Valid Dating

For years, I was in a toxic relationship. We went on countless dates - fancy titles, corner offices, prestigious events and travel to over 30 countries together. Each rendezvous left me in a state of exhilaration and awe. 

The doors it opened, the other executives I surrounded myself with, the events I got invited to, the pomp and ceremony of all those around me, sucked in by the other lonely CEOs, constantly finding ways to celebrate our awesomeness and hold on to that feeling of importance.

This tumultuous affair was hot and heavy. And gross. Making it unstable and unsustainable. 

Somehow, in the heat of it all, I had forgotten who I was. How I mattered in it all.

It was time to break up with validation and start dating myself.

Starting with a swipe left on societal expectations.

*Italicized quotations are from Papercuts: The Art of Self Delusion