This goes out to anyone with the mindset of "I give up on love", "love isn't worth the pain", or my personal favorite, "I'm scared to get attached." If you can find yourself relating to any of these, listen up. Enough is enough.

I'm the biggest advocator for a love you'll ever meet, a hopeless romantic at heart, no one loves love more than I do. I get it, I really do, love is terrifying. Love hurts, and when it does, it hurts like hell. You need to remember, love is not what you are afraid of. You're afraid of reliving relationships that will inevitably end and waste your time. You're afraid of getting taken advantage of. You're afraid your love won't be equally matched. You're afraid to put all this time and energy into something that is only temporary. You're not afraid of love, you're afraid of the pain and hurt that often comes with it.

Despite what you think; a failed relationship is not a waste of time. Think back on all the relationships you've gone through that have come to an end, romantic or friendly. With every relationship you've experienced you've learned something from it, you carry that with you when you're faced with the next relationship.

My ex broke me down and made me question myself and my self-worth, do I regret the entire relationship? Absolutely not, it was something I needed to have happen so now that I've gone through it, I know to never allow someone to put me in that place again. It made me stronger. Always remember that your past relationships ended for a reason. When a relationship ends, we figure out what we do and do not want our next relationship to include.

Not everyone is your ex, not everyone you come across will have those same ill intentions that your ex had. Instead of playing the comparison game and inevitably sabotaging something good for yourself, use your ex to enhance a new relationship, never compare the two. Comparing a relationship that is in full bloom to one that has failed is like comparing life to death; pointless. Separate "back then" from "right now".

Love is the most powerful force in the world. Everything that makes love scary is also what makes love that much more beautiful. One of the scariest things about love and new relationships is feeling vulnerable. Every person that enters your life and becomes romantically involved with you gets to experience a whole new side that you don't show to anyone else. No one else will get to learn to know you on the level that a lover will, and you will also get to know someone on a level much deeper than anything they've exposed to anyone else. Isn't that amazing?

The fear you have regarding love creates a barrier that prevents you from getting truly close with someone and you could be missing out on something that could be so great. Every failed relationship you thought you'd never make it through; you did. If you know you're strong enough to handle the outcome of a situation, good or bad, you'll love more fully and receive that much more love in return.

Stop looking at the "what ifs" that surround love in a negative light. What if I get hurt? What if it doesn't work out? Yes, but what if it does? What if you find yourself so consumed in love with another being that it sets your soul on fire? What if you find a happiness you only thought was real in books or movies? What if you found the person that makes you so grateful it didn't work out with anyone in your past?

My girlfriend, my best friend, is the most fascinating and captivating being I've ever come across. I love the dimple in her chin that she cannot stand. I love the way she bites her tongue when she smiles incredibly hard, a real smile, not her "selfie" smile. I love the way the scar above her eyebrow turns a darker shade of red when she's tired. I love the one specific freckle right between her eyes that's slightly bigger and darker than all the other ones.

I love the way she only eats honey nut cheerios with organic whole milk and only enjoys mint chocolate chip ice cream if it's the green kind because let's be honest the green mint chip is far superior. I could go on and on about her all day long if you let me. I've never loved another the way I love her, and that scares me to death every single day that passes. Knowing someone has my whole heart in the palm of her hand at her disposable is terrifying.

With one fell swoop, she could bring my whole world crumbling down around me, but that's a risk so worth taking. I can't imagine the moments we've shared that took my breath away and made me so grateful to be alive that I'd be missing out on if I hadn't jumped in with both feet, no safety net.

Opening up and allowing myself to be vulnerable with someone was the hardest and scariest, but hands down the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I promise you love is real, I found it when I walked into a pizza restaurant for a job interview and my eyes landed on the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

Little did I know that same girl would immediately become my best friend who I'd spend the next two years trying to convince we were meant to be together. I found love in a girl with a smile that feels like the warm sunshine on my skin and with a soul so rare not even the world's greatest poet could capture its beauty with words. Every day is the greatest day of my life and I believe I am the luckiest man alive, that's a feeling I wish everyone in the world could experience.

Don't be afraid to love, don't deny yourself of the most beautiful and powerful force in the world. You have to have faith, throw away your safety net, take the plunge and jump in with both feet. I promise you'll be so glad you did.