I'm 66 and I no longer spend any energy on people who make me feel like I have to earn my place in the room - not because I became cold, but because I finally understood that ease is not a low standard, it is the only standard that matters at this stage, and the people who meet it know who they are and so do I - Silicon Canals

"Spent most of my life trying to prove I belonged. In every room, at every job site, with every crew. Always working harder, staying later, laughing louder at jokes that weren't that funny."

"When you're always proving yourself, you attract people who expect you to keep proving yourself. They get comfortable with you doing backflips for their approval."

"One day I looked around and realized I was exhausted from performing for people who made me feel like my presence needed justification."

For decades, the need to prove belonging led to exhaustion and performance in various social and professional settings. At sixty-six, a realization emerged that the effort to impress was unnecessary. The people who truly mattered never required justification for presence. This constant need for validation attracted relationships based on performance, creating a cycle of expectation. The shift towards ease and authenticity revealed that genuine connections do not demand constant proving, allowing for a more fulfilling existence without the burden of performance.

Read at Silicon Canals