The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.

Most people would have given up when faced with all the criticism I've received over the years.

The attitude of unconditional self-acceptance is probably the most important variable in their long-term recovery.

This, perhaps, goes to show that conditional self-esteem, as I have said for many years, is an insidious, real sickness, so much so that even Buddhists carelessly sneak it in and sometimes encourage their clients to achieve it.

The emotionally sound person should be able to take risks, to ask himself what he really would like to do in life, and then to try to do this, even though he has to risk defeat or failure. He should be adventurous (though not necessarily foolhardy); be willing to try almost anything once, just to see how he likes it; and look forward to some breaks in his usual life routines.

To err is human; to forgive people and yourself for poor behavior is to be sensible and realistic.

Unless, of course, you insist on identifying yourself with the people and things you love; and thereby seriously disturb yourself.