In this episode of the EverydayEQ podcast, I'm sharing a personal breakthrough (eep, vulnerability) I had about external validation, and how I established more self-awareness around my ego's desire to be validated by another. 

I talk about how people and the relationships we have with them serve as mirrors, illuminating our own lower and higher selves. And I Illustrate how my unconscious emotions kept me stuck in cycles that didn't serve me. 

I hope there's something in this episode that helps you deepen your own self-awareness around how and/or why you seek validation.

*Trigger warning: Some of this content may hit close to home if you're dealing with a very similar situation.*

00:00 - Intro

2:39 - Let's begin the show

3:18 - The cost of waiting for external validation

3:51 - All relationships are mirrors that help us see more about ourselves (if we're open to recognizing this)

4:43 - Two examples of how this mirroring effect happens in relationships

6:34 - How I challenged myself to go deeper and look at what was being reflected back to me in my own relationships

7:24 - The biggest mirror of my life

7:51 - Bringing it back to the validation thing

8:36 - My process of self-reflection that helped me understand what this relationship was showing me about my own shadow qualities 

9:40 - Aaaaand here's my hangup with the external validation

10:38 - My "oh crap" breakthrough moment

10:55 - A harsh truth about narcissists

11:20 - What I can do with this new self-awareness around my attachment to external validation

11:33 - More insight into how I kept myself trapped in this cycle that didn't support me

12:40 - Internal validation is stronger than external validation

13:38 - You can become addicted to external validation

15:15 - Basically it comes down to learning how to TRUST YOURSELF 

Thanks for listening! Please share, rate, and leave a review if you're into it. And you can always reach out to me at info [at] theceqo [dot] com.