Why do we try so hard to change ourselves with a multitude of “self-improvement” plans, especially when these ways of “bettering” ourselves, ultimately make us feel defeated and that much more inadequate? Our culture does an effective job at convincing us that we don’t measure up and that we couldn’t possibly be lovable just for whom we are. The truth, though, is that what makes us lovable is our humanity, our caring, and our idiosyncrasies.

Think about it, how often do you want to “hang out” with a friend because they “impress” you, or because they can do something that you can’t do? Not often. No what really matters in friendships is feeling comfortable with another person, to the point that we can relax and be ourselves. I wonder how much happier we’d all be if we abandoned the efforts to change ourselves and instead took on the charge of accepting ourselves? I suspect we’d be a lot happier.

We are all familiar with stories told for naming family members. Well blogs, too, can now be amongst those categories for which there are name related stories. The Doctor’s In, plays with the idea of a traditional physician being “in,” ready to see patients, but in this case I am obviously not a physician; I’m a psychotherapist - “in” - to muse about social phenomena and rant about injustices.

Please join me in creating this blog by commenting on my postings and letting me know about the issues that you’d like to see addressed. Many thanks to my friend Dan for his tongue in cheek humor in naming this blog. Where would any of us be without our friends?