This edition first published in 2015 by Conari Press

      an imprint of Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC

      With offices at:

      665 Third Street, Suite 400

      San Francisco, CA 94107

       www.redwheelweiser.com

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      Copyright © 2004 by M. J. Ryan

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from Red Wheel/Weiser, LLC. Reviewers may quote brief passages. Originally published in 2004 by Broadway Books, a division of Random House, Inc., ISBN: 0-7679-1490-2.

      ISBN: 978-1-57324-605-7

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon request

      Cover design by Jim Warner

      Text design by Frame25 Productions

      Typeset in Requiem Text

      Cover photograph © Netfalls – Remy Musser / Shutterstock

      Printed in the United States of America

      EBM

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       To the truth, beauty, and wisdom in each of us,

       And in particular to Dawna Markova,

       who taught me how to support the cultivation of these qualities.

       Trust yourself, then you will know how to live.

      —Goethe

      Contents

       1. The Power of Self-Trust

       2. The Gifts of Trusting Yourself

       We Blossom into Our Fullness

       Choices Are Easier

       We Don't Have to Worry So Much

       We Can Let Go of Shoulds, Musts, and Oughts

       Creativity and Success Flourish

       The Bonds of Perfectionism Are Loosened

       We Live More Happily with Life's Messiness

       We Can Say No When We Want To

       We Can Trust Others

       We're Released from the “Rules”

       We're More Optimistic and Trusting of Life

       We Experience Love in Its Magnitude and Majesty

       We Experience Our Connection to the Divine

       3. The Attitudes of Self-Trust

       I'm Me—and That's a Good Thing!

       I Can Handle What Life Dishes Out

       We Learn Through Trial and Error

       What Do You Want to Say Yes To?

       I'll Cross That Bridge When I Come to It

       No More Bank Camera Eyes

       Don't Take Life Personally

       Fear's the Sign You're at a Growing Edge

       You're the Expert You've Been Searching For

       I'm Practicing