more details on my decision to transition

A couple crossdressers and friends have asked me recently how and or why I came to the conclusion to transition, so here is a quick answer as best I can understand it:

Actually, I don't think there is any easy or single answer to why I decided to transition. And I would think the reasoning has to be different for each person. We must each forge our own path, you might say....For me it was mostly feeling and instinct. As I came out more and more as Dana over the last year and have been able to express myself more freely and have received support and validation from family and friends and even strangers, I realized recently that I am the happiest I have ever been in my life.

In looking back on my life in this new context, I saw that, in the most important aspects, I have been a woman all along (as the cliche goes: a woman stuck in a man's body!) and it was only social conditioning and fear of society's judgement that was holding me back from exploring my feminine self sooner. Well, I guess I finally reached a point in my life where a combination of decreasing shame about myself and growing self-confidence, self-realization, emotional freedom and maturity, and financial independence collided to form who I am today and my decision to move forward in bringing my physical being into balance with my psychological being.

Finally, the most important aspect of the whole decision was allowing myself to slow down and experience the pure, unfettered joy, exhiliration and happiness I feel when expressing my feminine side. And this is separate from the sexual side of things - which, of course is always there and is good too. More and more I found myself smiling uncontrollably and feeling an overwhelming sense of peace during little private or public moments while dressed or when thinking about the freedom and prospects of "living my life in closer harmony with my desires" (to paraphrase a close and inspirational friend of mine - thanks D!). To put it more bluntly - my gut instinct, which I believe I have a decent connection with, told me that this was my path...

So, that, in a nutshell, is my reasoning for transition. Please be aware that in no way do I condone or recommend making such a decision in a vacuum or without doing lots of research and with as much support and consultation from family, friends, doctors, etc. as possible. Without the unquestioning love and support of my family and friends I might never have gotten to this highpoint in my life!