“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” Henry David Thoreau

I confess to spending most of my youth with a lot self doubt and insecurity. The view of myself was not healthy as I did not like how I looked, hated my name, felt I had no talent. All of which are a sign of how much I always lowered myself compared to others. In spite of my low self perception I was able to accomplish many things in life. I succeeded in a decent career. Who I am today can be attributed to encouragement from good people in my life, finding courage to try and accepting failure (even expecting failure), and moving away from all comparisons. My failures, if you can even call them that, were much needed in my life. I compare that to dying to those false views so I can have realistic views. I’ve also come to know the dreams I’ve envisioned can and do come true. I may not attain the expectations of these dreams because some have exceeded expectations. Each Fall we witness the dying of the season in preparation of the new life to come, same is true of us.