Any relationship includes the element of risk. When we meet someone new, decide to get to know them, be intimate with them, whether physical, emotional, or both, we are risking ourselves. Will the person like us? Will they “get” us? Will they stay in our lives? The answers to these questions are not readily apparent at first meeting.
When we make a real connection to someone, we have to let ourselves dream a little. We have to let our guard down. We have to risk our heart. Because we may not be investing in something that stands the test of time, no matter how those early moments feel. We may get our heart broken.
Our first instinct can be to hold our heart more firmly next time. While that may avoid pain, it also takes away from the potential to grow and connect to others.
Every heartbreak gives us experience for the next relationship and makes the next one better as a result.
It’s risky to connect authentically and totally to another person because then they seem to hold the power over you. Your heart is in their hands. And they may not take good care of it.
The truth is, though, that we hold the power over our hearts. We may not control the giving away, but we can control how we manage the relationship. What we expect and when we reach our limit.
Romance novels are all about risking everything for love Usually the main characters have to grow before they are ready for their happily ever after. There are stakes for each character that serve to keep them apart. It is how they negotiate the stakes to find their HEA that keeps readers engaged. Both characters have to take big emotional risks to overcome the obstacles and find happiness together.
In other words, they have to do things that are scary in order to find their happiness. They choose to grow and become better versions of themselves in order to find true love.
Ask yourself, how can I take more emotional risks to enhance my connections with others?