It is hard to understand why so many of us are afraid of falling in love, but it makes sense if we had our heart broken once or twice in our life.

We put up walls to block people from seeing our vulnerable side because we feel as if we will only be left alone again with heartache. Even when we eventually find the soul mate that tells us how much he or she loves us, will never leave us and wants to spend the rest of his or her life growing old with us, we can’t shake off the feelings that it could end.

However, it’s what we are used to, this cycle of rejection. Therefore, we unconsciously let something great pass us by because of that fear. I’ve come to learn that even when we fall, we have to dust ourselves off and get back up to open up ourselves to love and to be loved. If not, then what’s the point of life?

Isn’t it supposed to be about you finding the one person you are meant to be with, get married and have kids? That’s what I’ve been taught my entire life. Even though I witnessed an awful marriage between my parents and lived through the heartache of my Mom’s divorce, I still believe in love.

Sometimes, I ramble about not believing in marriage because love always ends but I actually believe, along with a lot of other people. I just don’t know how to open up myself to the chance of finding someone who could love me unconditionally and forever. It’s a scary thing to let someone else into our heart and life because our own history and past have taught us otherwise.

Well, I think it is about time we quit this game of shutting down others because these walls are only preventing us from feeling the one thing that everyone should feel, love.

If you get the chance to be with someone who loves you for who you are, your “goods” and your “bads,” take it. If you get the chance to wake up every morning with a smile on your face because you’re in love, embrace it. If you get the chance to feel happiness and joy by just being with another person, indulge yourself in it.

So many of us are letting the fear take over and preventing ourselves from experiencing what it really feels like to be who we are and have someone love us for it. It’s those three little words that all of us so desperately want to hear, yet are too afraid to say.