We all have life goals. Some of us want to be successful, some want to find love, some want to make a difference, and some simply want to be happy. Whatever the goal, it often comes down to the desire for fulfillment—whether that’s through achievement, connection, or personal growth.
A goal of mine has always been to be loved. I’ve wanted that love you hear about in movies—the kind where the main character is swept off their feet, consumed by the magic of it all. I wanted someone to choose me that way, to see me as the person they’ve been waiting for.
But love hasn’t quite worked out for me the way I imagined. It always seemed just out of reach, like something I was chasing but could never quite grasp. For the longest time, I wondered if something was wrong with me. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t finding the relationship I longed for. I’m kind, thoughtful, and full of love. I knew I had so much to offer, so why wasn’t it happening?
Then it hit me—maybe the love I’ve been looking for isn’t romantic.
Maybe it’s not about someone else at all. Perhaps I’ve been searching for someone who appreciates the little things about me and loves the way I do. And maybe, just maybe, that person is me.
I realized there’s so much love inside me that I’ve overlooked. Love that I’ve poured into others. Love that’s been reflected in ways I never took the time to notice.
I see it when I’m talking to a child while waiting in line at the store. I see it when my dog greets me when I walk through the door. I see it when I’m screaming songs in the car with my friends, laughing until my stomach hurts. I see it when my brother comes to me, asking to draw him a picture because he knows I’ll say yes. I see it when someone I’ve known forever lights up when I enter a room. I see it when a student gives me a drawing, just because.
That love isn’t something I have to chase—it’s something I already have. It’s in the way I care, in the way I make people feel, and in the energy I bring into the world. I’ve spent so much time searching for love as if it were something external, something I had to earn. In reality, I’ve been surrounded by it all along.
We forget that love isn’t just romantic.
It’s in friendships, small gestures, and showing up for others without expecting anything in return. It’s in how we speak to ourselves, the patience we give our growth, and how we embrace our imperfections.
For so long, I thought that love had to come in the form of another person—someone to hold my hand and say, “I choose you.” But what I didn’t realize is that love is already mine. It’s how I wake up each morning and choose to keep going, even on the hard days. It’s in the way I pour my heart into the things and people that matter to me.
And maybe, just maybe, that’s enough.
Maybe I don’t need to wait for someone to love me the way I dream of. Maybe I don’t need to be validated by a relationship to feel whole. And maybe the love I’ve been searching for has been within me all along, waiting for me to notice it.
So, I’ve decided to give myself the same love I so freely give to others. To appreciate myself the way I wish someone else would. To take myself out for coffee just because. To dance around my room like nobody’s watching. To stop looking for love in places that were never meant to hold it. Instead, I choose to recognize the love that’s been inside of me this entire time.
Maybe I’m the love I’ve been looking for. And maybe, that’s the most beautiful realization of all.
