I’m a 29-year-old male, and I’ve never had a girlfriend or even tried dating, to be frank. Honestly, I didn't really care about it when I was a teenager, and as soon as I turned 19, I had to take care of my grandparents alone. Living in a third-world country made things difficult, and focusing on myself was almost impossible. Now, at 29, I’m starting to focus on myself since my family issues have been resolved. However, I don’t have a good career or even went to college.

I want to clarify that I genuinely want to do something with my life and am doing what I can to improve my situation. Do I really need to be successful first to even try to date, as some people suggest? At the same time, I sometimes feel bad about my past. I remind myself that I didn't do anything wrong, but I often feel that prioritizing my family during that time is viewed as a sin by society, especially since I’ve received comments like "that's not an excuse" when my priority was survival, not dating.

After being ill for almost two years, one of my regrets is never being in a relationship, but at least I’m in good physical shape now. Waiting for the right moment and believing I can only seek love once I've reached a certain level of success feels exhausting. I’m tired of feeling unworthy of love or hesitant to find someone because of all the problems I’ve faced in the past or my lack of experience. I often read things on social media like, "I would never date someone with no relationship experience." It feels like unless I succeed, I will never find anyone. I also wonder how to "justify" my life when meeting new people, as I sometimes feel too ashamed of my past when people ask questions.