Too often in life, we find ourselves breaking our backs and doing cartwheels for others while receiving nothing in return. If you ever find yourself in this situation, remember: the effort you put into any relationship is a direct reflection of who you are as a person. You may find yourself giving and giving and giving and have none of that reciprocated back to you; sometimes that's okay if you allow it to serve as a learning experience. It shows your true character and unconditional love, while also showing how that one specific person couldn't handle all the love you have to give. In addition, it teaches you about yourself and allows you to become more familiar with your self-worth. This is a lesson we will all learn at one point in life.

Now let's take a step back. Although you have a lot of love and good vibes to give, not everyone deserves it. Which is why I find myself referring back to this phrase often: never applaud a fish for swimming.

What is a fish supposed to do? Swim... Why would we ever applaud a fish for doing something it's naturally supposed to do? The same applies for the people we surround ourselves with. Never geek someones head up for treating you with kindness and respect; this is how you are meant to be treated in the first place.

It can be dangerous to overly express your love for someone when they finally treat you with respect. They can start to feel in control of your feelings and have a sense of power over you, and sometimes this power can be abused. The love you receive could possibly become conditional after they realize that doing the bare minimum will get the job done just fine, only if they feel like it on a Monday morning or Thursday afternoon. This may seem harsh, but I am only trying to make a point: we are deserving of all the love and happiness in the world. Time and effort should not be wasted on people who aren't willing to give it to you. All in all, in order to receive this love it is crucial to not applaud someone for asking how your day was, how classes are going, or that they love you. This is the least we should expect from someone important in our lives.

From the start, you should be demanding respect from anyone you choose to associate yourself with. Demanding this respect lets the other person know where you stand and forces them to acknowledge your worth. In return, we as individuals get to truly familiarize ourselves with our worth and confidence so when we go about life we know exactly what to expect out of our relationships, whether they are friendly, romantic, professional, etc. Not standing up for yourself and begging for validation from another person is a trap to easily fall in; we've all been there before. But once we start to realize that all the validation we need comes from within our soul, we can be unstoppable.