's MOTD 7/6/2006

[Guest guest]

's Daily MessageThursdayJuly 06, 2006

OPO

Over the centuries, OPO has been the cause of depression to millions and millions of human beings. OPO has taken the wind out of many sails and has buried many a treasure. OPO stands for "Other People`s Opinions." Everyone has an opinion, and many vocalize it very well.

I asked my class to dig deep and tell me who said something negative to them that they still think about today, and they all definitely had a lot of memories to write down.

"My mom always intervened in managing my weight by enrolling me in programs and treating me different from my siblings. They got Easter baskets with candy. I got something else."

"A boy that I was interested in during junior high told me that I was a freak because I was overweight and that I`d never have a chance with him or any other man."

"My parents told me, `Boys don`t make passes at girls with fat a_ _ _ _.` They told me I would never amount to anything and said, `Why can`t you be pretty like your sister?`"

"My cousin used to call me fat at every family function we had. He always found some way to make me feel bad about my body. If you hear something like that so many times, you start to believe it."

"My father had nothing but love for me, but he was bothered by my weight. He would say to me, `You would be so pretty if you would just lose some weight.` I know he thought he was helping me, but to this day, I have a very hard time believing I`m pretty."

I know right now you are remembering a similar experience. I had many people put me down for many different reasons, and finally, instead of reacting to their comments, I would just say to myself, ", OPO!" You just can`t let someone else`s opinion tear down your image and your dreams, because you know whose opinion really counts, don`t you?

Love,