Holly Riordan

Modern dating has turned mixed signals and ghosting into the norm. It’s easier than ever to hide your real feelings behind a screen, to leave others on read and drop out of their lives without a word.

1. Your comfort zone isn’t a place to make a home. It’s a pit stop where you should rest and recharge. You don’t want to linger for too long because you could get stuck where you don’t belong.

You deserve someone who matches your energy. Someone who is just as excited about the relationship as you are. Someone who cannot wait to see you and brag to all their friends about you.

They will promise to stay loyal to you. The right person isn’t going to betray your trust. They are going to treat you right from day one, and that will never change, no matter how long you are together.

You deserve more than someone who sends mixed signals, who can’t give you a straight answer, who makes you wonder what’s on their mind because they won’t say the words aloud or answer your texts.

When you like someone, it’s easy to lower your standards or widen your boundaries without even realizing. After all, you don’t want to chase them away.

Relationships are about give and take. You should both be putting effort into loving each other right. Of course, sometimes one person is going to be doing more than the other.

You should be proud of yourself for walking away from a toxic relationship when it would have been so much easier to stay.

Don’t wait a lifetime for them to propose.

Avoid people who doubt you. Who tell you to dream smaller. Who act like your goals are unachievable.

It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in a relationship with her. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve said those three little words in the past. What matters is whether you say them today.

Sometimes, people are being serious when they say they’re not ready for a relationship right now.

Consistent. You deserve a partner who treats you well consistently. Not only when he’s sober. Not only when he wants something. But every single moment he spends with you.

Argumentative. You don’t want to get into arguments every single day. Especially when they refuse to see your side of the situation, when they assume they know better, when they talk down to you like you’re stupid.

Don’t settle for someone who is going to run the other way at the first sign of conflict, someone who cannot handle a tough situation, someone who needs the relationship to be smooth sailing or they’re going to get nervous…

You shouldn’t convince yourself that this is as good as you’re ever going to get. You shouldn’t feel guilty about complaining because you’re lucky that you even have a partner.

You shouldn’t remain in the wrong relationship longer than necessary because you’re scared of being alone again, because you’re scared of hurting this other person’s feelings, because you’re scared of saying goodbye to the life you’ve already created.

You shouldn’t feel bad about how long it’s taking you to find love. You don’t have to meet your forever person when you’re in your teens or twenties.