Author: Jenny Lynn

At first, maybe you weren’t sure because he wasn’t anything like you had ever expected. 

It was like out of nowhere you stumbled upon the proverbial diamond in the rough. He didn’t fit the mold or your “list” of preferable traits you had made up, whether it was in your mind or on a piece of paper. But this is how you know you’ve definitely found a keeper. 

1. Instinctively, he always makes you his #1 priority. 

He has no problem making it known that you are number one on his list all the time. If he feels himself get hungry, he’ll shoot you a text to see if you want him to pick you up something. If he sees a frown on your face, he’ll drop everything he’s doing till he sees you smile again.

2. He makes you feel beautiful without even trying. 

Even when you look like a hot mess fresh out of a three-hour nap, you can see the love in his eyes and he tells you that you’re the most beautiful thing he’s ever laid eyes on. You can feel it in the way he glances at you and smiles without saying anything.

3. Even when he’s not around he makes you feel safe and secure. 

You never second guess the way he feels about you because he tells and shows you on a regular basis how much he loves and cares for you. He’s on a call away and would be there in a heartbeat if you ever needed him.

4. You can talk to him about literally anything without feeling weird. 

The real heart to heart talks just come naturally to you guys. He knows it is important to a strong healthy relationship to talk about how you both feel, and in a comfortable and adult-like manner. It doesn’t become a fight and/or you don’t have to worry about his reaction to you opening up to him about issues you may have.

 5. You feel comfortable enough to allow yourself to feel vulnerable.

You can truly open up and be yourself, in every aspect. You can finally let your walls down and breathe because he’s not going anywhere. He doesn’t get mad or weirded out if you cry, he is there to pick you up and comfort and support you through anything.

6. He makes you laugh harder than anyone else.

He makes your heart happy, does cute things, and surprises you just to see your radiant smile come through… Including those epic dance moves you love so much. 

7. He is not afraid of commitment, actually, he loves it.

Your man is not afraid of settling down and creating roots with you. He doesn’t shy away and actually enjoys talking about the future and making plans with you. Instead of running for the hills when you mention something small like being together for Christmas.

8. He values and respects you, and your opinion.

He listens to what you have to say and actually takes it to heart. He respects who you are as a person and has no trouble showing it either.

“You make me complete.  Never before have I smiled so much. When life is difficult, I just call on you and you renew and refresh me. You inspire me, leave me in awe and give me a  reason to live. I didn’t know what love means until I met you.” – Unknown  

Instead of being someone else's runner up, she made the conscious decision to make herself number one.

She didn't just wake up one day and think "I want to be by myself." Walking away from everything she knew, loved, and worked her ass off for wasn't a spur of the moment decision.

She chose to deal with the hurt instead of facing it on a daily basis and feeling constantly disappointed and unappreciated.

Waiting for an invite she knew would never come was just too much, so she chose to go out and live her life instead.

Rather than waiting up all hours of the night for a simple "goodnight babe, I miss you" text, she just goes to bed. 

The negative thoughts about herself and endless "what if's" are things of the past, because she chose to be a bigger person and stop overthinking everything.

She chooses herself every day by creating boundaries and reminding herself that she's amazing, inside and out. 

It's better to wait for someone who treats her the way she deserves to be treated and will spoil her the way she longs to spoil him. 

Her heart loves so deeply that it can be hard for her to stop herself from giving it away. She has to teach herself how to keep people at arm's length until they've proven themselves.

One day soon, she'll find the guy who really sees her value and makes her feel wanted in a way that nobody else has.

Because she knows how much she has to offer and how much it's truly worth and she refuses to sell herself short anymore.

Having patience and living for herself means more to her than having a partner who made her feel worthless.

" Staying in a situation where you're unappreciated isn't called loyalty. It's called breaking your own heart." – Trent Shelton

“So come on let it go. Just let it be. Why don’t you be you. And I’ll be me. Everything’s that’s broke. Leave it to the breeze. Why don’t you be you. And I’ll be me.” – James Bay, Let It Go

You’ve just been unceremoniously dumped, left by the guy you’d really tried to make things work with.

You replay every moment, every memory, like a movie reel in your mind. You keep telling yourself that if you just had one more chance, everything would be different.

You could change things until they wanted you again and things would go back to how they used to be. How they were in the beginning of your relationship, the honeymoon phase.

Some things are worth fixing, but others are better off broken. You know deep down inside that you need to walk away completely. 

Even though every step you take breaks your heart open a little more. Even when it gets hard to breathe and all you want to do is cry and crumple to the floor.

I promise you this though: if you give yourself time, your eyes will open to things you never realized. Those little red flags that you had missed while wearing your rose-colored glasses.

