Love can be blinding, and sometimes in a painful way. Love is essentially the end-all-be-all for human existence, what with the fulfillment of our emotions and instinctual reproduction we all seek. There are things we do for love which would make no sense to ourselves when not encapsulated with another person. And, as most of us knows, love has its pros and cons.

Love does not discriminate, and is more often than not a random occurrence totally independent of reason. There is a major difference, then, between falling in love with someone and someone being your true love.

That story happens all the time, you fall in love and it doesn’t work out, because maybe they just aren’t right for you. I certainly underwent that, and I can say that it wasn’t without its moments. However, when push comes to shove, there has to be some sort of analysis which underlies personal decisions.

A problem comes up when friends try to become more than friends. The stress associated with the preservation of the friendship while also attempting to prioritize a relationship can confuse two people who thought they knew one another. When love goes awry, it’s almost as bad as when love goes well. You feel like you’re letting the other person down, like it’s your fault. But it’s not.

There has to be a connection beyond the surface. You may like each other, but that doesn’t mean you can spend your life together or wish you were always with one another. When you are committed to someone else, there is always more you can achieve, more you want to make the relationship perfect. Because there is no such thing as a perfect relationship, happiness is always fleeting and requires support to keep it going.

So, what should you do? Understand that you are always in a relationship for two reasons: yourself and your partner. The goal is to achieve the best possible life for both people. If neither of you are happy, the best thing you can do is to cut the bad fruit off the tree. You’ll be surprised just how amazing the feeling can be.

I was stuck on a girl for nearly a year. What happened is done, and I don’t regret it. But where I am now is invincible. I haven’t been so purely happy in a very long time. The stress associated with chasing someone is gone, as is the stress coming with a relationship not meant to be. I’m free as a bird, and living life like I haven’t in a while.

It is worth noting that I can credit my friends here in newspaper for a lot of that, what with the new friends I’ve made and the experiences I had in D.C. Either way, I have never been more ready for a new chapter in my life, and it’s all because I was able to give up on the past.

Do I know where life or love will go from here? No, of course not. I aim to take a break for all I see. Yet what I do understand is that there is happiness in love, but you have to get lucky to find it. Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand that there is probably someone out there for me, but spending a little time not so distracted by a girl is incredible for your character.

Look at one another. If you aren’t happy, maybe take some time to consider why you’re really in the relationship. If you can’t see yourself with that person a year from now, cut it off; believe me, you won’t regret it, because being in love doesn’t always mean you are doing the best for yourself.