I've been through the ringer when it comes to love. I've been hurt, cheated on, played, and heartbroken time and time again.

My issue is that I am a hopeless romantic. It's a blessing and a curse, but in this context, it means I fall too hard too fast.

It also means that time and time again, I am hurt, I fall down, I break. But, time and time again, I heal, I get back up, and I am made stronger.

My heart is resilient, and this is something I am proud of.

A friend once gave me the advice to not let the world make you calloused, and I have taken this to heart. Each time I am hurt, I have a choice, and you do too. We could swear off dating, shut off emotions, put up walls. We could push away any chance at love or ever feeling anything again--and we would be right to do so. We have plenty of reason, don't we? Every time we open up, we are burned. Every time is the same. Every relationship ends in pain and heartbreak.

But there is another option.

We could learn. We could sit down with our journals and list out lessons learned from this failed romance. We could be thankful that we were given the opportunity to experience a life with another person, even if for a short period. We could smile at the memories, and even cry if that's what we need to do. We could do some introspection, see what we can change about ourselves for the next time, and think about what we want in the next partner.

We could do all of this or none of it, but there is one thing I beg of you: Do not let them break your spirit.

If you are anything like me, you are a warrior. You are strong and your heart has survived so much. You are genuine. You are kind. Above all, you are resilient.

There will be a time with no more heartbreak. There will be a time that you look back and thank every person that hurt you, because they got you to where you are. They molded you into the warrior you are. Until then, you will continue to fall, but more importantly, you will continue to fight.