Now, we don't need to swing too far other way. My beloved husband, official cookie maker in family, will put a batch of cookies in and actually sit and watch them as they brown. Of course, he also watches paint dry and glue set. (Really!) And while what he does he does well, that extreme would drive me crazy. So I compromise. I do two things at once, or even three, but no longer four or five. I put cookies in to bake, then settle in on a chair in front of oven with a magazine (or a telephone) and keep those cookies company. Then I’ll sample one as soon as it's out of oven and cool enough to handle. That's a reward I've been missing out on.

I've been too frantic, too busy, doing too many things at once to enjoy fruits - or cookies - of my labors. I don't get satisfaction of a completed job, much less a job well done when I'm doing so many things at once that none of them are well done. So a vague sense of dissatisfaction builds up, along with frantic stress that's also a by-product. Between stress and dissatisfaction, I get feeling I need to do more – when actually, that's cause of problem. The answer may seem counterintuitive: I need to do less.

After a certain point, multitasking is no longer efficient. Sometimes (take cell phones and driving, for example), it can be downright dangerous. I'd like to challenge you to notice how much you really accomplish when you multitask. Are you saving enough time to be worth stress and worry? Or if you did one or two things at once, instead of four or five or six, would you end up with more energy and less stress, more satisfaction and less time expended?

It's up to you – only you can escape from rush-rush, multitask, be-more-productive trap that American society is caught up in. Only you can choose to do more by doing less all at once. The reward? Finding your car keys exactly where they are supposed to be and eating a perfectly baked chocolate chip cookie.

In all my relationships, everything went well until my partners suggested on serious commitments. I would then sabotage relationships.

I was not able to open up to anyone. I was very defensive when given any advice or opinion on my attitude and behavior.

When there were arguments, I clamped up or walked off. I never wanted to face any issues and resolve them.

And I would not cry in front of anyone no matter how sad or hurt I was. I remembered a time when my sister was badly wounded and hospitalized. I did not want anyone to see me cry. I walked away and cried my heart out alone in a secluded place.

I excelled in my career by putting in lots of hours and efforts. Now I realized that it was one way of escaping reality. I kept myself so busy so that I do not notice things that needed attention. I was using work as a means to avoid commitments.

There was one thing that I gained from experience of being abandoned. I was able to sit quietly alone for hours and reflect.

It has developed my fascination on nature’s beauty. I love feel of wind blowing on my face. I enjoy watching rain falling. And no matter how bad weather is, it is still beautiful.

I became curious about many things. I questioned others and myself about life and how some things happen to certain people. I wondered why people behave way they do. I looked for answers.

I have developed strength to persevere. But that is not enough. I want to become a survivor who is able to balance her life and enjoy abundance that universe has to offer.

I have decided to break myself free from shackles of my fragile upbringing. I promise myself that I will not allow my past to continue ruining my future.

This child has grown up and will not weep in silence anymore.