Patience is HUGE in a long-distance relationship. You don’t have the luxury of physical affection whenever you want it. You can’t simply drive over to see your person after a long day or spend a random evening together. There are moments when you feel disconnected simply because you physically can’t be there.

And because you aren’t always aware of everything happening in your partner’s day-to-day life, it can be easy for your mind to wander.

That doesn’t automatically mean you think your partner is cheating or that something bad is happening. We’re human. It’s completely normal for your mind to start creating all the “what ifs.” What if they’re losing interest? What if they’re happier without me? What if something is wrong?

Sometimes, those thoughts can create unnecessary conflict—and unnecessary conflict can become an even bigger problem when you’re already trying to maintain a relationship from a distance.

That’s why you truly have to learn how to trust your partner.

Trust isn’t just something you say you have. It’s something you actively choose, especially when you don’t have all the answers or the reassurance you might have if you lived in the same place.

You also have to put in the effort to communicate.

Communication Is HUGEEEEEE

Seriously. Communication is everything in a long-distance relationship.

Life gets busy. Work gets busy. School gets busy. There are days when you’re exhausted, and it can be so easy to accidentally stop prioritizing your relationship.

But sometimes, it really is as simple as making a phone call.

You don’t need to talk for five hours every single night. Sometimes, a quick “How was your day?” or a 20-minute FaceTime before bed can make all the difference.

The biggest thing is making sure your partner knows they still matter to you—even when life gets crazy.

And you can’t go into a long-distance relationship without being fully committed. You have to be willing to put in the extra work because distance requires more intentionality.

Make the Distance Manageable

Beyond communication and trust, there are practical things you can do to make a long-distance relationship feel a little less difficult.

Create a routine. You don’t have to talk constantly, but having certain times that belong to each other can give you both something to rely on. Maybe you call each other on your lunch break, FaceTime before bed, or have a designated date night once a week.

Put important dates on the calendar. If you know you have a visit coming up, write it down. If you have an important event, exam, game, or appointment, let your partner know. Staying involved in each other’s lives helps you feel connected even when you aren’t physically there.

Don’t make every conversation about the relationship. Talk about random things, too. Send each other funny videos, talk about your day, share something interesting that happened, or tell each other about something you’re excited about. Your relationship should still feel like a friendship and a source of fun—not just constant conversations about missing each other.

Give each other space. Being in a long-distance relationship doesn’t mean you have to be available every second. Both people still need time for friends, family, school, work, hobbies, and themselves. Having a life outside of the relationship can actually make the time you spend together more meaningful.

Be clear about expectations. Talk about how often you both want to communicate, how you handle busy days, what makes each of you feel appreciated, and how you’ll deal with disagreements. You don’t have to have everything figured out, but knowing what you both expect can prevent a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings.

And most importantly, have something to look forward to.

PLAN THE VISIT!

One thing that has helped me is actually planning our time together.

Find an opening in both of your schedules and put a date on the calendar. Even if the visit is weeks or months away, having something to look forward to can make the distance feel so much more manageable.

And when you’re together, actually enjoy it. Put the phones down sometimes. Go somewhere new. Have a lazy day together. Take pictures. Make memories. You don’t have to make every visit perfect or fill every second with plans.

Sometimes the best part is simply being in the same room again.

You can even plan your next visit before the current one ends. Knowing when you’ll see each other again can make saying goodbye a little easier.

Make Your Time Together Count

Set a day and make it something you both look forward to. Maybe Thursday nights are your FaceTime nights. Pick a game to play together, watch the same movie, eat dinner together over FaceTime, or just sit and talk.

I know it can sound cheesy, but honestly, who cares?

You’re creating memories together, even when you can’t physically be together.

Long-distance relationships aren’t easy. There will be lonely days, misunderstandings, busy schedules, and moments when you wish you could just be next to each other.

But if you both genuinely want the relationship, distance doesn’t have to mean disconnection.

You just have to be patient, communicate, trust each other, make intentional plans, respect each other’s lives outside the relationship, and—most importantly—keep choosing each other, even from miles away.

This is coming from someone who once felt completely lost trying to find their person. I know how confusing relationships can be, especially when you care deeply about someone and are trying to figure out whether they truly feel the same way.

So please listen when people say, “If they wanted to, they would.”

That doesn’t mean relationships are always easy. When you find your person, you will still argue. You will disagree. There will be difficult moments, misunderstandings, and times when you question everything. It can sometimes be hard to tell the difference between a normal disagreement and a sign that someone may not be meant for you.

Personally, I’m a firm believer that if God is in control and that person is truly meant to be in your life, you won’t have to chase them endlessly. I believe that what is truly meant for you won’t disappear simply because of one difficult moment.

