Holly Riordan

Caring about your person means caring about their hobbies, their passions, their dreams, their milestones. 

He might tell you he’s not interested in anything serious with you. He might turn around and start dating someone else. Or he might ghost you without giving you any sort of explanation.

If he picks and chooses when to answer your texts, when to hang out with you, when to acknowledge your existence, then you’re clearly not his first priority.

You showed me what you’re capable of doing to someone you supposedly love. 

He doesn’t like you back so you’re going to swear off dating forever? You’re going to lock away your heart and refuse to let anyone close to you? You’re going to convince yourself you’re better off alone? 

You are not unlovable. You are not destined to end up alone. You are not too screwed up to find love. 

Playing it safe never works when it comes to love.

She doesn’t want you to act like her problems aren’t real problems. She doesn’t want you to make her feel stupid.

You might be so desperate to reach your next milestone that you overlook red flags, that you pretend you’re feeling things you aren’t feeling, that you stay with someone who isn’t meant for you.

You end up missing out on so many things that you would have done if your friends lived nearby because you have no one to invite out with you.

A lot of the time, the reason you’re so stressed is because you have a million different goals to accomplish, problems to solve, decisions to tackle. Taking a break might seem counterintuitive, but if you keep going at this pace, you’re going to burn yourself out.

Even though they love you, sometimes your presence isn’t enough to change how they’re feeling — and you have to accept that isn’t a reflection on you or your relationship.

Never give up because you’re lucky to have something you feel this passionately about pursuing. Some people search their whole lives for meaning, for a purpose, for an outlet that brings them happiness. You’ve already found that thing, which means you’re one step closer to your dreams than most people.

Get your heart broken. Get your hopes up and watch them come tumbling down.

Even though it might be cozy beneath your blankets, you don’t want to spend the whole season cooped up inside. You should get out there and have a good time! Don’t let the fall season pass you by!

Calm down because you haven’t done anything wrong. Maybe you’ve spent years chasing after the wrong person. Or maybe you’ve spent years majoring in something you’re not interested in pursuing anymore. But that doesn’t mean you screwed up.

Sometimes, you’re going to have to wait years for your effort to pay off — and that whole time, you’re going to have to keep faith in yourself. You’re going to have to hold onto the hope that you can do this, that you’re going to reach your destination eventually. 

Putting effort into the relationship means you’re present during the hours when you’re with your person. It means you’re actively listening when they speak instead of staring down at your phone, texting other people or scrolling through social media.