I read a book a couple years back aimed at young adults.  It carried some big time lessons.  The book is called, “Fat Kid Rules the World,” by K. L. Going.  It’s about a 17 year-old boy named Troy Billings who weighs in at a hefty 298 pounds.  He is large and unhappy and is considering suicide at the beginning of the book.  Fortunately, he meets Carl, a thin, troubled genius guitar player.  The book is about their friendship and the insights that Carl is able to pass along to Troy which save both their lives.

The most important lesson that Troy learns is not to compare his insides with other people’s outsides.  He discovers the truth of this statement by realizing that even the so-called perfect people are running just as fast as they can trying to cover up their own imperfections.

It is so easy to be hard on ourselves because we know our own strengths and weaknesses way better than anyone else does.  We know our friends and immediate family members pretty well, but we know ourselves better, and that can get in the way of giving ourselves a break.

Realize that each of us is a mixture of traits that we are proud of and ashamed of.  Be kind to yourself and know that you are a lovable, worthwhile person.  As Troy finds out in the book, one of the best ways to find one’s own self worth is to help another person find his or hers.