“Through my English teacher, I started to sense that words not only convey some thing, but are something; that words have color, depth, texture of their own, and the power to evoke vastly more than they mean; that words can be used not merely to make things clear, make things vivid, make things interesting and whatever else, but to make things happen inside the one who reads them or hears them.”

Buechner expresses gratitude for turning points in his life when the influence and guidance of another showed him things that made a difference. Then, the idea of the power of words. Similarly, Marcus Aurelius begins in just the same way with an extended discourse on specifically each important person in his life that has made a difference or taught him something singular and important. It is important to begin with gratitude for mentors, guides, coaches, teachers, and others along life’s path of self-transformation.

This podcast focuses on self-exploration and personal identity -- to help you construct who you are, and how you want to feel, think, believe, and behave for yourself. The book Who Do You Think You Are is also available at all major e-retailers, and you can find it at bigselfschool.com/store. Check out our two-hour classes on how to build resiliency, how to discover what you want, how to like yourself more, how to find calm, how to bounce forward after failure, and many more at bigselfschool.com.