Here's my problem.

I am so GOD DAMNED protective of my family/friends, and it gets me into trouble. I mostly try to stay out of the way and let them fight their own battles, but sometimes people cross a line, and I can't just sit there without saying anything. I wasn't raised that way. And yes, that usually gets me kicked in the teeth. Does that learn me my lesson and keep me from doing it the next time? No. And it never will. I will continually run blindly into the fray to protect someone who means something to me, whether they want me to or not, and yes, I will most likely always metaphorically die. Maybe one day I'll actually die. Will it stop me? Again, no. Broken record, this one. More than likely, I'll stay on this self-sacrificing path and lose friends over and over b/c they think they don't need a hero. So I'll continue to stand on the sidelines watching them self-sabotage until I can't just watch anymore, and then they'll completely go away. Or I'll finally stand up to some bitch that my friends have needed to stand up to forever and my friends will leave b/c "they could have done that." Whatever... Can't change the spots on a giraffe, can't change my sense of protectiveness over my friends and family.