The ABCs Of Why You Should Never Settle For Half-Hearted Love

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Don’t settle, because love is not an ‘almost’. It doesn’t leave your texts unanswered for days. It doesn’t schedule you in only when it’s convenient, it wants to be there for you every day of the week.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘blame’. It doesn’t point fingers your way or guilt trip you into thinking everything is your fault. It doesn’t tear you down just to build itself up.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘control’. It doesn’t tell you how to live your life or who you can and cannot hang out with. It doesn’t restrict you in anyway; it lets you be yourself no matter what.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘doubt’. It doesn’t make you question your worth. It doesn’t make you feel small; it shows you that you have always been more than enough.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘effortless’. It doesn’t forget to call you back. It doesn’t stop trying to make you smile because it already “has you”; it constantly shows you how important you are by doing the little things.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘fear’. It doesn’t build more walls than you had before. It doesn’t resurface the ghosts of your past; it shows you that your scars are more beautiful than you’ll ever know.

Don’t settle, because love is not a ‘game’. It doesn’t toy with your emotions. It doesn’t leave you over-analyzing every single word. It isn’t calculated move by move; it won’t play with your heart.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘hurt’. It doesn’t bruise your soul or leave marks on your skin. It doesn’t fill your eyes with tears time and time again. It isn’t the cause of more wounds; it’s the bandaid that tries so hard to heal you.

Don’t settle, because love is not supposed to make you feel ‘insecure’. It doesn’t leave you feeling empty or inadequate. It doesn’t feed into everything that makes you self-conscious; it finds beauty within every single part of you.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘jealousy’. It doesn’t ask to go through your phone 24/7. It doesn’t leave you second-guessing that night out with the “boys”. It isn’t full of suspicion; it’s built on trust.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘keeping score’. It doesn’t do something nice for you just because it wants something in return. It doesn’t throw acts of kindness in your face; it gives you it’s all unconditionally.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘lust’. It doesn’t only want to casually hook up with you. It isn’t just using you for sex. It doesn’t merely fall for your body; it falls for your mind.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘manipulative’. It doesn’t treat you as a means to an end. It doesn’t tell you how to think, act or feel; it makes your well-being a priority.

Don’t settle, because love is not a thing of the ‘nighttime’. It doesn’t leave you crying in your bed night after night, for all the wrong reasons. It doesn’t make you wait up for that text back. It doesn’t only message you at 2 AM; it blows up your phone all day around.

Don’t settle, because love is not merely ‘okay’. It doesn’t feel ordinary. It isn’t something mediocre or half-assed; it lights up your life with a passion you didn’t even know existed.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘pain’. Because despite this romanticized version of love that’s glorified in society, it isn’t defined by suffering. It should be the cause of happiness; not of emotional or physical distress.

Don’t settle, because love is not a ‘question mark’. It doesn’t keep you guessing. It doesn’t send you mixed signals. It isn’t supposed to make you feel crazy for not knowing where you stand; it knows how it feels about you and isn’t afraid to show it.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘revengeful’. It doesn’t try to get back at you any chance it gets. It doesn’t go out of its way to hurt you intently. It doesn’t hold grudges; it is forgiving and understands that sometimes we all make mistakes that we regret.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘selfish’. It doesn’t cry the one time it doesn’t get its way. It doesn’t put its needs above yours; it knows that there’s a little thing called compromise.

Don’t settle, because love is not a ‘triangle’. It doesn’t treat you as an option. It doesn’t give you half a heart. It isn’t texting five other girls at the same time; it only has eyes for you.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘unsure’. It doesn’t feel off. It doesn’t leave you indecisive or confused. It isn’t that bad feeling you can’t seem to shake; it feels like home, like everything you’ve been waiting for and more.

Don’t settle, because love is not ‘violation’. It doesn’t make you feel uncomfortable. It doesn’t force you into doing anything you don’t want to do. It doesn’t confuse “yes” with “no”; it respects you in every sense possible.

Don’t settle, because love is not just a ‘word’. It doesn’t feed you the same lines over and over. It doesn’t say sorry without meaning it. It isn’t something as easy as empty syllables; it understands that actions speak louder.

Don’t settle, because love is not as complicating as solving for “X”. It shouldn’t be another unknown variable to add to your already confusing life. It doesn’t have to be forced into adding up or making sense; it’s a puzzle piece that will fit into your heart when it finally feels right.

Don’t settle, because love is not a ‘yo-yo’. It doesn’t pull you in one second, just to push you away the next. It doesn’t leave you hanging by a thread. It doesn’t flash you green lights just to throw stop signs your way. It doesn’t hide its true feelings for you; it makes them as clear as night and day.

Don’t settle, because love is not supposed to treat you as a “zero”. It doesn’t make you feel as if you don’t matter. It doesn’t make time for everyone else but you; it makes you a priority and knows that on a scale of one to ten, your worth is innumerable. Thought Catalog Logo Mark

Finding my truth one word (and coffee) at a time.

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