What a great post! This line in particular really stuck out to me:
There may be some things you have to give up and you must make a tolerable excuse but at the end of the day, do things that can contribute to your self worth.
You're absolutely right, at the end of the day this is the bottom line. It's a conscious choice that we have to make, to put aside some things that don't serve our higher goals in order to truly pursue what we dream of making a reality. :)