Those close to me know I just got out of a nine-month relationship with someone I genuinely loved and cared about. We didn’t break up because someone did something wrong, or because one of us messed up, we broke up because our intuition told us that we were no longer meant to be together.

It was hard, but this person was a chapter in my life that was ready to end. Many people cannot fathom why two people would end things simply based off an intuition, but it really is the truth.

My intuition has always guided me throughout my life. It is its strongest when it comes to interpersonal relationships. Many people choose to ignore this when they are in love. They cannot understand how there is a desire to move on when there is nothing wrong.

Unfortunately, the nagging feeling in their gut never goes away. It becomes overwhelming, and they know they have to end things. It is important to realize you are not a bad person for validating this feeling and moving on. Not every relationship is meant to last forever. I’m sure we have all gone through a breakup with someone we had made lifelong plans with.

After such a monumental breakup you might expect me to fall off the grid for a little while or keep to myself. I have done the exact opposite, and in the process, met a really amazing guy.

I wasn’t looking for someone to make me happy or whole again, in fact I was straight up avoiding that. I didn’t want to have any type of feelings for someone again so soon. However, when all the bells and whistles were going off deep within my soul I couldn’t ignore it.

Sometimes you just know.

People always say, “when you know, you know,” but I have had that feeling multiple times in my life. It’s not a feeling you get just once, it's a feeling when you meet someone you are supposed to meet.

What I have learned from this is that you’re not allowed to have expectations for how long this person will be in your life. It could be one amazing date, a week, a few months, a few years or forever. You just never know. You have to enjoy whatever time you do have and allow yourself the peace of not knowing. Nobody can ever be truly sure the person they are with is their forever person, you simply go on a journey and enjoy every moment for what it is.

I have gained the greatest happiness in my life by allowing things to simply happen. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, don’t try to use someone else to solve your problems. You have to be OK with who you are as a person before you can truly love someone else. That journey could be alone or you might have a significant other to help along the way. Sometimes you get to the end of that path and they set you free. Now you’re terrified. You will be OK. Say thank you and move on.

Do not allow your own critical thoughts or societal expectations to dictate your emotions when finding someone new. Do what makes you happy, so if you feel like you’re ready to open up to someone new, do it.

People will always have something to say, don’t listen to them. When it comes to relationships you just have to go with your gut. Allow yourself to fall for someone. Don’t put up walls or restrictions. Don’t say, “no, I’m going to be single for X amount of months.” You could be barring someone amazing from entering your life.

The greatest blessing is recognizing you are not in control and that is OK. I truly believe everything happens for a reason.