Every once in a while, you realize what you thought about yourself just isn’t the case. And it can leave you feeling pretty down on yourself and shaken up. On the other hand, if you are truly honest with yourself, you can turn this realization into a learning experience, and be better off in the long run.

Both of these things happened to me over the last four days, and it has been a difficult experience facing hard truths that, put simply, I just have to accept. The good news is, I think I can move past this if I acknowledge where I went wrong and work to stop it from happening again.

If that all sounds rather cryptic, I apologize. I haven’t yet mastered the art of putting honest, personal views on the public internet. I do appreciate my friends for both calling my attention to my own shortcomings and being patient with my very, very shallow learning curve. I hope you notice a difference soon.