The broken promises, the unanswered text messages. The insecurities that crept up when they wouldn’t get ahold of you (if they ever even asked for your company to begin with.)

You’ll start to look at the relationship from another perspective and realize that it never was as incredible as you’d wanted it to be.

The sleepless nights will begin to fade. You’ll find yourself dreaming of a new love, a better love, not just the one who left.

The pain will lessen as you start to rebuild yourself and your boundaries to be sure you never again allow someone to treat you in ways you’re undeserving of.

Your self-worth will start to skyrocket. Each day gets a little brighter and you’ll start to become yourself, not the person who feels they have to change to be loved.

So just tell yourself to breathe, because everything truly will be alright. Life is worth so much more than living every day walking on eggshells.

Social media is a crazy thing. It's either a really cool platform where someone can share their thoughts and ideas with the world, or it's a crap shoot where people feel the need to give you their two cents on your posts, completely tearing you down, or directly insulting you. 

I'm sorry, but I honestly just don't remember ever saying, "Hey there random stranger, want to bombard me with your opinions and publicly call me stupid for having one of my own?" 

Yeah, didn't say that. So if you could just quickly remind me why exactly you're doing it?

Because let me be real clear, I'm never going to care what you think of me, so save your breath.

Not only do I not care about what you say, I couldn't care less about what you think. I don't need your approval, verbal or physical. 

Let's play again, and you tell me whether or not I said it.

"Hey random stranger, me again. I would love for you to give me a dirty look of disapproval for what I'm wearing, what I'm doing, or what I look like as compared to what I should look like."

Yep, you guessed correctly, no way in hell did I ever say that. But yet here I am being judged for who I am by people who think I care. 

Whether it's directly from a person or society in general, here's another friendly reminder, I don't need your approval.

I am my own person, so who I am, what I say, what I wear, or what I do has absolutely, entirely, positively, 100%, nothing to do with you.

I would love nothing more than for you to grow as an individual and focus on you, but in the case that you choose the opposite, continuing to tell me what you think of me and criticizing me, just know that I don't need your validation, and you can f*ck right off. 

Scorpios are known for being the darkest and most mysterious signs in the zodiac, but we’re not all doom and gloom. We have a softer side too — we’re guaranteed to be the most passionate, determined, and fiercely loyal ones of all the signs.

Deep and intense we tend to scare off most, but if you stick around you’ll be amazed at what you find.

1. No one can compete with our resting bitch face.

It may be wholeheartedly intentional or completely accidental, but we doubt you’ll ever know which one it is.

2. We tend to be introverts, so space and silence are sacred to us.

We can be social and friendly, but for the most part, we like our quiet time where we can decompress and recoup by ourselves.

3. Intuition is our strong suit and we notice everything that goes on around us. 

Whether we say something or not depends on the situation or our mood at the time. We can tell when you’re spewing bullshit or you’re being honest, and we absolutely despise being lied to.

4. Our guard is always up — we can never trust easily.

It takes time for us to believe you have good intentions, and that you aren’t out to get us in some shape or form. Break that trust and you will probably never be able to regain it.

5. If we love you, we’ll always show you endless loyalty.

When we love, we love to the extreme, and hell hath no fury for a Scorpio whose family or friends have been hurt by someone.

6. We may forgive, but we never forget.

We can hold a grudge until the end of time, so it’s probably best to just not cross us in general. Scorpios have stingers and they aren’t afraid to use them.

7. Passionate is an understatement, we’re more like borderline obsessive.

We are very committed people. Whether it be a person, career, or even a hobby, if we decide to care we put 100% of ourselves into it. 

8. We have a deeply dark sense of humor.

Not everyone can handle our wit and sarcasm. But know this, if we don’t joke with or lightly pick on you, it generally means we do not like you.

9. You won’t find a better detective out there. 

We were born to get to the bottom of things. We literally live for seeking out information. Whether it’s good or bad, nothing can be kept hidden from us.

10. If you tell us a secret, we’ll take it to the grave.

If you confide in us, we are sworn to secrecy. You can pretty much bet your bottom dollar we won’t spill the beans to anyone.

11. Hiding our emotions is like second nature to us.

We do not like to be seen as weak or vulnerable so if we open up to you consider yourself very special.

12. We’re total control freaks, no apologies.

Change can sometimes be hard for us to handle. We like to make sure everything around us is structured and steady. 

13. Sometimes we pull away from the people we care about, but it doesn’t mean we love them any less.

Fear not though, it’s usually us internalizing our thoughts and feelings. It’s easier for us to work through things alone then accidentally lash out. Give us time and space we always come back around.

