"I'm not perfect, but I strive to be the best."

The basis of shame is not some personal mistake of ours, but the ignominy, the humiliation we feel that we must be what others want us to be.

I would like to make it clear, in parenthesis, that I do not blame my parents for their point of view. There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.