There's a reason we think of innocence in connection with newborn babies. They haven't had a chance to make bad decisions, to mess up their lives. As we get older, we learn from our experiences the things that make us feel good about ourselves and the things that don't. We may feel good about our successes but they don't necessarily make us feel good about ourselves.

It's seldom the big things in life that tell us what kind of person we are; it's more the little things, the day-to-day things that show us our character.

People seldom feel good about themselves by living their life to please others. There is usually a feeling of frustration and resentment that their own needs aren't being met in their attempt to win approval from others. It takes wisdom, born of experience, to know when it's more important to please yourself than to twist yourself into knots trying to please everyone else.