Since we’re getting vulnerable here….
My name is Charlie. I’m a certified peak performance coach as well as one of Dr. Robert Glover’s certified No More Mr. Nice Guy coaches. While I’ve managed to carve out quite a nice existence for myself, I’ve been seriously lonely and scared. For most of my life, I felt unworthy of love.
I grew up on an emotional roller coaster, with one parent drowning in depression and addiction while the other battled anxiety and panic attacks from a lifetime of sexual and emotional abuse. Both were locked in a cycle of repeated abuse, trying to raise a family without Oprah.
Needless to say, my emotional needs weren’t a very high priority and my adolescent brain started to believe that those needs weren’t being met because I didn’t deserve them to be. So, I withdrew. I went numb. I lived between the lines, trying not to call attention to myself. I put up walls. I became unapproachable.
If I didn’t talk to you at that party or networking event or in the hallway, it’s not because I thought you were beneath me, but because I was taught that whatever I needed wasn’t important. I didn’t think you’d be interested. I didn’t think I’d have anything to offer you.
If I looked perfect from the outside it’s because I felt so ugly and small inside. Maybe if I made the outside look perfect, then I’d be worthy of your time.