Quote Originally Posted by allalone46
have been chastised(not here) when I inadvertantly refered to my self as a master even though I was never trained, nor mentored, nor had a slave.
Ask yourself why comments from anyone else are particularly relevant. Are these people self-proclaimed experts, or do they demonstrate any particular wisdom garnered from successful experience?

Dominant, master, whatever, it's all a state of mind. Sure there are pitfalls to avoid, and listening to others who have fallen into those pits is an excellent way of not repeating their mistakes, but don't put too much stock in what someone else claims to have accomplished. Trust your own judgment when that little voice tells you someone is full of it.

Consider when you hear this ubiquitous statement, "I have trained [insert arbitrarily large number] slaves/submissives for the last [insert substantial number of years], so I know what I'm doing." On face value it might seem plausible, but look at the implications. Is quantity actually better than quality? Would the claimant be more credible if the large number of slaves were only one or two instead? For myself, a statement like this is actually an admission of failure, failure to learn how to maintain a stable relationship for any length of time.

Twenty years of pounding one's head against a wall certainly qualifies for expertise in headaches but not much else. So look and listen, but don't take the derogatory comments too seriously.