Thank you for writing this piece. I admire everyone brave enough to come out about the weaknesses they have overcome.

I also encountered a similar situation by being surrounded by grads from good schools, including MIT, which are full of type A. I can understand how people could often feel inadequate talking to those who seem to have their life sorted out. The truth is that we all, boys and girls, struggle with it and it is not a weakness to admit it.

You mentioned that you could “never stop comparing myself to others and feel inferior” earlier on which pole dancing let you win over. I don’t think comparing ourselves to others is necessarily a bad thing; we all do that. We all find and look up to more successful people. It lets us become better versions of ourselves by having a point of reference. However, there is also a flipside I believe a lot of new grads struggle with — the feeling of inferiority. I believe that the pole dancing community helped you build your confidence to deal better with the downside of comparing to others.

Finally, I have been told repeatedly in the US that Europeans are very liberal compared to Americans. It may or may not be true but I believe there is nothing wrong with embracing your own sexuality. It is not rocket science, but a natural thing to do.