There will always be a time in your life when you find yourself outgrowing a relationship. It’s a time when you start to realize exactly what you want out of life and exactly what it'll take to get where you want to be.
The problem is your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn’t seem to be moving at the same pace as you are. Your partner seems to be stuck in the mud, unable and unsure of what to do with his or her life.
Your partner may talk a big game, repeatedly tell you about all of these big plans for the future -- all of these hopes and dreams -- but he or she never delivers, never puts in any steps in order to get closer to making these “goals” a reality.
The only thing your partner seems to be certain of is you; the one thing he or she can depend on is your relationship. But what does that mean for you?
How is your relationship an equal partnership if you’re constantly holding down the fort, trying desperately to push your partner toward a path of enlightenment while simultaneously working feverishly to achieve your own goals?
These types of one-sided relationships quickly dissolve into a sort of leech on a bigger mammal symbiosis — only there isn’t anything symbiotic about the relationship because you’re the one providing all of the resources.
You try to tell yourself it's just a phase; if you keep guiding your partner, little by little, eventually he or she will find the motivation to really do something with his or her life, instead of feeding off yours.
To some extent, you don’t want to leave your partner because he or she's been a constant in your life, someone who's always been there and provided you with unconditional love. This is someone who tells you you’re beautiful, talented and amazing all while smoking your weed and sleeping until 2 pm.
The real issue at hand is you’re moving up, and your partner has plateaued. He or she doesn't share your drive, your consuming ambition or your desire to leave a palpable mark on the world.
All that sweet love and perpetual laziness may have been bearable in college, but now that you’re an adult — furnishing your own apartment, buying your own groceries and vying for a promotion -- that sh*t isn’t cute anymore.
All of those little quirks will soon eat away at you, making you resentful and bitter. Why should he or she get to be waif while you slave away at the office? Why should you feed someone dinner who can’t even afford quinoa?
All of this dependence coated in passionate, relentless love will soon become a hollow existence for you. You’ll soon see this person isn’t pushing you forward, but holding you down.
And sure enough, when you finally work up the balls to take a long hard look at the life you’re creating, you’ll begin to realize this person no longer has a place in it.
You might be this person's soulmate, but he or she's become your soul's biggest moocher, and it's time to cut away those strings of attachment so you can fly away.
I matured, you stayed the same.
I grew out of you, you still fit with me.
I figured out what I want, you're still jumping around.
I’m working for the future, you’re just working for tomorrow.
I got my own place, you're still living at home.
I want to be loved, your love is smothering.
I like that you respect me, but you let me walk all over you.
I'm spending money on experience, you're spending money on stupid sh*t.
I need a man, you’re just a boy; I need a woman, you're just a girl.
I’m building a Rolodex, you’re just building shot towers.
I'm moving toward the deep end, you're still treading water.
I learned valuable lessons in college, you peaked in high school.
I'm fearless and fighting, you're just scared straight.
I'm challenging myself, you won’t even challenge me.
I'm moving away from the beaten path; you're still looking for a map.
I have a career, you just have a job.
I prefer my green in my wallet, you prefer to smoke yours.
I want to find my soulmate, you can’t figure out what you want.
I'm dreaming, you're still pressing snooze.
I'm taking charge, you're charging my credit card.
I earned everything I have, you were handed it all.
I’m making gourmet meals, you're still eating Hot Pockets.
I’m paid yearly, you’re paid hourly.
I'm going places, you're riding shotgun.
I make calls, you respond to texts.
I've got a head on my shoulders, you've got your head in the clouds.
I'm evolving, you haven't created anything.
I’m speeding in the left lane, you're letting people pass.
I have wanderlust, you're just wandering and lost.
I'm the batter, you’re always benched.
I have my parents over for dinner, you have your parents make it for you.
I’d like to have children, you’re still a child.
I like talking on the phone, you call six times a day.
I’m writing my story, you’re not even sure of your plot.
I need to set you free, you don’t want to let me go.
I’m the one for you, you’re not the one for me.
