Chronic fatigue syndrome forced me to let go of trying to succeed on the outside as a means of validating my self-worth. And boy, that was hard for me. I was valedictorian of my high school. I was a scholarship winner. Growing up, that external validation of being the "smart kid" was all I had. Otherwise, I hated myself and thought I was unlovable.

We all have things that we cling to as measures of our self-worth. For men, it's often career and financial success. For women, it's attention-getting things such as physical beauty. We then pursue these external things as a means to happiness. We think if we can just buy that expensive sports car, or get those fake boobs, that we'll be OK. We'll be worthwhile and lovable.