If you are a millennial, then you can probably agree with this: We all suck at expressing our emotions.

We know we have them somewhere deep down within us, but we don't know the proper way of communicating them to others without feeling oddly embarrassed or completely awkward. Because of this, the problem isn't that we don't know what to say; it is that we are too afraid of the possible repercussions that may follow along with sharing our personal thoughts.

Why is this? It might be because we have been nurtured to be soft. This does not mean that we are not weak. Instead, it means that our generation just feels things so strongly that we don't know what to do with all of the cooped up emotions running within us like a fast-moving waterfall. Along with the unwanted feelings of embarrassment and awkwardness comes the worst repercussion of all: rejection. Yes, the dreaded concept of rejection. We have all faced it at some point in our lives and no one really wants to have to face it again. It hurts; it isn't fun. We can all attest to this. But at some point in our lives, we will have to gather enough courage to face it head on if we ever want to finally go after what we truly desire, which in this case, is usually love.

The desire for love is hidden behind the shadow of the fear of rejection. Nobody wants to be told that they aren't loved, especially by the person that they may love the most. And because of this, we shy away from the opportunity to make ourselves happy. We don't take the chances because we are afraid of failure. We have been too sheltered our entire lives to find the courage to stand up to rejection. Today's culture works to try to protect the feelings of everyone in it. We want to protect our feelings, just as our culture has done for us. Someday, we’ll have to learn that we won't be able to do this much longer if we truly want to live the life we are supposed to live.

After all of this, I hope that whoever is reading this finds the courage inside of them to tell that certain person how you really feel. Face the rejection head on, because most of the time, if you feel that strongly about a person, they probably feel the same way about you. So, please take the risk. Don't do it for me, but for yourself and for the future you could have.

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable." - C.S. Lewis