How Erin Brockovich got so ballsy: the woman portrayed onscreen by Julia Roberts wasn't always such a fearless fighter. But one day, she learned to listen to her inner voice. (On My Mind).(Brief Article)

* Ever since Julia Roberts played me in a movie, people have told me how blessed I am. But here's a reality check: I'm no fairy-tale character. In fact, I've hit some real low points in my life. But I've discovered that without outside help, I could figure out my problems on my own for the most part. When it comes down to it, you are the best person to turn to for advice.

Here's how I learned this valuable lesson: I was 27 years old and on my second unhappy marriage. I became pregnant, and my husband, already overwhelmed with the two kids from my first marriage, insisted he didn't want any more turmoil in his life. So against my better judgment, I agreed to get an abortion, thinking it would improve our relationship. But our marriage continued to deteriorate, and as a result, I became very anxious and developed anorexia, which landed me in the hospital for two weeks.

There, one of my therapists was a woman named Mary Ann Potter, a cancer suvivor with a double-mastectomy and single mother of five. Mary Ann asked me to go to my room and talk everything out to myself as a way of closing that chapter of my life and moving on. I did what she said--I talked to myself out loud in my room for the rest of the day and night. And I discovered that I already knew the answers to many of the questions that were swirling in my head. At the end of that night, I vowed never to let others decide my fate, as I had with my pregnancy. Learning to talk to myself was a turning point in my life, and soon thereafter, I left my husband.

I know that people who talk to themselves are often considered crazy, but it's actually quite a sane thing to do. Think about it like this: You are your own best listener. Consider how many talk-show experts there are who get paid ...