Don't settle.
As we get older, we begin to see the value of settling. Those dreams we once had of that knight in shining armor, the attributes we secretly scribbled down on notebook paper and cautiously shared with our friends. All of a sudden we deem such things as "irrational" and "naive." We see the impossibility in our standards and decide that in order to be happy, the bar must be lowered. What happens in that time that makes us look down on ourselves? Our heart is broken, our trust is betrayed, our faith is shattered. The result? We don't feel like we deserve our dreams. We don't deserve to be sublimely happy. Sadly, we devalue and look down on ourselves. Our constantly fragile self-esteem is destroyed and we look for redemption elsewhere. You see it at bars all the time. Those 30+ single women, all dressed up in transparent confidence, reeking of deperation. Eyes scanning the room for a guy, any guy, that might be interested. It's a sad thing really, and I vow never to be one of those women. I believe that the standards and expectations you have for your potential mate, or your future generally, is a reflection of yourself. The higher the standards, the higher your self-esteem and vice versa. That's why when you're young you can have these standards. The world hasn't beaten you down yet. You don't know what it means to be vulnerable. You have that confidence because, quite simply, you just don't know any better. I don't want to lose that feeling. If I have lost it, I want to regain it. Never settle. Never settle for anything less than what you know you deserve.