Even though you have strong feeling for them, even though you have your heart set on ending up with them, even though you’re convinced one day soon they’re going to make a move and ask you to become their one and only, you don’t want to stick around if they keep disappointing you. You don’t want to spend weeks, months, or years of your life pining after someone who is refusing to commit to you.

If you’ve been waiting a long, long time for your almost to make a move and it still isn’t happening, if they’ve been making constant excuses about how they aren’t ready for a relationship right now, then you don’t have to sit around and wait for them to change their mind. You can move on from them right now. You don’t have to wait for a bigger sign.

Please, don’t let your almost lead you on too long. Don’t stick around in the hopes they are suddenly going to change their tune, start treating you better, and make an actual commitment to you. You don’t want to look back and realize you’ve wasted a large chunk of time hoping someone would see your value when you could’ve went out and searched for someone who knew your value all along.

There are plenty of people out there who would jump at the chance to be in a relationship with you. They won’t leave you waiting. They won’t leave you wondering. They won’t leave you questioning whether the relationship is ever going to go any further or whether this is the best you’re going to get.

You don’t have to settle for an almost. You don’t have to accept half their love and half their attention because you feel like that’s as good as you’re going to get. You deserve everything you’ve been dreaming about, not only a fraction of it. Don’t allow yourself to accept less than you deserve. Don’t allow yourself to settle for the first person who gives you butterflies, even if they aren’t willing to give you much more than that.

Don’t let your almost hold you back from new love. Don’t forget that you are technically still single. You are allowed to explore your other options. You are allowed to look for other opportunities. You don’t have to keep pining after this one person who isn’t even willing to get serious with you.

Your almost might be sweet and kind and funny — but that is not enough. Your chemistry is not enough. Your feelings are not enough. If you were meant to be together, then they would make a real commitment. They would make sure you knew exactly how much you meant to them. They wouldn’t leave you wondering whether they are ever going to make a move.

Please, don’t let your almost hold you back from new love. Don’t let your almost keep you tethered to the past. Don’t let your almost make you miss out on something wonderful because you deserve so much more.