You were so hopeful. It has happened several times. There was the relationship that you wanted so badly. You could see the possibilities- but he/she could not.

There was the dream job. It could've been so cool if upper management didn't bail on your program. Then there was the business, the band, the trip, or the project. It was right there.

The stars were aligned. You could see it so clearly. But... apparently your friends, lover, associates, or customers could not. So there you were– left holding the bag again. Disappointed.

Somewhere along the way after being disappointed enough times, we say to ourselves, “That's it, I'm not going there ever again." After that, we stop initiating new ideas– at least the ones that we get really passionate about.

Doorways might even open up to us, but we walk on by. We mutter to ourselves, "Where were you 5 years ago?" We push people away who want to collaborate with us.

Perhaps it's the disappointment and the associated pain that we are afraid of. And the thought of getting our heart broken again was just so painful.

We opened our hearts and got passionately involved. We allowed ourselves to dream. We got excited. We built momentum. We made painstaking progress in little bits at a time. And then it all fell apart.

Since then life has been a lot less painful. We occasionally hearken back to the days when we were engaged in one of our projects- or pull out a story to tell. We felt so vital and alive back then. But life is different now. Those days are over.

Or... maybe you have a few runs left in you.

But what if you get your heart broken? You probably will. But I guarantee you will feel really alive again.