Hi jwolf. I discovered you through @iamjustincscott who resteemed this.
I wholly agree with the self-criticism and comparing yourself too much, but this is what I hope everyone takes to heart the most:
Lastly, stop idealizing your future! Guess what you’ll learn once you get older: there is no magical period in life when everything will be in place and you’ll finally be happy.
Aahh man, I know so many people, close loved ones included, who just don't seem to realise this. Their lives are going by and they'll all be over 60 one day, wishing they'd read this post and taken the last part of it seriously.
As an atheist (which I've recently written about for this first time here on Steemit) to me, this is the only life I have. Once I die, I'm gone, No more "me". So I'm living my life very conscious of this, making the most of this present moment.