1. How you grew up is not an indicator of who you are, what you want or how you approach life.

2. People will always try to control you if you let them.

3. All your life you must fight to be who you really are.

4. Your passion for your dream is enough motivation to do everything in your power to accomplish it and live it enthusiastically.

5. Every circumstance in your life comes with lessons. It is up to you to find them in the fold of pain, anguish, grief and heartache, learn them and live them.

6. People are generally hostile to your dream. So don't be too liberal in revealing it. Guard it well; keep it close to your heart.

7. You can't escape being like your parents in some respects, no matter what.

8. God is in control of all that happens in my life. He allows me the freedom to make decisions and choices. They may be good or bad. But in the end, He will have his way in my life, one way or another. He is God.

9. To a large extent, my parents are responsible for how I view myself. It si true that the view is not always conductive to self-confidence, but therein lies my inspiration to find and be the best I can be.

10. Everyone is afraid of something and that fear, no matter how hard we work to rid ourselves of it, the thing we fear follows us throughout our lives. The key to living well and fully is to learn how to let our fears dictate how far we travel on life's highway, how high we fly in pursuit of our dreams and how deeply we love.

11. The good old days will never return, no matter how hard we wish for them. Instead, we can recall, regain and recapture the good feelings, the simplicity and the hopefulness and make them a part of our todays.

12. God may not always be your first option, but He will always be the best option in any situation.