[n2tattoos.lol]

i'm not a church-goer and i usually reserve my religious thinking strictly for the afterlife. it's my belief that He doesn't have much to do with everyday life. that said, i've come to realize things either happen or don't happen based on my actions.

this is going to be hard to discuss without sounding like i'm putting you down, so i apologize in advance. that's not my intention.

the last 18 months for me have been a bit like yours. the failure of a relationship, job change, unemployment. i felt like a failure, worthless, bad dad...all the usual things.

the thing that i began to do is trace back the reasons why something did or didn't happen. as an example, i hadn't really been dating all that much. at first i thought it was because it's hard meeting people. i usually work alone in an office. i don't go to school. the two places you're most likely to make friends. but the more i thought about it, the more i realized people are everywhere. if i'm not meeting them, why not? because i didn't really try. why didn't i try? because i wasn't really happy with myself. with my appearance. during the last year i let myself go. didn't exercise. didn't eat well. didn't care about my wardrobe. as soon as i started working on these things, my perspective changed. i began to feel more confident. talking with strangers seemed easier.

not sure all this helps. but i believe it to be true. work on one thing at a time.