Mosaic DaveMight I suggest that you don't have to be anihytng you don't want to be. Using the term have to suggests to me that some external force expects or requires you to be a certain way. Lose the expectations and you will lose the stress. Realize that you only have to be however you want to be and that whatever and however you are right now is perfect on your way to your goal. accept yourself right now for everything you are and everything you are not. And remind yourself that even if you remain the same for the rest of your life you are the best you that you can possibly be. Then define your goal, plan how to achieve it and work towards it, realizing that each step, each success, each failure is feedback from the universe on how to move forward to achieve the success you desire and richly deserve. Notice the times you use the terms should and have to and remind yourself that thinking like this isn't really helping you. Thinking these things limits your possibilities. Consider instead what you would like to do or what you want to do. Think of all the things you'd like to do; then narrow them down and do one or two that you think are really great and valuable at that time. You can do the rest later if you want to. Lastly, do it all for yourself. It's one thing to say you're doing things selflessly for those people whom you love but why should you be stressed or unhappy so that the people around you can be happy? Instead, do what you want to do and be happy. Your happiness will radiate out to those people you love and they will, in turn, be happier for you when seeing you being the extraordinary person you are.