Have you heard Cynthia Erivo's masterful rendition of Nina Simone's ‘Feeling Good’? If not, enjoy the discovery! F.

" Love is the only flower that grows without the help of the seasons. " Japanese proverb

Don't allow conditioning to suffocate your potential! Don't allow inappropriate, malicious words or actions to damage your self-esteem! Don't let others, circumstances or events define you!   Instead, embrace with kindness and lucidity everything that makes you unique: ● your skills and qualities, ● your faults and flaws. All this makes up the person you are - UNIQUE and PRECIOUS - whose presence matters in this world.   So BE! Embrace yourself, all that makes you you, without taking pride in your light or judging your shadow parts.   Just BE! In truth, with humility and authenticity.   F.

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." African proverb often attributed to Nelson MANDELA

Not all truths are meant to be told … Yet there are many facts to prove it: the truth may take longer than a lie to reach the finish line, but it always gets there in the end...   By distorting or concealing the truth, a lie keeps (or even reduces) those who believe it in ignorance, and ends up putting its author (and even those close to him) in a very embarrassing position the day the truth comes out... Because sooner or later, the truth always comes out...   With this in mind, and if we choose - to the best of our knowledge and belief - to be clear and transparent with ourselves and others, may we always bear in mind Socrates' 3 filters when it comes to passing on information that we believe to be true:   Filter 1: Truth Are we really sure of the accuracy of what we are about to say? Have we checked the information beforehand? And if so, do we have irrefutable proof?   Filter 2: Goodness Do we really want to say something ‘good’ to others? Will this information do them any ‘good’? Or do we use the pretext of ‘telling the truth’ with the sole aim, not of passing on information, but of hurting others through it?   Filter 3: Usefulness How will this information be ‘useful’? Will it provide others with all the information they need to make a conscious decision, in full knowledge of the facts? Or will this information be used as a sword - against others, or by others?   Filtering our thoughts and intentions conscientiously has the capacity - and this is my deep conviction - to contribute to a more peaceful world...   What about you?   F.

‘To show respect is to bend to the will of others, to their needs, expectations and desires (to oppose them is a flagrant mark of disrespect and a clear sign of a lack of education and good manners)’. That's what my upbringing told me.   But now here's what my heart tells me, based on life experience: "Bending to someone else's will is nothing other than submission and is no mark of respect. Just as demanding that others submit to my will, on the pretext that they “owe” me respect, is nothing other than the expression of an unhealthy egocentrism and the manifestation of pride in a constant quest for superiority."   By respecting myself, I honour my own dignity: I take into account AND take charge of my needs and desires. And because I respect myself, I am able to... recognize, respect and enforce my limits - firmly, but without aggression, recognize and respect the limits of others.   And finally : Because I respect other people's limits, I recognize and honour their dignity.   F.

"I'm worth being loved too, simply because I exist!"   This sentence changed my life completely, when I caught myself saying it out loud, as I was going through the first period of lockdown - alone - at the beginning of 2020.   That phrase is my personal "Eureka!".   The lockdown had pushed me over the edge, just as I was sinking into an exhausting burn-out.   I had two options: * the first option: to persist in a lifestyle in which I was wasting away (like a tortoise stubbornly trying to get round a corner at all costs, without ever realizing that it could neither move forward nor break down the walls that were resisting it); * the second one: to do everything I can to change my perspective and get out of this angle that condemns me to a total loss of meaning, in every area.   The therapy I'd started before 2020 and the personal development tools I'd picked up here and there in books and on the Internet helped me to realize how much I was devaluing and disrespecting myself - convinced that, unlike other people, I was only "lovable" if and ONLY IF I did what was expected of me (even if it meant going completely against my own values, needs, desires, limits...).   My quest for meaning led me to that famous day in 2020 when I allowed myself to be "lovable" because, and ONLY because "I exist"!   Now I'd like to address this sentence to you:   "You too are worth being loved - whoever you are, whatever you've done - simply because you exist!"   With love,   F.

There is no need to ‘face’ a comfortable situation, or even a kind person.   But courage is needed when we confront a situation or a person who has the ability to push us out of our comfort zone, especially as we have no way of avoiding them.   Courage is also needed when we realise that we are involved in a situation or bound to a person who is robbing us of our vitality and zest for life.   The word ‘courage’ has its roots in the Latin word “cor”, which means ‘heart’. And what if courage lay in our ability to listen to our ‘heart’, in truth, and to follow its precious advice to cope or to free ourselves?   F.

‘A day without laughter is a day wasted !’ Charlie Chaplin   Even in the most difficult of times, little things have the power to provoke laughter - that healthy reaction that shows our ability to hold on to life and not let ourselves sink into pessimism, gloom or depression. I wish you a day full of powerful little things - including, perhaps, the video that follows! Yours sincerely, F.

Truth is like oil, it always comes to the surface. Berber proverb

The respect you give others is a clear reflection of the respect you give yourself. Anonymous

Finding joy in the tumultuous world in which we find ourselves seems like ‘Mission Impossible’. And yet... Perhaps it's all a matter of choice... We can't prevent conflicts, crises, wars or natural disasters. But we do have the power within us to hold on, every day, to the little things that cheer us up and bring us joy - an indispensable energy because it allows us to lighten our emotional and mental load, to persevere and to move forward, despite everything. My little things: a lively music, a birdsong, a child's laugh, a rainbow, a good cup of coffee... And yours? F.