This is a reprint of a story from the book I wrote, “Give Me Hope” written in 1996 with some revisions. This is how I felt at the time. Today I can look back to all the successes I have in my lifetime. Most people are born with a competitive nature and a drive to succeed. It is innate in us as human beings to strive to accomplish what we need in order to achieve a happy and successful life. As a person with lived experience of mental illness, I’m no different. I have aspirati