the funds actually go to the population of individuals who were meant to benefit from the donations in the first place.

Hopefully, we all learn from these difficult, costly experiences. Going forward, it appears that non-profit organizations will need to be even more savvy in their efforts to protect themselves and you, their donors, from fraudulent practices and employee theft. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners has suggestions on their website.

www.acfe.com

I remember when Viet Nam’s deadly net was cast around my relatively small universe. One of my neighbors - a kid we all went to school with, Louie, was killed there. Another very close friend, Frank, joined up, flew helicopters, and went back to Viet Nam on multiple extremely dangerous missions. He survived.

One of my second cousins fought in Viet Nam, and became addicted to drugs there. When I think about the horrors of war, it’s easy for me to imagine why taking drugs to shift that reality would be appealing. But the drugs didn’t erase his memories, and my cousin Eric had been around so much death, that he wanted to kill himself. When he was shipped back home to the US, I went to visit him in the Naval Hospital in San Diego. He was a handsome, gentle guy, with blue eyes that still had a sparkle in them. I guess I had a schoolgirl crush on him, but since he was a cousin, our friendship remained totally platonic. But as it turned out, he needed more friends. Eric was eventually released from the hospital, and though he tried to get back into the swing of everyday life, his addiction and the reason for it was never extinguished. A few years after coming home from Viet Nam, Eric succeeded in taking his own life - by overdosing on drugs. What a waste. I blame the war - it never left him. But I also think Eric was set adrift, and didn’t receive enough societal support to overcome the demons unleashed in him.

What could have been done differently? In my first year of college, I was among the peaceful, hippie protestors that engaged in sit-ins and street-concerts to try to get our government to change course - to stop. Now that I look back on it, I can imagine that this display of protest was very difficult for the veterans of Viet Nam to take. Could we have done a better job of communicating our admiration for those who fought? Yes, I believe we could have.

Though it was the war we were protesting against, not the warriors, sadly, many civilians lost sight of that fact when our warriors returned home. The returning soldiers tried to resume a ‘regular life,’ but they were wounded psychically and physically, with injuries and memories most of us couldn’t begin to fathom. Plenty of veterans felt shame and blame, rather than the support and gratitude they should have been feeling.

I hope we never repeat this mistake. Our service men and women and our veterans deserve better than that. This Memorial Day, I am remembering all the Erics, Franks and Louie’s - the warriors of all the wars. Some of them couldn’t handle the stress, and either took it out on others, or themselves. Some died in battle. And others survived, and signed on for tour after tour - bearing the difficulty and dread of war so that the rest of us can go on about our usual routines.

This weekend, I’ll be thinking that while we have the right to protest against war, the right to state our opinions and beliefs, and the right to work hard to use peaceful methods to bring about the changes we seek, we wouldn’t have many of those rights without our warriors. We owe our way of life to the men and women who have stepped up, followed the orders of the Commander in Chief, and too many times, given the ultimate sacrifice.

I will bow my head and offer my respect, admiration, and gratitude to our service men and women, past, present, and future. And as a peacenik, I will also be praying that one day, we’ll find another way to resolve our differences.

I recently had the opportunity to tape a piece on the Larry King show. Though his shows are predominately live, he does tape some segments - like mine, that are not time-sensitive. At any rate, Larry is a masterful interviewer, an iconic news personality, and hey - just plain famous. I was thrilled, fully prepared, and ready to rock the interview. But I choked. His first query startled me and like a stunned deer caught in the headlights, I lost my way, and fell off my track. My body reacted immediately, and fear and self-doubt took over. I started deep breathing, and tried to pull myself back to the place inside me that had instant access to the knowledge I had worked so hard to attain - to the message I want so desperately to share — to the succinct sentences I have used before that run smoothly and effortlessly into one another to make my case for women. But it took me half the interview to get my mojo back. Thank God I had some fabulous panelists alongside me who carried the ball — Lisa Ling, Lisa Nichols, Della Reese, and Deepak Chopra. A stellar group.

I’m not writing this piece to throw myself a pity party. I’ve been really lucky as a relatively unknown individual, to have been interviewed on several notable, highly acclaimed shows. For the most part, I held my own, and fulfilled my end of the interviewer-guest bargain with intention and personal empowerment. I’m sharing this humbling episode - you’ll see what I mean when it airs - to demonstrate the fact that even when we think we have all our ducks in a row - even after we’ve established a positive sense of self-esteem, and have discovered, or recovered our sense of self-worth, life continually pitches us challenges. This is what life is all about, isn’t it? These hurdles and stumbling blocks can come from out of nowhere, and catch us off-guard.

In my case, the obstacle was relatively innocuous; it had to do with my ability to speak in public - to share my opinion, my values, and my voice, without fear. Okay - it was a pebble in my path - a molehill. Not so very important as difficulties go.

But still, it was something I needed to face - a lesson that I, presumably, needed to learn at the time. And it made me think of the whole gamut of life-experiences that require us to build our emotional muscles. What of the challenges that threaten our lives, our children, our security, and our livelihood? I call them Mount Everest challenges, those that can seem insurmountable, like cancer, poverty, and abuse? How do we muster up the courage to bounce back from those?

