Again, that is a very familiar feeling. Thanks for sharing that. You remind me of myself, the way you write and feel. I was right there in your shoes in my own life. I fought those feelings for years and years. It wasn't fair - other people could say whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, and I couldn't really be ''me'' because the goddamn words wouldn't come out smoothly. I became very bitter and angry. Sad, too. For myself, mostly. For what it's worth (and I don't care what anyone else says): time you spend improving your speech (and your entire life, not just your speech) is not wasted. Every minute you are practicing and working is one minute closer you are. In my experience, I was my biggest obstacle - I would make excuses and be lazy and justify not doing the work. Maybe you're like that a bit, too. Already you're saying you're not doing it because you feel pathetic. I've used that one, too. For a long time, actually. I hope you can find the commitment you need to start practicing faster than I did. You're young, and the sooner you start making tangible progress, the sooner you put this in the rearview mirror. It is not a life sentence, but it will not go away on its own. You're young, but you're old enough to fully understand the idea that whatever cards we're dealt in life is not our fault. But it's our responsibility to decide what to do about it. And that sucks because it seems so unfair. But that's how it is. Fault and responsibility do not go together. It wasn't my fault that I stuttered. But it was my responsibility to fix it.