"Yesterday I dared to struggle. Today I dared to win."
-- Bernadette Devlin

Dear Friends: This month, I reached out to my Facebook friends to give me the topics that would make my Sunday night radio show resonate with listeners. While relationships and emotional peace is the cornerstone of my practice, a few of the things people wrote to me about really woke me up in a new way to what's happening in the world and how emotionally tender many are feeling because of it. One of the posts was from a girl who for the first time found herself unemployed, not able to get another job, and feeling low self esteem because of it. She did not know who she was without her job, and her things. She wondered if she didn't look like a failure to other people. I assured her that many of us are in the same place, and that if anything good comes from any of this, perhaps we will all have a greater understanding of each other. A man's identity is almost always invested in what they do. A woman's is more in whom they are, but we all need to feel like we belong, have a routine, and a schedule. We all want to feel like we are contributing to the world.

We are contributing to the world when we continue to be supportive and loving to each other. We do that when we lift each other up. We do that by continuing to believe in each other, and by showing we care in small and meaningful ways. Remember that the little things are the big things. If you have a friend or spouse going through a hard time, lift them up. Support their hopes and dreams. Give them love. Keep your advice to yourself unless they ask for it. Be a good listener. Let them know that you believe in them, no matter what. The worst thing we can do is lose faith. Without faith there is no hope, and without hope there is nothing.

Being an actress my whole life, I came to know rejection, unemployment and having to work jobs that I wasn't too crazy about. Gillion reminded me that as an actor I have had to have confidence of steel to withstand the amount of rejection that comes with this career, but for every number of auditions I was rejected for, there was always the chance that I would land the role of a lifetime. Many of us are discovering talents and dreams we forgot we had, even changing careers, and, discovering that we like it even more than the one we had before. I know that is true for me today. If you aren't able to take classes, then read books. Lots of them. I have read hundreds of books to learn my new skills, and even read books to learn how to start this company. Your mind is your greatest asset; take care of it and how you look at life. If you have lost your job, or know someone who has, my book "The 30 Day Heartbreak Cure," can help. Losing a job is much like losing a relationship. Heartbreak is heartbreak, and moving forward is the goal.

And above all, continue to take care of yourself.

Friends, it is always darkest before the dawn. There have been a number of times in my life that I was happy that I hung in there to see the sun shine on a new day. Today is one of them!

And now, a few words from my beloved Gillion:

I'd like to take this opportunity to inspire you with my CONFIDENCE BOOSTING CRASH COURSE in 4 easy steps so you can regain the strength you need to go on your interviews not just thinking you are putting forth your most confident self but KNOWING that you are!

Follow my few easy steps below and include them in your routine. Before you know it you'll be a confidence powerhouse.

Step 1: Pamper and Take Proper Care Yourself Everyday!
Just because your budget is cut doesn't mean you can't pamper yourself! Here are a few things I do on a daily basis: Create an empowering atmosphere with basic household items:
• Light an orange scented candle while you are applying your makeup (we have the Valencia orange candles). Citrus is sunny, refreshing and energizing, yet -- because of its familiarity -- comforting and relaxing.
• If you're not already using a lemon or grapefruit scented dish soap add that to your grocery list (I like Dawn since I can use that to clean my makeup brushes.) Lemon and grapefruit have a tangy, fruity aroma that is uplifting and cleansing. Aroma-therapists use it to produce a cheerful, fresh atmosphere, dispel mental fatigue and inspire increased concentration and awareness. You can even put a few drops in a small cup you keep by your computer for the day to add the scent to the air. Don't waste those drops they are the perfect amount for cleaning your makeup brushes at the end of the day so they are fresh in the morning.
• Offer your hubby a massage at the end of the dayˇKmost often this gets reciprocated. If you don't have any massage oil around then a few drops of olive oil works wonders and is very moisturizing! Throw in a drop of vanilla extract for a lovely edible scent and who knows where this mutual act of kindness will lead.

Step 2: Improve your concentration with beautiful food
• It's important to graze between meals. Keep containers of fresh washed vegetables in your fridge with your favorite dipping sauces like low fat dressings. Have a handful of assorted nuts a couple times a day or cut apple or celery with peanut or cashew butter. The protein will boost your energy.
• Since you are home during the lunch hour take the opportunity to have a beautiful sit down lunch. Prepare a healthy, balanced meal with proper plates and silverware. At work we are always on the go and generally eating in a rush out of take out containers. Now you'll actually know what you're eating and can choose to eat at a normal hour.

Step 3: Recruit your loved ones
Your loved ones are your biggest support group and cheerleaders. Let your family know how you are feeling whether it's stress, depressed or even if you're feeling terrific about your mission ahead.
• Spouses: Take this opportunity to stroke each other's ego. And then some! Your hubby knows that life is out of balance for you right now. DON'T jump to the conclusion that he is already doing enough by going to work everyday. DO make it a point of letting him know on a regular basis how appreciative you are of him gracefully carrying the extra financial burden till you find your next job. What this does for both of you is open the door for it being a family effort to find you a new job. It also acknowledges that you are grateful for his strength (which strokes the ego of the innate need for men to feel like providers.)
• Kids: When I was little my single mom internalized everything. She thought that she needed to be invincible and that I wouldn't be able to handle or understand stress. The truth is that kids do understand and are extremely sensitive to their parents feeling upset or stressed. The wonderful thing is that if you recruit them to help in any way that they are capable it is a huge strength building opportunity for them as an individual as well as your relationship with them. As a kid I loved to pamper my mom in any way I could whether it was giving her a massage, scratching her back or drying the dishes and putting away the ones that I could reach. It made me feel like I was contributing to the family and also I think it helped to develop my work ethics.

Step 4: Don't be stifled by pride
There is nothing wrong with a hard days work! No matter what your education level is or the pay you received at your past jobs don't hesitate to apply for part time jobs that you might have mislabeled as "below you". It's important to keep a routine of getting out of your house for some hours to interact with people and the benefit is that you are monetarily compensated for it. No matter what the job is you should have pride in the quality of the work you do in that job. If you are fortunate not to need the monetary compensation then volunteer some of your time to organizations in need. When we take time to do things that might be outside of our comfort zone it opens our eyes and mind to the world around us and we gain strength from this awareness.

Any big change in life is an opportunity to reflect on what's truly important to you and make adjustments to your lifestyle to accommodate your new values and desires. Some of my newly unemployed friends have turned a leaf to be more kind to the environment. In looking over their budget for areas they can save money they realized how extravagant their energy use was and how they've been living a disposable life of buying items with excessive packaging that they are ultimately are paying for. They've now made it a point of turning off the lights and TV when leaving the room. Dimming the light they are using which is less harsh on your eyes (unless you are trying to read). Buying in bulk when they can which is not only less expensive but it reduces the packaging that goes in the landfill.

Here are a few of the economical and environmental changes we're making at Cat Cosmetics:

1. To be as paperless as possible to save trees which also lowers our need to buy as much paper.

2. We are shredding our unnecessary paper and junk mail to use as soft, bio-degradable and recyclable packing material for shipping and eliminated the use of Styrofoam peanuts which take over 100 years to bio-degrade.

3. We are currently seeking to move to an underground warehouse, which will lower our energy use throughout the year, significantly lowering our carbon footprint, and allowing us to give you, our customers, great deals.

That's it from us friends, we love and value every one of you!

That you can take to the bank!

In Love,

Cat and Gillion