Knowing who we are is very important, but accepting who we are is very hard to do. However, without Self Acceptance, our Self Awareness is useless. We must embrace who we are, strengths and faults, victories and mistakes, and recognize that it is all part of our engineering. When we examine ourselves from the lens of being uniquely engineered for a purpose, for a reason, it is easier to accept past mistakes and to put them into context. We can view those mistakes as victories if we develop wisdom that helps us going forward and makes us stronger, and, if we can use that wisdom to help other people. It makes sense when we take the focus off of ourselves and recognize that even our shortcomings can become gifts. This week, I talk with Cory Carlson, a life coach, and member of a men's group I'm involved in through my church, Crossroads Church in Cincinnati. Sometimes it takes the courage of opening up and sharing with others for us to gain Self Acceptance. We realize that we are not alone in terms of having flaws, we are not alone when it comes to making mistakes in life. Cory and I found that we have a kinship on many levels.