I don't see the drive, stamina, etc. I see now a person trying to think their way into feeling a way they don't, trying to tell themselves how they feel without accepting what is really happening. Someone who may be ashamed of how they have reacted to that slight and is now covering it up with I'm a staunch, determined person who rises above those petty slights and moves onward and upward with determination, learning ever learning and a model for those who can see me fight the good fight.

That simply looks like painting over rust and rot, refusing to acknowledge I was a victim of those I most wanted to trust and I haven't processed it yet.

Bottom line - whatever gets you through the night. Denial is practiced so much because it works, at least on the surface.