BESTSELF™ ICEBREAKER | Exposed 16

WHAT IS A DEAL BREAKER FOR YOU IN A RELATIONSHIP? 

Dishonesty – trust in any kind of relationship is the bedrock upon which all relationships are built. If that foundation is shaky or broken, so too is everything else. In my experience, most relationships are built on mutual trust, confidence, faith, and respect. All relationships are the same, the only thing that changes a working relationship or a friend relationship to a romantic relationship is the physical love variable.

Trust does not come immediately*; it’s earned. So much depends on treatment by previous partners. Anyone new in your life arrives with walls, baggage, or whatever you want to call personal history.

I expect that through honest conversation, I’ll learn the stories that make up the history of anyone new in my life. I long ago learned to park any assumptions or judgment at the door and allow those in my life, particularly new in my life, to take whatever time they need to eventually tell me the stories in which they aren’t the hero - the true, stripped, and accountable versions of their narrative. It’s a fascinating process to peel the onion of life. That process takes time, understanding, and unconditional acceptance. I expect the same in return.

*Unlike most people in my experience, I trust 100% immediately, it alleviates the pressure of “earning.” Maybe I spent too much time in the grocery industry because I may start you off with 100%, but I’m not afraid to take deductions!