1. Just for laughs Shrek, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were all having lunch together. Shrek said, “I have always thought that I'm the strongest man in the world, but how can I be sure?” Angelina Jolie added, “I'm told I'm the most gorgeous of them all, but sometimes I wonder.” Brad Pitt said, “I'm pretty sure I'm the sexiest man alive but I've never had it confirmed either.” They all decided that the best way to find out if their beliefs were true was to ask the famed talking ‘Mirror, Mirror on the Wall’ to confirm for them whether Shrek was the strongest, Angelina Jolie was the most gorgeous and Brad Pitt was the sexiest. They agreed to meet again the next day for lunch to discuss their findings. The next day Shrek walked up with a smile, “Well, it's true. The mirror says that I am the strongest Man alive.” Angelina Jolie beamed, “well I know for sure that I'm most gorgeous of them all!” Then Brad Pitt lifted his sad face and said, “Who the hell is Ed Wohlmuth?”

2. Self-Esteem Small Group Discussion O What is self-esteem? O What factors influence low or high self esteem? O How do we build self-esteem for self or others?

3. Nathaniel Branden on Self-Esteem “The level of our self-esteem has profound consequences for every aspect of our existence: how we operate in the workplace, how we deal with people, how high we are likely to rise, how much we are likely to achieve—and, in the personal realm, with whom we are likely to fall in love, how we interact with our spouse, children, and friends, what level of personal happiness we attain.” “Self concept is destiny.”

4. Nathaniel Branden on Self-Esteem Building Self-Esteem “The Six Pillars of Self Esteem” The practice of living consciously. The practice of self-acceptance. The practice of self-responsibility. The practice of self-assertiveness. The practice of living purposefully. The practice of personal integrity

5. “The Six Pillars of Self Esteem” Living consciously: the practice of being aware of what one is doing while one is doing it, i.e., the practice of mindfulness. Self-acceptance: the practice of owning truths regarding one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors; of being kind toward oneself with respect to them; and of being “for” oneself in a basic sense. Self-responsibility: the practice of owning one's authorship of one's actions and of owning one’s capacity to be the cause of the effects one desires.

6. “The Six Pillars of Self Esteem” Self-assertiveness: the practice of treating one's needs and interests with respect and of expressing them in appropriate ways. Living purposefully: the practice of formulating goals and of formulating and implementing action plans to achieve them. Personal integrity: the practice of maintaining alignment between one’s behaviors and convictions.