Let's take a brief look at journey of American women through last 100 years. Throughout this period, we have proved ourselves to be resilient and flexible, persistent and determined, dedicated, diverse, courageous, and perennially undiscouraged.

The 20th century brought with it a wave of altered roles for women, resulting in changed and expanded obligations, through which we consistently proved our resilient responses to an inconstant world. During WWI and Great Depression, American women fought on home front, rearing children alone and fashioning family life on a shoestring, often working long hours outside home as well.

In 40's, our mothers and grandmothers mobilized war machine, taking up welding bonnets and riveting guns and tending victory gardens by moonlight. We have been historically dedicated to our homes, our families and our country. When boys returned as men, we gracefully stepped into wifely roles once more.

As housewives and mothers during prosperous 50's, we shaped culture of decade, finding outlets for our creativity and energies, while our husbands worked long hours bringing new wave of prosperity to our doorsteps. We are historically flexible.

In 60's we stepped out and tested our independence. We opted for higher education, started moving toward financial independence as never before, burned our bras, stuck flowers in our hair and spoke out for peace and protested inequality, as our grandmothers had before us. We are historically determined and persistent.

The 70's, 80's and 90's found us continuing to assume roles in thick of things, making our mark on history in latter part of a century marked by political and social upheaval. Women permeated society's key functions at all levels, accounting for 10 Nobel prizes in last 20 years. We've pioneered in every field from science to literature, from music to medicine, from politics to business, from hundreds of feet below sea level to hundreds of miles above earth's surface.

How many times have you made excuses for putting off something you really needed or wanted to do? Probably too many times to count. It is all too easy to get in habit of putting desires of your heart on hold. You may have been taught to put needs of others first or that it is selfish to think of your own desires.

Mind you, there is times when it is appropriate and right to put needs of others first, i.e., children, and others who have a right to depend on you.

Yet, even with that you must not always put yourself last and deny yourself happiness that comes from doing something for yourself. The truth is, when we do something that brings us fulfillment, it has a positive impact on every area of our lives.Another truth is that if we don't do certain things we greatly desire for ourselves, that feeling of failure and disappointment often negatively impacts our lives. It doesn't have to be that way.

Now is time to begin a new journey of personal and, perhaps even financial fulfillment. You have within you ability to change your circumstances. The change begins when you make up your mind to stop putting off those things your really want, and ought to doing for yourself.