Self-esteem is the overall appraisal of your own worth as a person; your measured degree of confidence in and respect for yourself.

If self-esteem is based on charted successes alone, it will inevitably fall short, as life is full of mistakes and failures. It won't be stable but will go up and down in line with the ups and downs of life. As such, it is vital that self-esteem be clearly differentiated in our minds from self-confidence alone, which is vulnerable to deprecation (belittling oneself) and narcissism (ego based on self-image). In the same way, self-esteem based solely on body image will be weakened with every perceived physical flaw. ...

If all it takes to have a healthy self-image is natural physical beauty, there would be no anorexic supermodels. Celebrities like Christina Aguilera and Carmen Electra needn't have had breast enlargement surgeries, actresses such as Brooke Shields and Uma Thurman wouldn't have had costly cellulite treatments, and famous moms like Dayna Devon and Patricia Heaton needn't have had tummy tucks. ...

Dr. Henry Morgentaler, recently awarded the "Order of Canada" (the highest Canadian honor), yet considered by many Canadians to be one of the most prolific murderers of the unborn, is a Polish Jew who survived the Auschwitz death camp. He refers to the Holocaust as the reason behind his "every child a wanted child" slogan. Morgentaler believes that one of the root causes of Hitler's genocide was "unwanted" abused children who grew up to embrace and practice Nazi philosophies out of hatred for their abusers. In June 2005, at the University of Western Ontario, Morgentaler was quoted as saying, "Well-loved children grow into adults who do not build concentration camps, do not rape and do not murder." ...

According to the Centers for Disease Control, nearly 60% of Americans are obese.

Medical and disability reasons aside, a common cause of obesity is perpetual overeating. I personally know what it's like to have no self-control, to binge and binge, day after day. The self-loathing, the despair - hating the obsession, but loving the taste of the food all the while.

If you often "drown your sorrows" in a tub of ice cream, read on . . . 

For the first two years of my marriage, I used the Birth Control Pill (BCP). I really thought nothing of it. When the walk-in-clinic doctor first perscribed it to me, he said only that there was a risk of blood clots; a risk that was supposedly greater if actually pregnant. My only complaint in those two years was the evening nausea I often experienced as a side-effect of the hormones ...

Some Christians who are like waves tossed on the sea. Their walk with God lacks vitality. They don't bear much fruit because they're too busy fretting over how "weak" or "strong" their faith might be. When trials come, they feel singled out and worry that God is punishing them for some terrible sin they must have committed. And when God doesn't answer their prayers exactly as they'd like Him to, they doubt He even hears their prayers.

In short, they overlook the simplicity of faith: that is, living a life of fidelity to Christ despite what hardships may come their way. These Christians share at least one thing in common: a misunderstanding of the true meaning of faith. ...

Whoever it was who came up with the concept of “100 Calorie Packs” is a marketing genius. I mean seriously, this person (or persons) has hit the jack pot. With the countless diet merchandise and foods already out there, it’s impressive that someone came up with something so deceptively simple; it has already permeated every grocery and convenience store shelf out there with immediate success

Psychologically, the advertising possibilities are endless. People are falling for this hook, line and sinker. Made by Nabisco, these 100 Calorie Packs offer any one of your favorite, forbidden snack foods in a mini little package. Doritos, Oreo Cookies, Ritz Crackers, Teddy Grahams . . . whatever it is you’re craving, chances are you can find it all wrapped up in pretty little “100 Calorie” bow ...