When you care about someone, show it. Allow yourself to act vulnerable. Give yourself permission to express your emotions. Don’t leave anything left unsaid. Don’t censor yourself. Use your voice. Say those three little words. Say whatever is on your mind. Be the most authentic version of yourself.

When you care about someone, don’t worry about appearing clingy or needy or overemotional. Don’t hold back the way you’re feeling out of fear it won’t be reciprocated. Don’t stay inside of your comfort zone. Break out and take risks. Embrace the unknown. Be more spontaneous, more adventurous. Stop playing it so safe.

When you care about someone, be honest with them. Don’t lie in order to come across as cool. Don’t pretend to be someone you’re not in order to seem more impressive. Don’t act like you’re cold and emotionless in order to protect yourself from rejection and ridicule and heartache. Tear your walls down. Let the real you shine through the surface. Be unapologetically yourself.

When you care about someone, put in effort. Smile across the room. Send the first text. Give compliments. Plan outings. Make it clear you value their time and appreciate their presence. Don’t let them get to the point where they’re questioning whether you actually care. Don’t force them to guess how you’re feeling when you could come right out and say it to their face. Don’t put them through the process of dating games. Save yourself the time. Save yourself the trouble.

When you care about someone, you shouldn’t overthink things. You shouldn’t wonder whether you’re being too nice, whether you’re being too honest, whether you’re being too real. You should do what feels right. Say what feels right. If you’re with the right person, then they’re going to appreciate your transparency. And if you’re with the wrong person, it’s better you find out earlier, before your heart gets too cemented to theirs.

When you care about someone, you shouldn’t tamp down your feelings. You shouldn’t push important people away. You shouldn’t lock your heart in a cage because it’s safer behind walls than out in the open. Love requires risks. It requires moving forward without any clue what the future holds. It requires trust in this other person — and in yourself.

When you care about someone, you shouldn’t wait for the right moment to tell them how you feel. You shouldn’t wait until tomorrow to check up on them. You shouldn’t procrastinate when it comes to embracing the people who mean the most to you. Take advantage of every moment you get with them. Don’t waste today. Don’t keep coming up with reasons to put off your generosity until later.

When you care about someone, please, make sure you’re not the only person who knows it. Make sure you actually show it. Don’t let your fear get in the way of your feelings. Don’t let your discomfort convince you to keep your kindness inside. Speak from your heart. Love loudly. Let the world know what you think.