Be there for someone else.

Just because someone seems ok, doesn't mean that everything in their life is. Even the strongest of people need to know that someone has their back and will always be there for them. Everyone, at some point, will need friends or family they can rely on and if needed, a shoulder to cry on. Life is just too hard to get through alone. ~ by Dave Hedges

That Thing called Change.

It has been said that the only constant thing in life is change.
This I have found to be an irrefutable truth.
However, I have also marvelled at how frantically people seem to resist and kick against change, thereby making their lives a wee bit more stressful and complicated.

Today, I want to encourage you to reflect on both the inevitability and the necessity of change. Know and accept that life is full of changes.

I wish you will welcome change whenever and however it comes. I hope you'll be able to deal positively with change. I pray you will understand that life is dynamic. Understand that change begets change. I entreat you to welcome the certainty that the world never stays the same.

And, above all, you need to understand that you, as an individual, do not remain the same. You should not. You must not. And you must not expect anyone else to.

Change is uncomfortable and even terrifying. Change is filled with uncertainties and unpredictabilities. The incertitude will be there, and every step of the way might be shrouded in perplexities and misgivings. But you must resist the temptation to settle into your comfort zone. You must refuse to stop evolving.

Overcome your fears.
Get over your doubts.
Conquer your limitations.
And, welcome Change. Accept it. Embrace it.

For as my people say, "you cannot watch the dance of the masquerade standing still". You can’t go anywhere when you’re standing still.

A Prayer.

My heart and prayers go out to all mothers who have lost a child. May you be comforted and strengthened. May your hearts smile through the emptiness and sadness you may feel. May you recieve the grace to celebrate the lives they lived, the blessings and joys they brought you and all who knew them in their lifetime, no matter how short you might think that was. May you find some joy in the fact that your child had touched and brightened the lives of people in so many beautiful little ways that you might never know.

To all who have lost pregnacies, to the ones who have had stillbirths, may you be consoled. May the grief you feel not hinder you from celebrating the lives they might have had. May you receive the healing that is available and may you find the strength to move on. May you look up and find him/her numbered among the lovely, precious and twinkling stars. 

To all who yearn to have a child of their own, may your prayers be answered speedily. May your home and your heart be overturned by the gentle and melodious laughter of your bambinos. 
But, until then, may your hearts overflow with love for every child. May you learn to walk tall and strong as the mother you are even if you've never born or cradled a child and may you never allow anyone or anything make you feel any less. May your lives be full and may you find ways to fill and deal positively with the void the absence of a desired child might create.

To all mothers who are surrounded by their offsprings, may your strength never fail you. May all your hard work and sacrifices bear great and admirable fruits in the lives of your tots. May all your choices and decisions in their upbringing be both correct and timely. May the love in your heart for those young ones work miracles in their lives, filling them with every positive and commendable virtues. 

To all mothers whose children might have deviated from good, to the ones whose progenies might have been negatively influenced, to the ones whose descendants might have gone off the wrong track, may they find their way home. May your bleeding heart be alleviated and may you find joy in the fruits of your wombs.

May our children bring us joy, happiness and jubilation. 
May we delight in them. 
May we always have reasons to be proud of them and they of us.
May they be crowns and jewels and may the only tears they bring be those of joy. 
May they be shielded from evil and malevolent influences. 
May they know to make the right choices, and if they do sometimes step out of line, may they learn quickly from mistakes and may they always find their way back home. 
May they know to treat us and everybody in their lives well. 
May they be just and upright men and women. 
May the labours of their hands yield the best results. 
May they prosper in all they put their hands to do. 
And may love, peace and cheer always find them.

Grace and blessings abounds to all mothers.

Acknowledge it. Appreciate it. Celebrate it.

When you see a gift in someone, acknowledge it and appreciate it!
When you find wisdom in someone acknowledge it and appreciate it!
When you meet someone who is more knowledgeable in something, acknowledge it and appreciate it!
When you see something good in someone, acknowledge it and appreciate it!

Acknowledge, appreciate and celebrate greatness and every good thing or person you meet on this life's journey.

Don't think the person is just showing off... (And, what if they are?)
Don't get aggressive or defensive!
Don't get judgemental!
Don't sulk!
And, don't allow yourself feel inferior
Seek personal development and betterment.
Be better than the person you were yesterday.

Your gifts, wisdom, knowledge will also be acknowledged and appreciated!
People will also, in time, learn from you.
You will also, in due time, be celebrated.

Please, make mistakes!

“I hope that you make mistakes….

