Anaïs Nin quote
"I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman."
This quote resonates with me not so much about quizzing men (or women) about whether they fit these "criteria" after a few casual dates, but as a reminder to myself that I must have these qualities, even in little quantities, before we step into each other's lives. Then I can even begin to think about whether someone believes in me and sees me as an equal, as a partner.
If I don't have strength, courage, toughness, and a realistic view of life (I tend towards cynicism, actually) or make demands on myself, then how can I expect someone else to appreciate these qualities? I also don't want to completely burden them into showing me I have these qualities. I need to realize this myself.
I say "completely" because I know with MDD I do doubt myself a whole lot and past boyfriends have had to encourage me when I felt lost and weak. I don't expect that I'll not ever suffer from self-doubt in the future, but I would like to lessen the burden on others in my life (romantic or platonic).
I need to believe in myself. I got this shit.
And if someone demonstrates they don't believe in you, you're better off without them.