Many share in a feeling of dread accepting and coming to terms with facing addiction and mental illness. We focus on the faults and mistakes we have made. This leads to a long and vicious circle that harms our inner spirit.

I remember earlier in my life the shame and guilt I faced from my mental illness. Was I good enough to have friends, be in a relationship or live in society? Would I ever fit in or would I be the weird guy that people call crazy? I chose to start to find and eventually accept myself.

This has led me on a road of redemption and hope. I began to see the good that is within my life. I find all of the reasons I am joyful about being alive. I focus on the positives and know that I am blessed. It is through much effort that I have two healthy children, have been married for many years and have been able to be productive with helping others.

I also know that all of us face struggles and adversities. We will have situations when we feel lost or hopeless. I find even my healthiest and most successful friends experience their own problems trying to live life. I remember that we need each other.

It is the connection we find with other people that brings us our highest happiness. When we begin to feel okay with who we are, we become comfortable with everyone else. We learn that it doesn’t matter if anyone else judges us. We have been approved by God and feel great in our own skin.

The gift of authentically loving yourself is extremely valuable. It is a long path to eventually make it to this point. Even when you arrive there will be situations that send us back to feeling inferior and worthless. The great news is that we can come back stronger and learn to be a little less hurt when someone says or does something. You begin to be free and know that you can move forward with a smile on your face.