Yes, make a mistake. Make lots of them. You should be making new mistakes constantly.
Because if you are making these kind of mistakes, then that means that you are doing new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. 

You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something. It means you’re going for it. You’re on your way.
So there you have it; my wish for you, for myself and for all of us is that we all make mistake as we dare to embark on new ventures.
New mistakes.
Glorious, amazing mistakes.
Mistakes nobody’s ever made before.
Mistakes never before imagined.
Don’t freeze, don’t stop, don’t worry that it isn’t good enough, or it isn’t perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you’re scared or terrified of doing, just do it and quit worrying about gaffes or blunders.
Mistakes are simply the opportunity that allows you to course-correct. 

You learn from the mistakes and try again and again until you get it right. You learn what works and what doesn't. You fine-tune your tactics and you refine your course.
You need mistakes in order to hone in on the right path.
You can’t avoid them. You shouldn’t avoid them.
The only way to avoid making mistakes is to avoid action itself. To attempt nothing.
But then, that’s the biggest mistake of ‘em all.”

All the guns are loaded.

No matter who you meet in life, they will be holding a gun, (not literally) with both the power to hurt you and to bless you.
However, you hold the trigger.
Your choice it will be, which way to pull.
If you pull one way, they will bless you. If you pull the other way, you will be hurt.
You can decide not to pull at all, in which case they will become empty vessels, occupying space and making resources useless.
We should know that there is a thin line between which way is right and which way is wrong.
Your responsibility it will be, to find the balance.
Be careful, then how you relate to the people in your sphere of contact and never forget that they are all holding guns and all the guns are loaded.

As shared by a divorced man. Cont'd

It is not surprising that a man will learn from his mistake, but it takes courage and a generosity of heart that goes beyond the ordinary to share your lessons and inspire others not to make the same mistakes. 
May we know to learn and do better than those who have gone before us in every way. 


"10) FILL HER SOUL EVERYDAY… learn her love languages and the specific ways that she feels important and validated and CHERISHED. Ask her to create a list of 10 THINGS that make her feel loved and memorize those things and make it a priority everyday to make her feel like a queen.

11) BE PRESENT. Give her not only your time, but your focus, your attention and your soul. Do whatever it takes to clear your head so that when you are with her you are fully WITH HER. Treat her as you would your most valuable client. She is.

12) BE WILLING TO TAKE HER SEXUALLY, to carry her away in the power of your masculine presence, to consume her and devour her with your strength, and to penetrate her to the deepest levels of her soul. Let her melt into her feminine softness as she knows she can trust you fully.

13) DON’T BE AN IDIOT…. And don’t be afraid of being one either. You will make mistakes and so will she. Try not to make too big of mistakes, and learn from the ones you do make. You’re not supposed to be perfect, just try to not be too stupid.

14) GIVE HER SPACE… The woman is so good at giving and giving, and sometimes she will need to be reminded to take time to nurture herself. Sometimes she will need to fly from your branches to go and find what feeds her soul, and if you give her that space she will come back with new songs to sing…. (okay, getting a little too poetic here, but you get the point. Tell her to take time for herself, ESPECIALLY after you have kids. She needs that space to renew and get re-centered, and to find herself after she gets lost in serving you, the kids and the world.)

15) BE VULNERABLE… you don’t have to have it all together. Be willing to share your fears and feelings, and quick to acknowledge your mistakes.

16) BE FULLY TRANSPARENT. If you want to have trust you must be willing to share EVERYTHING… Especially those things you don’t want to share. It takes courage to fully love, to fully open your heart and let her in when you don't know i she will like what she finds... Part of that courage is allowing her to love you completely, your darkness as well as your light. DROP THE MASK… If you feel like you need to wear a mask around her, and show up perfect all the time, you will never experience the full dimension of what love can be.

17) NEVER STOP GROWING TOGETHER… The stagnant pond breeds malaria, the flowing stream is always fresh and cool. Atrophy is the natural process when you stop working a muscle, just as it is if you stop working on your relationship. Find common goals, dreams and visions to work towards.

18) DON’T WORRY ABOUT MONEY. Money is a game, find ways to work together as a team to win it. It never helps when teammates fight. Figure out ways to leverage both persons strength to win.

19) FORGIVE IMMEDIATELY and focus on the future rather than carrying weight from the past. Don’t let your history hold you hostage. Holding onto past mistakes that either you or she makes, is like a heavy anchor to your marriage and will hold you back. FORGIVENESS IS FREEDOM. Cut the anchor loose and always choose love.

20) ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. ALWAYS CHOOSE LOVE. In the end, this is the only advice you need. If this is the guiding principle through which all your choices is governed, there is nothing that will threaten the happiness of your marriage. Love will always endure.

In the end MARRIAGE isn’t about Happily ever after. It’s about work. And a commitment to grow together and a willingness to continually invest in creating something that can endure eternity. Through that work, the happiness will come.

Marriage is life, and it will bring ups and downs. Embracing all of the cycles and learning to learn from and love each experience will bring the strength and perspective to keep building, one brick at a time.

These are lessons I learned the hard way. These are lessons I learned too late.But these are lessons I am learning and committed in carrying forward. Truth is, I LOVED being married, and in time, I will get married again, and when I do, I will build it with a foundation that will endure any storm and any amount of time.

If you are reading this and find wisdom in my pain, share it those those young husbands whose hearts are still full of hope, and with those couples you may know who may have forgotten how to love. One of those men may be like I was, and in these hard earned lessons perhaps something will awaken in him and he will learn to be the man his lady has been waiting for.
The woman that told him 'I do', and trusted her life with him, has been waiting for this man to step up.

If you are reading this and your marriage isn’t what you want it to be, take 100% responsibility for YOUR PART in marriage, regardless of where your spouse is at, and commit to applying these lessons while there is time.

MEN- THIS IS YOUR CHARGE : Commit to being an EPIC LOVER. There is no greater challenge, and no greater prize. Your woman deserves that from you.

Be the type of husband your wife can’t help but brag about."

Letting them birds free.

"I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up does rejoice. Still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone."

"They soar and your heart soars with joy at the beauty. They break free and you rejoice at the sight of liberty. They might come back to perch on your garden and thus gladden your heart.

You might never get to see them again, but you will feel lighter at the memory they left behind and every time you see a bird flying, you will feel free, you will feel light just because you have given the gift of freedom to someone else.

And, assuredly, birds of different bright and beautiful colours will never cease to hover over your sky. You will always be surrounded by beauty and peace.

I guess I just miss my friend."

The Stars he gave me!

It was an elm-bedded town.
A dark and solitary night.
All around was darkness.
I could not see, not even myself.

It was a bleak and dreary place.
An arid and dry sight.

Then, I saw the stars he gave me.
The sky lit up and heaven smiled on me.
My face has since broadened into a smile,
and my wrinkles are gone.

It is still dark.
but the sky is brightened,

And when the night is gone, and it's the breaking of dawn,
I'll still have the memory of the beautiful stars and the joys they brought.

Laughter.

Lots of things have been said about laughter and I bet you all these people can't possibly be all wrong nor mistaken.
So, learn to laugh. Learn to share your laugh. Laughter is not the best medicine, it's life and what's more, it's free.
Enjoy:
I don't trust anyone who doesn't laugh. ~Maya Angelou

At the height of laughter, the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities. ~Jean Houston

Even if there is nothing to laugh about, laugh on credit. ~Author Unknown

Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it. ~Henry Ward Beecher

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour. ~Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter. ~e.e. cummings

Laughter is an instant vacation. ~Milton Berle

What monstrous absurdities and paradoxes have resisted whole batteries of serious arguments, and then crumbled swiftly into dust before the ringing death-knell of a laugh! ~Agnes Repplier

So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter. ~Gordon W. Allport

Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. ~Victor Borge

What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul. ~Yiddish Proverb

When people are laughing, they're generally not killing each other. ~Alan Alda

I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose. ~Woody Allen
Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward. ~Kurt Vonnegut

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book. ~Irish Proverb

Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on. ~Bob Newhart

A hearty laugh gives one a dry cleaning, while a good cry is a wet wash. ~Puzant Kevork Thomajan

There can never be enough said of the virtues, dangers, the power of a shared laugh. ~Françoise Sagan

I've always thought that a big laugh is a really loud noise from the soul saying, "Ain't that the truth." ~Quincy Jones

Laughter is the corrective force which prevents us from becoming cranks. ~Henri Bergson

Dogs laugh, but they laugh with their tails. What puts man in a higher state of evolution is that he has got his laugh on the right end. ~Max Eastman

A man isn't poor if he can still laugh. ~Raymond Hitchcock

Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything. ~Kurt Vonnegut

Remember, men need laughter sometimes more than food. ~Anna Fellows Johnston

No man who has once heartily and wholly laughed can be altogether irreclaimably bad. ~Thomas Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, Book I, chapter 4

You can't deny laughter; when it comes, it plops down in your favorite chair and stays as long as it wants. ~Stephen King, Hearts in Atlantis

