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We Were Never Meant to Go It Alone
The world tells us to be self-sufficient. The truth? We need each other more than ever.
One of the hardest things I’ve had to unlearn is the idea that I can go it alone.
Even as a kid, I was fiercely independent, always trying to forge my own path without relying on others. Part of that came from my upbringing — my parents weren’t strict pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps types, but the message was there. Part of it was my own nature, a deep-rooted belief that if I could handle things myself, I wouldn’t have to risk the disappointment of leaning on others. And part of it was experience — times when I had relied on others and it hadn’t worked out they way I hoped.
So I built a quiet resolve: I would take on whatever life threw at me, solo. At least, as best as I could manage.
Sure, I had people in my life. But needing them? Depending on them? That was something I did sparingly and usually not as the first, natural choice. Because in my mind:
People weren’t fully trustworthy. They would fail me, break apart, or not come through in the way I needed them to.
Because it was easier to keep people at arm’s length than to risk relying on them and being hurt.
