LC Business Education

A story drawn from experience.

Last August 13, 2025, I sat in the Lourdes College Auditorium with rows of eager BSBA students, listening to a seminar that spoke to a question most of us wrestle with silently: “The Pressure to be in a Relationship: Do we need a partner to feel complete?” Mr. Earl James Dagondon, a sales manager and relationship guru, delivered his talk with humor, wit, and a depth that left many of us looking inward. Yet even as he spoke, I found myself revisiting chapters of my own story. Chapters marked by love, loss, and the long road to self-discovery.

I once believed, as many do, that to love is to find someone who fills the gaps in your soul. In my younger years, my world revolved around the idea of us; the sweet exchanges, the plans scribbled into calendars, the hope that forever was not just a word but a promise etched in stone. And for a while, it felt right. Being in a relationship brought comfort, routine, and the warmth of having someone by your side in life’s unpredictable journey.

But seasons change, and so did mine. The very relationship I thought would anchor me began to teach me a different kind of truth. The truth that love, no matter how deep, cannot erase the necessity of loving oneself first. I discovered how easy it is to lose yourself when your identity is tied too tightly to someone else’s presence. When the relationship ended, I thought I had lost my compass, but in hindsight, that ending was a beginning in disguise.

Now, as I walk alone, I feel whole in ways I never thought possible. Wholeness, I realized, is not a gift another person can hand to you; it is a garden you cultivate within. It is waking up in the morning with peace in your heart, knowing that your worth is not determined by who texts you goodnight. It is choosing growth, embracing silence, and building dreams that stand even without someone clapping in the audience.

I am not against relationships! Love remains a beautiful mystery I will always honor. But I refuse to see singleness as emptiness. Instead, I see it as freedom! The freedom to learn, to serve, to explore the world on my own terms. In solitude, I have discovered a deeper kind of companionship. One with my passions, my faith, and my evolving self.

So, do we need a partner to feel complete? I say no. We are born whole. Relationships may add joy, color, and shared memories, but the masterpiece of who we are is already complete within us. And sometimes, it takes walking alone to finally see that truth clearly.