Why I Always Carry an Engagement Ring

Fear. Like EVERYONE, I can attribute some form of action (or inaction) to fear. We tend to do or not do things because we are scared of missing out or maybe fearful of the potential outcome. Regardless of what people tell me, I am an introvert. I am not an outgoing person, and it is not easy for me to start up a conversation, especially with strangers. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to change that about myself. There are many moments of “I wish I would’ve” or “I should’ve” in my life and grew tired of my level of social anxiety. Over the years I took strides in growing my confidence and level of comfort from joining the Presidential Ambassador Program in college to just going out and talking to strangers at meetups or other types of networking events.

When I graduated from college, I thought of something I could do in my day-to-day social life that would push me outside of my comfort zone. So like any normal person, I ordered seven engagement rings from China to propose to complete strangers.

Now obviously, I wasn’t looking for a legitimate spouse from this little experiment. I wasn’t even necessarily looking for a partner, All I wanted was to normalize day-to-day interactions with strangers in everyday environments. I did not want my social anxiety to hinder me from living a normal life, and proposing to strangers was my self-diagnosed form of exposure therapy.

I’m no psychologist, nor am I advocating for random public proposals, but what I can say is we are far from perfect, and when you see a skill or trait that you fall short on, you should seek every opportunity to rectify it. You deserve to be proud of that person you see in the mirror every day, and I’m rooting for you as well.