“I am an undying mystery. Even if I share pieces of my thoughts, you’ll never be able to guess my next move because I do everything in silence.” — Scorpio Quotes

In a world full of fuckboys, men scared of commitment, and serious douche canoes…. it's hard to know who's just playing a game, and who is actually here to bat.

It can get hard finding that diamond in the rough in a world full of dating apps. Plus, there's the constant fight to be more than friends with benefits. But there are still plenty of good guys buried in all these crap excuses for men. And when you find him, you'll know for sure.

1. He actually texts you on a regular basis, not just when he wants something.

You heard that right! There are actually men out there who know how to use a cell phone for something other than swiping left or right! It doesn't bother him to have a running conversation with you, or even check in and ask how your day is going.

2. He makes plans with you and, shockingly enough, he follows through with them.

I know, I know, I must be yanking your chain right? Again NO I'm really not! There are actually men out there who will make the plans themselves and consider your interests too. 

He's not gonna take you to that douchey sports bar for those wings he loves because he knows you can't stand hanging out in bro central. He'll make plans that the both of you can enjoy, and make sure there's always something a little extra to surprise you.

3. He won't play games, he'll straight up communicate his issues and needs with you.

Even if he absolutely hates talking about his feelings, confrontation, or probably just verbalizing anything other than sports…he'll do it. 

He know's it for the best and it's what you both deserve so you can keep moving forward. He would never want to put you in a position where you're in pain because of him.

4. When you're happy, he's happy.

Whatever he can do to put a smile on your face is all that seems to matter to him. Even if it's running to the store to grab that cliche combo of tampons, ice cream, and chocolate at midnight because aunt flow came to visit.

5. He's an actual gentleman.

Not just holding the doors and pushing your chair in kind…He's the one who doesn't immediately try to get into your pants. He actually wants to get to know the real you. 

He wants to hear about your dreams, goals, and thoughts about anything and everything. He loves you for you, the physical stuff is secondary.

6. He never hides things from you.

He tells things to you without you having to ask. Whether he's kicking it with the guys or he's talking about his family and his past…he's completely open about it. 

He wants you to know about him as much as he wants to know all about you. The connection between you two means the world to him, and he would never ruin it with lies or shady behavior.

7. He appreciates you — and he makes sure you know it too.

He doesn't take your presence for granted and is man enough to let you know it. Even if it's as simple as an "I miss you," or a daily "Good morning" and "Goodnight" text…he wants you to know he care's and he's there for you.

8. He comes back to you…even after you've been a crazy psycho lady.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. You're a real pain in the ass sometimes…but he's okay with it because you're his pain in the ass.

"I want someone who won't care that I'm incapable of sitting still. That I can't grasp the concept of cleaning and I refuse to be ladylike. Someone who realizes that half the decisions I make are usually ones I regret, and I have the right to overreact at any given moment. I want someone who knows how completely insane I am and he wouldn't want me any other way."

I found it endearing at first that you were so interested in what I was up to, who I was with.

Then it all changed… morphed into something altogether different than what was once so heartwarming.

The anger in your questions, the hatred in your voice. The cynicism behind the hurtful comments you made about my friends, especially the guys.

There are many things I can accept in a relationship. I can take the love, the pain, the good days and the bad.

I can be your protector, your confident, your greatest cheerleader and supporter.

I can handle everything, but I can not take one more second of your jealousy. 

We went from being lovers and friends to you being so suspicious of everything.

You went through my phone, my journals, my emails. 

You have invaded every aspect of my personal life, then have got mad at ME for things that were supposed to be private.

There’s a line in which you do not cross due to the respect and trust you have for your partner. 

I have never done anything to cause such animosity from you.

I can no longer sit here and prove to you that I love you with every fiber of my being when everything you’re doing is destroying us.

I’m sorry you’ve been hurt before, I truly am. But I will no longer suffer the consequences for someone else’s mistakes.

There’s more to life than having to constantly explain everything I’m up to and every person I encounter, just for you to never believe anything I say anyway.

I’m sorry but I’m done. I will not be controlled by all your anger, hurt, and jealousy. 

I hope in time you figure things out, but the toxicity of this relationship is slowly killing me and taking over everything.

I can’t fix you and you’ve smashed through every boundary I’ve set. 

I can’t save us from this by myself and I’ve given you too many chances.

I guess it’s not true what they say. Love can not conquer all, not even the proverbial green eyed jealousy monster. 

Losing a loved one whether it's years ago, or still freshly cut into you is a pain like no one can explain. 

It's like an invisible wound that never seems to completely close and heal, there's always something that seems to cause it to bleed even just a little.

I look around and see signs, cards, flower arrangements… a vast array of things for people to say thank you for being the amazing mom's that you ladies are for your children.

