Wait for someone who will cause you to bloom, not whither.
Wait for that person. I know it's hard. Every soul longs to love and to be loved; it's how we are wired. But, we are not wired to run ourselves down from relationship after relationship after relationship to fill that lonely void within us. Fall in love with yourself first while you have time to do the things you wanna do and see the things you wanna see — worry about finding love later. Love is meant to be portrayed as one of the most beautiful things in this universe, yet we live in a society where it's totally okay to give our precious hearts away to anyone who comes along, regardless of the amount of love given back to us. This notion is nowhere near true.
You are so worth loving, but you are also so worth the kind of love that we aren't taught to aim for anymore. We scroll through Instagram and Twitter and see post upon post about "relationship goals" and unrealistic depictions of love that our generation puts out there and we convince ourselves that in order to feel full, we need these things. Fill yourself up with friends. With happiness. With coffee shops. With adventures. With Netflix marathons. With art. With making the world a better place. My point is, please, please, please, do not allow yourself to sit around and wonder why your past relationships haven't worked out, or if anyone will ever come along to sweep you off of your feet. Do not, and I repeat, do not settle for less than you deserve in order to obtain temporary happiness. I promise you, there is somebody out there whose hand will fit into yours like a puzzle piece and that somebody will cause flowers to sprout within your inner-being. So go out and live while you are young, and I guarantee you that love will come dancing through your door.
Sometimes, you've got to water your own flowers, and that is OK.
Don't let the boys and the alcohol and the empty feelings and the parties consume you. Respect yourself enough to know what kind of love you deserve. Respect yourself enough to know that he is not telling you something true when he says he loves you, and that he has "good intentions" for you, yet uses the sweet lies slipping through his lips to take advantage of you for his own benefit. Respect yourself enough to accept the fact that you may not find anyone right for you anytime soon; you may be 17 or 24 or 32. Either way, learn to accept the fact that you are stunning, and you do not need another soul to complete your own.
"Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers." Veronica A. Shoffstall
