As much as I love Ziru, I'll not pester him with even more of my bullshit, nor--no offense--but I don't think he's the friend I really needed to talk to.
No, the friend I needed was thankfully one I have. He delivered a good ol' punch to the gut and told me to my face, as kindly as he could, that I'm being a dumbass and there are several character flaws that I should (ugh, hate that word) probably work on.
EDIT: With all due respect and love to Ziru, he's just not willing to punch me in the face with forthright honesty.