Never give anyone the permission to make you feel less about yourself.
One time a guy passed me as I was walking through the airport he turned to his girlfriend and said "If I was that big..." and laughed.
I whipped around and said "You'd what?"
He turned his head, raised an eyebrow and kept going.
Would he have owned his first house at age 20?
Would he have a lot of supportive friends?
Would he have climbed the tallest pyramid in the Americas or flown to Vegas that weekend for the hell of it?
I dunno. But I did those things.

Each of us is so much better than someone else at particular things. Mine happens to be a particular, small, unoccupied corner of the software world. Others have so many other things, so many bigger things. What slays me is the women who have children and no self-esteem. My God, you created life!!! You're wholly responsible for little people who I'm guessing haven't turned out to be demons.

Our potential to share with the world, to give back in multi-fold all the wonderful things that have been given to us, that's the center of self-esteem.

No one else has had my life experiences. No one else has conquered the demons I've conquered and the other ones I continue to fight. The 15 year old who calls me "fatass" doesn't deserve the CO2 I would expel to have the discussion with him. If someone is so small as to use the precious breath God's given us to say something nasty, bad on them. If I feel any reaction to that, it's maybe the disappointment in myself. Ah, there's the rub, right?

Remember, disappointment is nothing more than a trigger to say that we either have to adjust our expectation ("I'm just going to have to be fat, so comments like that won't bother me.") or change our method ("Guess I'm gonna have to get thinner so I won't deal with that.")

When I finally figured out to start living my life for me and that I'm the master of my Universe, my life changed. I live by the choices I've made with no regrets and no looking back. I am the man I am today because of me and I choose to like me. The responsibilities, troubles, joys and good fortunes I have are mine. I take ownership for all of it. With that knowledge and knowing all I know about myself, how can I have anything except esteem and love for me?

How can you not have anything except the same for yourself?

H (wondering how many ignore lists this will get me put on )