Originally Posted by
anvilhead 
we can always shift our focus and be grateful there ARE people ahead of us on the journey - letting us know there is a safe passage and that it IS doable. just keep putting one foot in front of the other, you'll get there! and then you can wave to those on the path behind you, and say YES YOU CAN.
Amen to that, Anvil.
Alone, what I hear from the "old-timers" in Al-Anon and here is that we are never through learning. So in that respect, some here may be farther down the road than you but certainly on the same road forever. It's not a race to the finish; its the journey.
And always remember the phrase "take what works and leave the rest". The world is full of judgmental people. Incorporating that phrase into my mindset has helped me let go of the need to worry about what others think of me.