When I first came upon The Truth, I realized that it must be published. Twenty-five years of clinical work with women in my psychology practice has convinced me that many, many women forget the truth. We seem to forget what the ten- or eleven-year-old girl inside of us once knew with such certainty. We forget how strong we are. We forget how astute we are at sizing up the world. We forget our capacity to recover from hurts and build successful new relationships.

We forget so much of our childhood wisdom. We forget the excitement and enthusiasm that comes from letting our passionate natures come out to play. And we forget how to laugh, laugh from our bellies. We forget how to intensely react to daily life. So often we forget how to have fun. Many of us don't allow the playful part of ourselves to come out. We don't know how to let out, safely, the imp inside of us. And we forget how proud we can feel about ourselves.

I see it as a tragic loss-we have forgotten so many of the simple truths known to us in our girlhood. The cost is enormous. Many of us walk around depressed, feeling like we're a balloon that has pins pricked into it. Many of us don't achieve our birth right of living out our potential. Falling by the wayside, many of us are under utilized, under educated, and marginally productive. We spend our time ruminating, feeling bad, wishing we had made other choices with our lives, and often seeing ourselves as in hopeless situations. Too often we blame others, saying someone else is responsible for the decay of our own lives, having lost any sense that we are navigators of our lives. Like sleeping beauty, we await a prince to awaken us, rather than awaking ourselves to our own riches: our capacities for joy and fun, to create, study, invent, innovate, lead, recover, re-invent, feel, love, discover, share, etc.

When I came across The Truth I realized that here is an opportunity for us to see ourselves with fresh eyes and to feel once again the passions of girlhood. The girl's truth may not be exactly your truth, but the girl has the power to stimulate, reminding us of our talents, our dreams, our wisdom and our resiliencies. Weren't you once determined to make adulthood better than what you saw as a girl? If the girl begins to mobilize you to bring to life the exciting woman that you were meant to be, then The Truth is not lost!

As I close this introduction I remember two quotes from The Little Prince:

"All grownups were children first. (But few of them remember it)."

"Grownups never understand anything by themselves, and it is exhausting for children to provide explanations over and over again."

If you have enjoyed this introduction to THE TRUTH: I'm Ten, I'm Smart and I Know Everything! stop by Amazon.com and pick up a copy for yourself today!

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

Introducing "The Truth" Jewelry Collection

Cindy Trope, my artisan, has designed one-of-a-kind "The Truth" necklaces. We have many designs to choose from. Why not honor your appreciation of the value of living a life that is authentic and meaningful By wearing an Enchanted Self Necklace that represents The Truth as we live it, as women. Visit our Enchanted Shop to see all the designs. And don't miss our special! Dr. Barbara's TheTruth, necklace and earrings for just $24.95.