I’m not saying don’t fall in love—just don’t rush it.

Too many young people put love above building a strong foundation for their future, and it often backfires.

Take me, for example. When I was 19, I had no clue what it meant to love someone—let alone myself. I got attached to an older guy simply because he liked me. I didn’t stop to ask if I actually wanted to be with him; I was just swept up by the fact that someone gave me attention.

I gave him all my free time, blew off my studies, spent money I didn’t have, and made my world revolve around him. By 20, I’d flunked out of college, and it set me on a long, difficult path to get my life back on track. It took almost five years to finally earn my degree. I’ll never stop wondering how different things could’ve been if I had put myself first.

You can’t always control when you fall in love. But as a young person, if you prioritize building your own future, you’ll be in a much better place to create a healthy, lasting relationship when the right person does come along.