I've noticed over my course of dating people that some people hold back on committing to a relationship because they fear the relationship falling to pieces. I think it's a very silly reason to not date someone. I'm remembering a specific situation during my freshman year of college where I met this guy and he was my perfect match at the time. However, we spent so much time trying to figure out what our relationship was that we never were able to make anything official and we just spent too much time arguing over it.

I've always told myself to take the risk. From that experience, that specific guy shared that he was too afraid that either something would go wrong or someone would end up getting hurt. For some reason, I was never the type of person to fear those things because I knew even if that person and I so happened to break up at some point, I would have either learned a good lesson from it or just gained experience knowing what I want in a relationship. I never viewed failed relationships as wasted time. Sometimes things do not always go as planned and at the end of the day, you will still be the same person you were before you met that person. Relationships are a ton of work. However, sometimes you end up meeting someone who really will influence your life in a positive direction and that may be a person that you end up dating.

I view life in general as no time is wasted time. Everything happens for a reason. Even with relationships. Life does require taking risks and sometimes that is even in the relationships you are involved in at the time. I know heartbreak can sometimes be really hard and it can feel horrible however it is one step closer to the person you're going to spend forever with. I always view heartbreak as a lesson or experience. When you go back and look at your past relationships, you may feel like you put in all that effort for nothing, but that effort was to help show you that "Wow girl, you deserve way better!" Those failed relationships will show you what you deserve and what you can handle in a relationship. A lot of times you need to date different people to know what you want in a relationship. For example, I was with the same guy for two and a half years in high school and all I knew was him. I was very young and I never was really able to explore because I was with that person for so many years. You also need to remember that there's a big difference between dating and having a relationship.

When you're in a relationship, you are committing yourself to that one person and the both of you are deciding to become boyfriend and girlfriend. Dating means that you can go on dates with different people and get to know different types of people. This helps you get to know different traits. I definitely feel that dating in your early college years is a good time for you to meet different people without having that commitment of a relationship if you're not ready for it. Definitely don't get into a serious relationship if you're not ready for it. However, if you decide to, it is ok if it doesn't go as planned! That is one step closer to your forever match!