I confess that the biggest reason that I’ve lost respect for partners in my past is entirely due to courage. If they showed it, to be precise. So many of them believed that all they had to do was be physically strong or have money and that was enough to earn my respect. But all of them failed when it came to the courage it takes to be real. To be vulnerable and honest about your feelings and who you truly are. All the rest of it means nothing if you can’t do that. So I don’t care if you can lift the biggest log in the forest if you don’t have the courage to be real.

I was recently blown away by a conversation with a good friend who went bankrupt last year. They were content winning arguments online with people than having their business continue. They had had a successful or moderately successful business. In doing so, somehow they got very invested in their online view of themselves and that became most important. I'm blown away because they had a choice. Log off and continue their business, go bankrupt and continue their online presence. They're still my friend, but man what a weird trip.