by AnnSheybani | Oct 12, 2015 | identity, Reading
This is my very first blog post from November of 2009. Lord Almighty, time flies. Six years, nearly to the day I started this blog with the sole intent of building an audience for my memoir about Iran, creating a platform. I wrote about books that influenced me,...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 27, 2015 | identity, Life
Everybody fears that they are not enough. Everybody. My father used to say that intimacy breeds contempt. This was his favorite motto, something he repeated every day So, I grew up believing that if someone got the chance to know the real me, they would hate my...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 13, 2015 | identity, Life
For a very long time, I believed that in order for someone to love me, I had to prove my worth. The trick was figuring out what a man wanted in me, and then playing that role. Love didn’t happen naturally, it had to be squeezed into place. I started dating...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 13, 2015 | identity, Life
Being a people-pleaser is exhausting, and demoralizing. For us, and everyone around us. Believe me, I know. That’s why I fell hard for Erika Napoletano and her TedX video. She doesn’t know it yet, but we’re BFF’s. Have you ever been afraid of...
by AnnSheybani | Sep 6, 2015 | Carl Jung Institute, identity, Life, parenting
A long time ago, when I was selling photo copiers for a living, I met an older woman who gave me a piece of advice I will never forget. “Darling,” she said, smoothing back her hair with steady hands, “there’s a time and a place for everything. You can’t do it all at...
by AnnSheybani | Aug 25, 2015 | assertiveness, cats, Confidence, Courage, expectations, Fearless Living, identity, leadership, Life, limiting beliefs, role model, self-image, self-sabotage
We have a dog named Edgar whose whole raison d’ etre is to kick cat ass. Unfortunately, we also have two cats. Peanut Butter and Mozart. Peanut Butter is a cat-hater’s cat. He’s got all the swagger of John Wayne, and the cool detachment of Humphrey Bogart. Tail up,...
