Staying When You Know You’re Meant To Leave Is Disrespecting Yourself
You shouldn’t remain in the wrong relationship longer than necessary because you’re scared of being alone again, because you’re scared of hurting this other person’s feelings, because you’re scared of saying goodbye to the life you’ve already created. Fear is what’s keeping you in place. Not love. Not guilt. You’re worried about taking that next step and moving on in your life because you’ve gotten comfortable right where you are. You might not be happy, but you are cozy, so it’s tempting to stay. It’s tempting to ignore the voice in the back of your head warning you what’s best for you. But staying when you’re meant to leave isn’t fair to either of you.
As safe as you feel inside of your comfort zone, you can’t stay there forever or you’re going to wither away. You don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to make a smart decision for yourself, to grow into the ultimate version of yourself, to expand your horizons. You don’t want too much time to pass because the longer you prolong this today, the more likely you are to remain in place tomorrow. You don’t want to get used to your own excuses. You don’t want to trick yourself into remaining somewhere where you aren’t happy.
Staying when you’re meant to leave is disrespecting yourself. It’s putting yourself last on your list of priorities. It’s a slap in the face to all the hard work you’ve done throughout the rest of your life. You didn’t come this far only to throw in the towel now. Yes, leaving might make your world more difficult for a while, but that temporary pain will pave your way toward a brighter future. It will help you set yourself up for a life where you’re genuinely happy.
It’s hard to leave a relationship when there’s so much uncertainty around what your future will hold. It’s hard to walk away from someone you care so much about, especially when it feels like you’re choosing your own happiness above theirs. But you are allowed to be selfish when it comes to love. You’re allowed to make decisions that are going to lead to your own best outcome. If this other person is as wonderful as you think, then they’re going to be fine on their own. And so are you. You’re both going to be in a better place once you finally cut the cord that has been tethering you in place.
Remember, even though you might feel noble for staying in a relationship past its expiration date, it’s actually the worst thing you can do. For yourself. For your future. And for this other person. You should never remain in a situation that isn’t working for you. Even though you might feel guilty about leaving, even though you might be scared about what comes next, you need to push aside those negative feelings and do what needs to be done. After all, you deserve to be happy. You deserve to feel like you’re exactly where you’re meant to be.