With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die. ~Abraham Lincoln

A good, real, unrestrained, hearty laugh is a sort of glorified internal massage, performed rapidly and automatically. It manipulates and revitalizes corners and unexplored crannies of the system that are unresponsive to most other exercise methods. ~Author unknown, from an editorial in New York Tribune, quoted in Quotations for Special Occasions by Maud van Buren

Man, when you lose your laugh you lose your footing. ~Ken Kesey

Seven days without laughter makes one weak. ~Mort Walker

A laugh is a smile that bursts. ~Mary H. Waldrip

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face. ~Victor Hugo

Laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. ~Hugh Sidey

Laughter is the sensation of feeling good all over and showing it principally in one place. ~Josh Billings

Carry laughter with you wherever you go. ~Hugh Sidey

Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects. ~Arnold Glasow

Laughter is an orgasm triggered by the intercourse of sense and nonsense. ~Author Unknown

We do have a zeal for laughter in most situations, give or take a dentist. ~Joseph Heller

Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter. ~Friedrich Nietzsche.

Approach life in a more mirthful way and you'll find that you're not only less stressed about negative events, you'll also achieve the health benefits of laughter.
Laughter is good for your health.
Laughter relaxes the whole body.
Laughter boosts the immune system.
Laughter protects the heart.
A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Laughter connects us with others. Also, laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you will definitely spread the cheer and most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize these benefits as well. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more!

Instead of complaining about life's frustrations, try to laugh about them. If something is so frustrating or depressing it's ridiculous, realize that there will come a time when you could look back on it and laugh.
And as my Mum always said, "a cheerful disposition

Break the rule and stand out.

One of the most important lessons we all learn, as we get older,  is that rules are made to be broken.
So, starting from today, make your own rules, and break them, if you must.
Be bold enough to live life on your terms, and never, ever apologize for it.
Believe in yourself, and don't let anyone define what you can or cannot do.
Learn from the mistakes of others, and dare to make your own.
Don't be afraid to fail, but after you've failed, never hesitate to try again.
Go against the grain, refuse to conform, take the road less traveled instead of the well-beaten path. 
Laugh in the face of adversity, be careful for nothing and leap before you look.
Dance as though EVERYBODY is watching.
March to the beat of your own drummer. Dictate your own pace. And stubbornly refuse to fit in.”
But, whatever you do, please, for your sake and the sake of humanity, stand out!

Adapted from Mandy Hale. The Single Woman Quotes.

Don't tell me I am beautiful!

"Don’t tell me I’m beautiful.

A word like that floats on the surface, give me something with depth. Tell me I’m intelligent. Tell me I’m courageous. Tell me that when I laugh the whole world smiles. Tell me that my voice is sweeter than strawberries. Remind me that my hands have helped flowers grow, painted the ocean, and captured the sky in my phone. Assure me that with a mind like mine, I can change the world.

Don’t tell me I’m beautiful.

I don’t really care if it’s true. I’ve spent years trying to convince myself that beauty goes through and through.

Don’t tell me I’m beautiful.

I’ve felt the word splatter against me enough for a lifetime. I am better than the “beautiful” that slips from your lips.
There are parts of me you have never seen. I am outer space, infinite in your search.

I am not simply “beautiful.” I’m a fucking masterpiece."

—unknown

"Every Woman should..."

A woman should have money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own even if she never wants to or needs to...

A woman should have something perfect to wear if the employer or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A woman should have a youth she's content to leave behind....

A woman should have a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....

A woman should have a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A woman should have one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...

A woman should have a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A woman should have eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honoured...

A woman should have a feeling of control over her destiny...

Ever woman should know how to fall in love without losing herself..

Every woman should know how to quit a job, break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without ruining the friendship...

Every woman should know when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

Every woman should know that she can't change the length of her calves, the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents..

Every woman should know that her childhood may not have been perfect...but its over...

Every woman should know what she would and wouldn't do for love or money...

Every woman should know how to live alone... even if she doesn't like it...

Every woman should know whom she can trust, whom she can't, and why she shouldn't take it personally...

Every woman should know where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table... or a charming inn in the woods... when her soul needs soothing...

Every woman should know what she can and can't accomplish in a day..., a month..., and a year...

Author: Maya Angelou

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The trouble with judging people: Marcia.