In the end, though the mountains we all climb vary in intensity and difficulty, the method for the ascent is the same; we take them step-by-step. We breathe, we seek help, we practice, we go inside to bolster up our personal sense of purpose, and ultimately we face it or we don’t. Hopefully, we get wiser from each experience, and figure out that when one avenue is blocked or seemingly impassable, we find new pathways to get us to our goal, and we build stronger emotional muscles along the way.

I have learned from this episode. Thanks, Larry. The next time I feel like a deer stunned by the headlights in an interview, I’ll whip out my mental sunglasses to diffuse the glare. And then again, perhaps I’ll simply memorize an opening response that’ll work no matter what question I’m asked.

I’m offering this shortened version of The Relax to mothers everywhere - and even if you don’t have the private time it takes to enjoy this on your own, you’ll find that it relaxes you even when you share it with someone else. Enjoy.

Find a comfortable position - laying down, or if you prefer, sitting in a comfortable chair, with both fee on the floor, hands resting on your legs, or at your side.

Close your eyes. Breathe in and out, in a rhythmic fashion and after a few breaths, focus your attention to the top of your head. As you continue to take deep breaths in and out, raise your eyebrows, and relax them. Then squeeze your eyes tightly, and relax them. Open your mouth as wide as you can, then relax it. Exert all the muscles in your face, then relax, and then move down to your neck and shoulders. Breathe in - contract the muscles in these areas and then as you breathe out, relax them. Tense your right arm and right hand, then relax it - tense your left arm and hand, then relax it. Breathing slowly and deeply, in and out, work your way down your body, tensing and relaxing your large muscle groups all the way down to your toes. Your body feels calm, and content.

Now, as you breathe in and out, imagine you are standing in a large, luscious meadow - one that is blooming with green grasses and wild flowers. Birds are chirping, and the sun is shining. It’s a warm, pleasant day. On the periphery of the meadow, you can see tall pine trees, and the aroma of the pine fills you with a sense of joy, and contentment. As you inhale, you can imagine the smell of pine in the air. You delight in the sights and sounds of nature. As you gaze around, relishing the scenery, you look to your right, and see a set of stone steps leading down a trail. You begin to descend. With every step, you inhale deeply, and as you exhale, you find you are becoming more relaxed.

At the bottom of the stone stairway, you cross through a rock portal and suddenly find yourself on a beautiful, tropical beach. You can smell the salty air - feel the sun on your face, and hear the soft rush of water as the gentle waves lap the shore. You smile, and breathe deeply, enjoying the sounds and smells of the ocean. You take in your surroundings, observing the seagulls flying high overhead on a breeze that feels warm and soft on your face. You turn left and walk casually along the water’s edge - the refreshing, cool water touches your skin, and the white, soft sand feels cool and fine beneath your feet.

In the distance, between two large coconut palms, you see a woven hammock swaying gently in the tropical breeze. You make your way to the hammock, taking pleasure in the beautiful, deserted beach scene as you go. You settle in the hammock, lying down on your back so you can face the sea, and allow the gentle rocking movement to calm you even more. You feel happy and serene, as the hammock sways, and your mind and body are content, and rested. You are in harmony with your world - at ease and restored. Breathing deeply, you decide to come back to this place often.

I hope you do. Happy Mother’s Day.

If you have a hard time with compliments, or believe you shouldn’t talk about your accomplishments, take a moment for intospection. Discern why you are hiding and what you’re hiding from. Come out of the shadows!

What should we teach our children so that they’ll be prepared for the next economic downturn? Though some reports show that women may actually pass men in the job force during this recession, more than 1 million women who head up their households were unemployed as of March, with a dearth of job options available to them.

So, under the circumstances, when so much of the population is struggling to get a financial foot-hold, how can we keep a positive attitude, and more importantly, how can we model that behavior to our kids? One possible answer is to become better educated about what it takes to be financially secure.

The following steps are are important lessons our kids should be learning as part of their long-term preparation for adulthood. Actually, a refresher course in the basics would be good for us all. The essentials are: spend less, save and (cautiously) invest more, and follow a plan.

1. Start by being scrupulously honest with yourself about your situation, and then take positive steps to better understand and cope with it.
2. Manage and track your spending. If you can, retain a financial advisor and seek financial counseling.
3. Start a savings account, and save as much as you can.
4. Reduce credit card spending — be aware of your debt.
5. Continue to learn — you are protecting yourself when you maintain a marketable skill.
6. Maintain health insurance.
7. Take responsibility for your own future. Open a retirement account and add to it monthly.

Try to sustain a positive attitude, and be kind to yourself. Even in a fluctuating job market, consider yourself capable, and acknowledge your potential. Recognizing the significance of our contributions and the validity of our participation, is an important factor in the development of our self-concept. This personal recognition and validation helps build our self-esteem and augments our positive sense of self-worth. It also helps build the confidence we’ll need to get over the financial hump.