The Unicorn Project
May 23rd, 2023: My significant other, Harold,* teases me about a close guy friend (or two), insisting that "jealousy is such a silly emotion." I take his word that it's a joke, but I don't agree. My heart hurts for my friends, and for myself, knowing that I might lose my closest friends. Other than Harold and family, my friends are the people whom I look forward to spending time with most. Maybe I'm naive, but I give the benefit of the doubt so long as boundaries remain intact.
10pm is a strict bedtime for Harold. I'm wide awake, thinking about how I can make my single friends as happy as I am with Harold. Each person deserves someone who reciprocates their romantic feelings and healthy friendships. I think about the good dates, the bad dates, and the situationships with comically horrible endings. Harold makes everything worth it, with just an accidental word of assurance. We have extremely similar life goals, yet opposite strengths and weaknesses that allow us to make each other better. How do I help my friends find their Unicorns, without having to go on so many dates? Without the trauma and the drama?
May 24th, 2023: While Harold and his friends are at golf the next day, I write a business plan, call my Dad, and go for an 8-mile run to calm my post-business-planning excitement, even though I hadn't run in months. By the time I burst through Harold's door with my fingerprint key, I realize that I need a software engineer. Or so I thought. Without question, Harold agrees to be my software engineer. As it turns out, he wasn't the right fit, and I didn't really need a software engineer, yet. Don't we all need a break from the apps? The point is, he believed in me, which was more than enough.
October 31, 2023: Harold didn't feel the same way about me as his forever Unicorn. He had reservations about our ability to communicate, and my over-dedication to work. He didn't believe that humans could evolve emotionally, either. His delivery was comically blunt, but he sure did give great feedback about all the things he didn't think could evolve.
I don't believe in the word 'can't,' other than as motivation. I completed Harold's list by October 31st, 2024 and had a party to celebrate. Not because of Harold, but because he was right about what I needed to work on. Along the way, through patterns of trial, error, academic research, and more error, I've identified several strategies for personal growth. This isn't about me. It's about YOU, your personal growth, and helping you find your forever Unicorn.
It's not easy, but those who are truly committed to the process will grow. If you're willing to commit to yourself, I'm here to guide, support, and grow with you. Because I'm a proud hopeless romantic, I promise to do everything in my power to help you find – and grow with – your forever Unicorn. Your forever Unicorn is the one that gets to keep its horn. Seattle, it's time for the Unicorn Project. Are you ready?