When Laura was accepted to do the Masters programme in computing skills for professionals in financial management and business intelligence, she was ecstatic. She was sure it was going to be both challenging and enlightening and she was also positive that she would enjoy the course.
She had graduated top of her class and was getting ready to start work in the Central Bank, so she was looking forward to meeting like minded people, even people experienced in the field.
On the first day of class, they were about 20 students in the class. They all looked young. They all looked like they were also top of their various classes. They were all smartly dressed.
And then she saw Marcia.

Marcia looked wrong. Everything about her looked wrong. Her clothes looked wrong. Her makeup, her hair, they all looked wrong. Laura couldn't help but wonder what she was doing there, dressed as she was. To make matter worse, she was also chewing gum, and a bit too loudly.
 The Professor came in and before he even asked them to introduce themselves, as part of his welcome speech to the new students, he explained that each course in the the programme consisted of 2 modules. He said that they could choose to do one of the two modules or do both. Before he could finish the sentence, Marcia jumped and said, "Well, I'd like to do the easiest one."
Everybody turned to look at her. She continued chewing her gum as she sat back down without blinking.
That set the tone for how the rest of the class began to see her.  It didn't make sense to any of the other participants, and neither to Laura, that someone would loudly request the easiest course in a programme that a lot of people would give an eye to get into.
The professor smiled and continued his speech like nothing happened.

Marcia was indeed the odd one out. Laura was told that she didn't even have a university degree not to talk about being first in her class. She used expressions that are not only uncultured but also bordering on vulgar. As was to be expected, everyone started avoiding her.

Laura had decided to take the two modules of the course. It certainly was not going to be a piece of cake, but she was willing to learn everything she could.

Two days after the induction ceremony, they had to do an assignment, in pairs. Before Laura could move from her seat to the person sitting next to her, she saw how everybody was rushing to choose a partner, just so as not to be paired with Marcia. She then decided to something she was sure was stupid, but she told herself that it didn't really matter as the assignment wasn't very complicated for her.
So, she went to Marcia and asked if she would like to work with her.
Marcia, looked at her strangely, obviously because she was already sure that none of her classmate would choose to work with her. Gradually, the look of surprise on her face melted into a very warm and beautiful smile.

When they met the following day to start work, she was greeted with another warm smile from Marcia. She thought that the girl might not be so bad after all, and decided to try to get to know her a little.

What she found out not only awed her, but it also made her feel terribly ashamed of herself and her other classmates.
In the morning of the day she was supposed to go write her university entrance exams, Marcia had a severe cerebral paralysis. She was in a coma for two weeks. The doctors almost gave up on her, and then by a stroke of luck or call it a miracle, she came out of coma. She lost her speech and sensibility on both hands and legs. 2 months later after she was discharged from the hospital, she started physiotherapy. 8 months later, she regained use of her legs and continued working on her hands. She also started seeing a speech therapist and about 4 months later she started learning how to talk and how to write. 2 years after the incident, she went back to school to do some sort of professional training, because she was determined not be tagged, "handicapped". She passed her exams, graduated and was about to start work with a well known multinational IT firm in the human resources department. She signed up for the course and did the entrance exam not really expecting to pass, not to talk of getting in. But, surprisingly, not only did she pass, she was also accepted for the programme.

Marcia might not have had a university education, she might have appeared to be a vulgar, uncultured, lazy and badly-groomed girl who did not seem to belong with Laura's classmate, but she is not only deserving of her respect but of her admiration as well.

No longer patient.

I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust either to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.

- José Micard Teixeira

This is so profound and wise. I wish we could all have this kind of wisdom the earliest possible in our lives. I wish we could not have to grow older to realize the truth in these words. And I hope younger people will benefit from these thoughts. The sooner, the better. Although -inevitably- wisdom and self-discovery come with age most of the times. Not to mention, that in some cases, they never come at all.

You and your happiness.

"Your happiness starts with YOU – not with your relationships, not with your job, not with your money, but WITH YOU. It is not always easy to find happiness in ourselves, but it is always impossible to find it elsewhere. Remember, it is not selfish to love yourself, take care of yourself and to make yourself a priority. It’s necessary."
~Mandy Hale

Love yourself! 

Appreciate yourself! 

Take care of yourself! 

Be proud of yourself!

And, don't worry about the people who will use such words as, "immodest", "arrogant", "snob", "selfish"... 

They have no idea!

You owe no one no apology for loving and believing in yourself.

Besides, people will always find something to complain about anyways...
However, always remember that no matter how good you think you are, there is always room to be better. 
So, strive to be better. Reach for more. And look to bless others.
This consciousness will definitely keep you humble, otherwise it will be such a waste.

"Learning this lesson has been so enriching and liberating."