Özlem Köse

“Sometimes, we use ‘busyness’ as a distraction from making a big decision about our lives. We cover up our feelings with our work, with our diary, with other people’s needs. In my coaching sessions, I find most people are putting off something out of fear. Why would they bother writing a book, or training for a marathon, or launching a business if there’s a chance they might fail? They fill their time with less important, endless tasks, rather than focusing on the goals that matter. Having a goal we care about is scary. So how do we get around this block?”
― Emma Gannon, The Success Myth: Our obsession with achievement is a trap. This is how to break free

“From an early age I picked up on the fact that these celebrities seemed more important, as people listened to them, valued them and felt a connection to them. I saw the premium that was put on a famous person’s opinion. Successful people: I wanted to be around them, amongst them, near them. It’s no wonder I ended up working in the magazine industry. I was fascinated by celebrities and what their lives must be like. Every time I was in Sainsbury’s with my mum, the other kids would saunter over to the chocolate and sweets, while I would run over to the magazine section and feast on the cover photos, wondering what these people’s lives were really like behind the scenes.”
― Emma Gannon, The Success Myth: Letting go of having it all

“I thought, If I had the energy I’d leave him, and then I folded up that little thought, wrapped it in gauze, and swallowed it.”
― Sarah Manguso, Liars

“A woman who has felt rejected by her mother because of adoption, illness, depression, or escape into alcohol will feel deeply unmothered and will continue to look for what she never had. She may function forever as a “daughter” looking for approval, love, attention, and acceptance from a mother who is incapable of giving these. If she experienced her mother as either absent or too busy to mother her, she may set out in search of a positive female role model, perhaps an older woman with whom she can bond.”
― Maureen Murdock, The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness