One of the hardest challenges is to forgive yourself. I struggle with forgiving myself daily and although I've made head way in letting go of things that happened in 1989, I have old thoughts sneak up on me, and force me to look at who I have become.

Can we all accept that in some instances we have made our own lives more difficult? Have we made it harder to get ahead and achieve some much desired goals? Have we set ourselves up for failure because we took on too much too soon without taking the time to research and follow up to make sure what we're doing to correct.

I've learned the hard way that life is not hard, but life is definately a process. In my process of life I've had to accept the good along with the bad and when bad turn it into something I can grow from and look at the overall experience as worthwhile.

Until we learn to understand that life is not hard, but at times the conditions that we experience our lives are, then it is easier to acknowledge the process and not resist the flow and ebb of life.

An example for me has been writing. I've always journaled and put my feelings down on paper. I called it my hobby. When I looked back and read some of what I had written I found a common theme. I had issues, I wrote about them while I was in the heat of the situation, and then I put it away. I said to myself, this is really great therapy for my soul and I continued to write.

Now much older and wiser I've taken those very experiences from my journals and written a book about the life and conditions of a woman. The hills and valleys, and process of growth and healing of a life... my life.

Until we each look into our souls and self exam the conditions we have placed our lives in, only then can we know that the conditions have or have not made our process of living strained. We all have to be honest with ourselves and not look to blame anyone other than ourselves for the condition of our lives. Once I did fully I was able to see the goodness and get past the forgiving myself and truly loving myself. It is worth the look inside to get to the point of peace within.