When my best (and only) friends left me the spring of 2007 I sort of had to do some serious work on my self-esteem because how the hell else was I going to survive basically completely on my own? And if you all know me, you ought to know that by now I have a lot where that comes from.

I am an amazing fucker.

I don't know if maybe I talk about it as if it's some easy thing when I give advice on how to view things and yourself to feel better about it, but I do know that it's really not. And I had the great luck of having a mother and family who have always been supportive and encouraged me to feel good about myself and be the best I can be while not being hard on myself about it etc etc, and a lot of people don't have that. I do know it's not easy, but I do know it can be done, and so I want to share a few pointers that I used, and still use, that I think are very important.

I don't claim to be an expert or anything, but I think that I have at least some decent knowledge of it, and I hope that it can be of at least some help for you.

And I don't know if you've heard them before; you might have. But I think they really do bear repeating, and punching into your head over and over again until you really start to believe them. I have no illusion that this is an easy thing either; it's not.

( One and two and three and four )

And your well-being and happiness is worth fighting for. You are worth it.