The Knight In Shining Armor Is Just a Myth....so says Anais Nin

And I would have to agree with her.

"How wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than to create it herself."

-Anais Nin

I recall several years ago having a very similar conversation with a good friend of mine. We were in a heated debate about the source of one's happiness - Should it come from within? Should others be responsible for providing it?

The danger of putting your happiness in a box and allowing someone else to be responsible for it is the same danger you undertake when allowing a valet to park your car. They're never going to treat it with as much care and respect as you do.

However, if you're responsible for your own happiness, you get to choose the path that helps you find that happiness. No sitting on the sidelines and hoping for the best while someone else steers you blindly down the wrong path.

To bring this all back to my original statement, 'the knight in shining armor is just a myth,' its a myth because you can't expect someone else to know every little thing they're supposed to do to make you happy. Only you know what makes you happy, and to put that unrealistic expectation on someone else is just setting them up for failure.

There can be no knight in shining armor because, generally, people aren't psychic and that's the kind of power a guy would need in order to meet and exceed a woman's every expectation and thus catapult him into 'shining armor' status.

So, as all you lovebirds out there head off to your overpriced, chocolate-infused Valentine's Day dinner, just remember this - first and foremost, be the keeper of your own happiness. You're really the only one who is qualified enough to succeed at it. Anyone else would just do a hack job, and your happiness deserves far better than that.