The Courage To Be Yourself
by Sue Patton Thoele

This book was written for women as a guide for their emotional strength and self-esteem and I really feel that it is a must read and a must keep for any woman along her life's journey. Sue gives us wonderful information and suggestions on how to change our negative and self-destructive thinking patterns, and how to love and nurture ourselves.

In turning the pages of this wonderful bundle of emotional salve I felt that I was totally understood and supported by the author as she gave me examples and exercises to help me get in touch with those deep seated and hard to reach places of self hate and to expose the destructive behaviors and misinformation that causes them. Being a woman that has done a lot of work on spiritual growth, but still being critical, harsh and not always very kind to myself as a person I truly found this to be an answer straight from Heaven. Thanks Sue.

Love & Light,

Riki Frahmann ( )

This was my first time reading this book, but it certainly will not be my last! The Courage to Be Yourself is a woman-centered, personal growth manual that seeks to help the reader "set boundaries, change self-defeating patterns of behavior, communicate effectively, and, most important, become a loving and tolerant friend to yourself." This book is chock full of useful tips, exercises, and information on emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical growth. Much like the first leg of a relay race, it was the perfect jump start I needed to send me sprinting in the right direction, arms full of useful information, and I trust that it will continue to be a useful guide on my journey towards growth, self-improvement and acceptance.

In an unassuming, down to earth, friendly, yet encouraging and honest tone, Dr. Sue Patton Thoele provides helpful insight and advice on taking control of your life via self-examination and behavior modification. She urges the reader to be honest and vigilant with oneself when attempting to change, yet patient and forgiving as it takes time reverse ingrained self-defeating patterns.

A great deal of the information in this book I gleaned on my own through life experience and self-examination, but the main problem I have is living what I've learned and being consistent. I also have a lot of individual hang ups and little self-esteem snags that continue to trip me up. Reading this book helped me to identify what those snags were and ways I can go about addressing and changing them. Dr. Thoele also also offered up fresher and easier ways of seeing things I had noticed before, as well as some new and interesting perspectives I had never even considered, such as how anger relates to depression. Most importantly, she provided me with the much needed support, confirmation and reinforcement that it's okay to be yourself, it's okay to pat yourself on the back for making progress or a job well done, it's okay to be happy, it's okay to make mistakes, it's okay to say NO, it's okay to take time for yourself, it's okay to "do you" and nobody else, as my mom would say.

There is so much valuable information that can be taken from this book that you will probably find yourself picking it up again and again throughout your life because, as Dr. Thoele says, "becoming yourself is a life-long, ever evolving process." You will always be a work in progress and that's just fine! ( )