When my sister Germaine was young, she was the dream of high school boys and the envy of high school girls. As a result, some of the more jealous young women would make unkind remarks and usually untrue remarks about her. Germaine remained unaffected by their barbs.

One day I asked her why she wasn't reacting, Why she wasn't crying. Why she wasn't seeking revenge. "If someone said you had a purple eggplant growing out of your ear, would your feelings be hurt?" she asked me.

"Of course not." I replied. "Anyone can see that's not true."

"Well, the things they're saying about me aren't true either. So why should I let them bother me?"

It made perfect sense to me then. And, it makes perfect sense to me now. We spend altogether too much time at work worrying about what others have said, are saying, might say about us. In truth, we have too many other things to worry about.

Whenever you're tempted to let unkind words alter your mood, just remember what Dolly Parton has to say about "dumb-blonde" jokes. "I'm never bothered by dumb blonde jokes," she confidently tells people. "That's because I know I'm not dumb." She self-assurance cannot be denied. "I also know," she adds, "that I'm not blonde!"

Dr. Marlene Caroselli, author of 53 business books (see Amazon.com) is an international keynote speaker and corporate trainer for Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, educational institutions, and professional organizations. You can reach her at mccpd@frontiernet.net.