In the early stages of a relationship, disagreements are normal. They are a part of life. However, those disagreements can leave you confused and wondering, “Is this person really for me?” Sometimes, the best thing you can do is give both yourself and the other person space.

And this part is important.

So many people feel the need to text nonstop when something goes wrong. You want answers, right? You want to know what happened. You might think, “There’s nothing left to lose anyway. They’re already leaving me, so why not send another message? Why not demand to know why I’m not enough?”

Trust me, I’ve been there.

But as badly as you may want to keep texting, don’t.

Instead, rant.

Rant to your friends. Rant to your family. Text someone you trust. Let your feelings out. And for those who feel like they don’t have anyone to talk to, open your Notes app and write.

Write everything.

Write every thought, every question, every emotion, and every word you wish you could say. Let it all out. Be angry if you need to be angry. Be upset. Be confused. Your feelings are valid.

But try not to direct all of that anger toward the other person in the moment. Give yourself time. Trust that with space, people’s true intentions will often become much clearer.

It is also important to remember that fighting in a relationship can be normal. Constant emotional or physical abuse is not.

Pay attention to how you are being treated. Ask yourself: Is this behavior constant? Does it scare me? Do I feel unsafe? Do I find myself repeatedly thinking about leaving because of how this person treats me?

If the relationship is abusive or makes you feel unsafe, it is important to get help from a trusted adult or another safe person and distance yourself from the situation.

Love can be difficult to find, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the way someone makes you feel. Be aware. Be honest with yourself.

If you find that you are sad more often than you are happy, start asking yourself some difficult questions.

Are you staying because the good moments feel so good that they make you forget the bad ones?

Are you staying because you’re comfortable?

Are you afraid of change?

Are you wondering, “Who would I be with if it wasn’t them?”

Sometimes, we stay because we are afraid of losing the future we imagined, even when the relationship in front of us is no longer making us happy.

The moral of the story is simple: be aware, guard your heart, and pay attention to how you are being treated.

And don’t just think about how you feel in the moment. Think about your future with that person. Think about whether their actions, values, and treatment of you are things you would want to experience for years to come.

Love should require effort, communication, patience, and growth. You may disagree, and you may go through difficult seasons, but you should never have to lose yourself trying to convince someone to choose you.

Because at the end of the day, when someone truly wants to be in your life, you won’t have to constantly beg them to show it.

If they wanted to, they would.

I know I’m not the only woman in her twenties who feels this way. You scroll through social media and see countless successful women explaining how they made millions. You watch video after video, take mental notes, and convince yourself that this video will finally be the one that explains everything.

But countless videos later, you’re still lost.

Or, should I say, I’m still lost.

I can watch videos all day about how to make money, whether it’s through social media, starting a business, or, for example, Substack. And honestly? One word describes how I feel afterward:

Lost.

I don’t have a complete understanding of Substack yet. I don’t know exactly what I’m doing, how to grow, or how people make so much money from it. But what I do know is that I can fully be myself here. I can share my thoughts, experiences, opinions, and stories without trying to be someone else.

So, I’m hoping for the best.

Maybe I’ll find the motivation to keep going. Maybe I’ll grow. Maybe I’ll figure out exactly what I’m doing along the way.

Or maybe I’ll just find something new?

False.

There are going to be so many moments when you feel like you’re getting nowhere. Moments when you look at your numbers, your progress, or your goals and wonder if any of it is even worth it. And honestly, it is incredibly easy to quit.

But in my opinion, that motivation to keep going—and more importantly, the discipline to keep going even when you aren’t motivated—is what will eventually make you successful.

How many times are you going to tell yourself, “Oh, that didn’t work. Next.”?

At some point, you have to stick to a goal and make it happen.

Most successful people didn’t get to where they are because everything worked out perfectly the first time. They got there because they kept going. They learned, adjusted, failed, tried again, and continued working toward what they wanted.

It’s easy to look at someone successful and think, “Wow, they just became successful,” or, “They became a billionaire overnight.”

But the truth is, we rarely see the beginning.

We don’t always see the years of hard work, the failures, the uncertainty, the moments they wanted to give up, or the times they had absolutely no idea what they were doing.

Everything starts somewhere.

And I can promise you this: nothing starts at 100%.

Success takes time. It takes effort. It takes consistency. And yes, we all know that—but sometimes, we need to be reminded.

I just started on this app, and of course, I’ve searched for tips on how to grow here. The most common question I see is, “How do you make all that money?”

I only have five subscribers—clearly, I’m not an expert.

But I can guarantee that the people who have built successful communities didn’t get there by posting once and giving up. They were consistent. They put in the time. They reached out to others. They built a community. They kept learning.

They worked for it.

They’re smart, plain and simple.

And honestly, this article isn’t meant to be a lesson because I’m still figuring it out myself.

It’s a reminder.

A reminder to stay true to yourself.

A reminder not to give up just because you aren’t seeing results yet.

A reminder that you don’t have to have everything figured out before you start.

And a reminder that success looks impossible when you’re standing at the beginning.

I may be 25, money hungry, and completely lost when it comes to figuring out exactly how to make it all happen—but I’m learning that maybe being lost doesn’t mean I’m going in the wrong direction.

Maybe it just means I’m still finding my way.

So, if you’re in your twenties, watching everyone else succeed and wondering when it will be your turn, this is your reminder:

Don’t give up. Stay true to yourself. Put in the work. Keep growing.

Because one day, you might look back at the version of yourself who had no idea what they were doing and realize that they were the reason you made it where you wanted to be.

And maybe one day, I’ll be writing an article about how I finally figured it out.

And while there is some truth to those things, the reality is that being a flight attendant is a job that some people simply are not made for.

It involves long hours, exhaustion, and dealing with a lot of rude passengers. But honestly, can you blame them sometimes? Imagine sitting on a plane with passengers for two hours before takeoff, only to find out that the actual flight is another two hours. Suddenly, what they thought would be a two-hour flight has turned into four hours of their day.

And that is actually a delay on the good side.

Many times, flight attendants are called into work with only two hours’ notice. Some of us may live up to two hours away from the airport, so suddenly you are rushing to get ready, mentally preparing yourself for work, and trying to make it to the airport on time. Then, when you finally get to the plane, there may be no catering.

One of the biggest complaints we hear—especially from frequent flyers in First Class—is, “Why haven’t I received my pre-departure beverage yet?”

And trust me, we would love to serve you.

But sometimes, passengers forget that flight attendants have a lot happening during boarding. We have to make sure boarding goes smoothly, complete our safety checks, secure the cabin, and do everything necessary to ensure an on-time departure. If anything delays the boarding process, it can fall back on us.

So, we are sometimes damned if we do and damned if we don’t.

We want to provide great service, but how can we serve you when the boarding door needs to be closed in seven minutes, the catering has just arrived, the last set of passengers is still boarding, and it feels like a million people are trying to use the bathroom?

If you know, you know.

And on that topic, I completely understand the need to use the restroom during boarding. I know some flight attendants may say, “If there was a delay, why didn’t they just use the bathroom in the airport?”

I have been in those shoes, and it is easier said than done—especially for my anxiety friends who know exactly what I mean.

What if the bathroom line is too long?

What if they close the boarding door early?

What if I can’t find space for my bag in the overhead bin?

What if I miss my flight?

What if, what if, what if?

When you are flying somewhere you desperately need to be, a million thoughts can run through your head.

From a flight attendant who works in the front of the plane, I have one small request: if you are not seated in First Class, please use the restroom in the back until boarding is complete.

And before anyone screams at me, yes—once we are in the air, anyone is welcome to come up and use the restroom in the front. But during boarding, when we are trying to complete service, passengers are still boarding, and you are trying to shimmy your way through the aisle toward the front of the plane, it can cause delays.

And once again, those delays can fall back on us.

Flights are not cheap, and I completely understand wanting to make sure you get on your flight. Trust me, I would much rather you use the bathroom on the plane than miss your flight.

But one of the most important things to remember when becoming a flight attendant is that you are going to be around hundreds of people every single day. You never know what someone may be going through—the good or the bad—and you have to be prepared for all of it.

We have tough days in this job. But sometimes, someone could be flying somewhere for a reason that, if we knew it, we would gladly choose our bad day over theirs.

I once heard a question—whether it was from a movie, TikTok, or somewhere else, I honestly do not remember—that really changed my perspective:

“If every person in the world put the worst day they have ever experienced into a jar, would you keep your own worst day, or would you risk picking someone else’s?”

That question really changed not only my day-to-day thinking, but also my mindset at work.

The moral of the story is simple: be kind to one another.

If you want to become a flight attendant, just know that you are signing up for long hours, unpredictable schedules, difficult passengers, and days when you wonder why you chose this career.

But truly, when it is good, it is GREAT.

You will need to have thick skin, but you will also meet some of the best people you will ever know. You will work long hours, but you may have the opportunity to spend half of them somewhere incredible.

Being a flight attendant is not always as glamorous as it looks from the outside. There is so much more that happens behind the scenes than passengers may ever realize.

So, if becoming a flight attendant is your dream, go for it. Just make sure you know what you are signing up for.

Because this job can be difficult.

It can be exhausting.

It can test your patience.

But sometimes, it can also take you places you never imagined you would go—and give you experiences you would never trade for anything.

And when it is good, it really is great.