I can’t remember how many times from junior high school until now that I thought I found “the one”. You know, the person you can’t live without and are confident that you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. I swore I was in love every other month or so. Those crushes and puppy loves never lasted and now, as a grown woman , I still struggle with dating and finding “the one”. This one just wasn’t right for me, that one was a player and the other one just didn’t compare to the last one. It’s a constant battle that young adults fight and ultimately, it discourages us from continuing to seek true love.

Don’t let fear get in the way of you finding your soul mate. Just because it didn’t work out with the others, doesn’t mean you’re doomed. The third time may not be the charm and the fourth might not either, but who’s to say that the fifth try might not be the jackpot? Of course, it hurts when you invest so much time and effort into one person only for the relationship to end. You feel like you wasted your time and probably vow to never do that again. But what good will that do?

When you keep your heart hidden and resist the idea of new love, you’re only hurting yourself. Becoming bitter and having the mentality of “I’d rather be alone” will give you just what you ask for, loneliness. Let’s be honest, everybody needs somebody and you’ll never find your special somebody if you don’t take a chance. If you’ve lost to love several times, patch your heart up and find the strength to win again. It may take some courage and a lot of prayer, but it will be worth it.

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN FOR THE RELATIONSHIP GOALS COLUMN FOR N’VISIONED MAGAZINE.