I used to get mad, maybe even jealous watching people pick stuff out. It's a bit easier now but I still get that lump in my throat and a pain in my chest.

Sometimes I'll tear up at the fact that all I have are my memories of you. I'd love more then anything to be able to call you and hear your voice even if for a second. 

If there was visiting hours I'd be there everyday just to see your face, I miss you so much it physically hurts at times.

I know that you'd be shaking your head at me right now for feeling sorry for myself, and maybe that's what get's me through most days. 

So even though I don't have you face to face I need to tell you from the bottom of my heart… Thank You.

Thank you for watching over me and even being gone, living through me and everything I do. For having been my number one cheerleader and protector in my life, and making me strong enough to be my own.

Thank you for making me as loving, kind, and nurturing just as much as I am stubborn, fierce, and independent. 

For teaching me to accept everyone as they are and that my happiness is more important than holding onto anger and resentment.

Thank you for making me open my eye's and appreciate every single day I have on this Earth. You are on my mind every day and a true part of my soul.

If it weren't for you I wouldn't be the wonderful woman I have become today, and you will forever be my heart.

Although I have yet to meet you and who knows when or how that will happen… there are a few things you need to know before you commit yourself to a girl like me.

I have been broken, bruised, and glued back together. I have suffered pain that most people would think inconceivable. 

There’s no denying I definitely have insecurities, weak moments, and times where I am very introverted and like to be alone.

I have a mouth that will put a sailor to shame and make a trucker blush. 

I am fierce, independent, and 50 shades of crazy at the best of times. I am hard headed, stubborn, and will not take no for an answer.

I will not allow anyone to hold me back I face things head on, and I’m not afraid to walk against the wind alone.

But if you have the patience to tear down my walls… you’ll see I’m not so tough. 

I have a heart of gold and a passion for life that is out of this world. 

I’m protective of my family and friends and would go to the ends of the Earth and back for them.

When I love someone I give 110 percent of myself every day. I will do the little things just to see a smile light up your face. 

I am adventurous, spontaneous, but also love a good TV and cuddle session.

I will be your ultimate cheerleader and stand behind you through anything. 

When the waves of the world come crashing down on you I’ll be your shelter from the storm.

I’ll be the one waiting for you at the end of every day with open arms, asking how your day was and sincerely wanting to know.

I will push your boundaries and test your limits, but only to make us stronger as a team. 

I promise even on my worst days you’ll know that I’m still here for you and I care.

I may make you crazy at time’s, but you’ll never question my loyalty or devotion to you. 

So before you take me on maybe you should sit back and ask yourself if you are ready for all this, because if you are I guarantee you will not be disappointed.

You may not realize it, but sometimes you’re so busy giving so much of yourself to other people, that you stop taking care of yourself. Do you even recognize the person staring back at you in the mirror? 

If you don’t, there are plenty of small things that can help you get back on track, and live a happy fulfilling life. 

1. Allow yourself time to recover and recoup.

Refill that giving cup, you’ll be no good to anyone including yourself if you don’t. Deal with your emotions if you need to cry the cry. If you want to scream or laugh so be it, give yourself whatever you need to be at peace.

2. Never put your worth in someone else’s hands.  

Never allow someone to decide your value and how much you matter. You are a one of a kind unique soul and irreplaceable. Value yourself over everyone, because you’re all you truly have at the end of the day.

3. Don’t allow people to dictate your emotional well-being.

Life shouldn’t be a constant roller coaster of highs and lows. You are in control of your moods, no one should have to power to strip away your happiness.  

4. Break your “give a fuck” button.

Seriously! Nothing is more liberating then not giving a shit about other people’s opinions about your life. Remember this is YOUR life, not theirs.

5. Recognize the people who support you through thick and thin.

Don’t undervalue or ignore the people who care about you and have your back 100% of the time. Let them know you love them and appreciate them for carrying you through life’s trials and tribulations.

6. Remember that your mistakes don’t define you as a person.

Everyone goes through difficulties, it’s what you take from it and how you let it shape you that matters. Become a better, patient, and more understanding person. Don’t allow it to eat you up inside so you are constantly stuck in the dark.

7. Know that it’s ALWAYS okay to walk away from toxic people or situations.

As hard as it is to say goodbye or bow out, it’ll be even harder to find yourself again after that vortex of hell that is your “friend” has completely sucked you in.

8. Let go of what’s weighing you down and start living in the moment.

Overthinking and obsessing over things and people make you lose sight of what’s real. Life is too short to be held down by should of, could of, would of’s. Let go of the negative thought patterns and start living in the now.

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” — Carl Bard