First of all, I love your tag line (Truth hurts…and you like it). I agree with what you’re saying here. My wife has said, jokingly (half!), that she would rather be skinny than happy. I tell her that’s crazy, and she says “I know!!”.

Ultimately, We all have our burdens to bear. Think it’s up to us to learn to accept ourselves, with our burdens and figure out how we can live meaningful happy lives. Shame is pointless. I can’t think of a single person who has attributed any success in their lives to shame.

When it comes to self improvement, I think about the serenity prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”