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Author Bryan has composed an inspirational collection of essays designed to give readers self-confidence and self-care. The opening portion of her work addresses possible negative feelings and outlooks that readers may experience, beginning with fear, a common sensation but one meant to be overcome. She advises dreaming big and seeking projects and prospects that will make fear fade. Shame is similar. If the shame is unjustified, one should use self-messaging to bolster one’s sense of true identity. If shame is justified, one must seek forgiveness with God’s help. Two similar qualities explored are guilt and bitterness.
The second portion of Bryan’s guide features affirmations, exercises, and meditations that one can undertake to conquer undesirable self-perceptions. A primary strategy entails making lists of positives within stated categories, allowing readers to feel better about themselves. Each segment of Bryan’s creation begins with relevant photographs or artwork, such as waving hands slipped free from handcuffs. There are references from the Holy Bible throughout, with the final portion consisting of biblical quotations with accompanying exhortations to remind readers that God is always watching and supporting their efforts.
Bryan, who describes herself as a woman of God, recalls briefly that in her childhood, she lacked any source of encouragement or support. One impulse that brought her to construct these enheartening reminders was her wish that her daughter could have the positive messages that Bryan feels are necessary to plot an uplifting personal path. Her book offers kind, thoughtful guidelines to lead readers to acknowledge their strains and pains, providing needed religious and psychological bases for dispelling them. Her carefully chosen words, with spiritual overtones and a sweet sense of humor throughout, will appeal to readers of all ages and stages of life and provide a focus for sharing in a lively discussion.