Almost made you love me
Almost made you cry
Almost made you happy babe
Didn't I? Didn't I?
You almost had me thinking
You were turned around
But everybody knows
Almost doesn't count
How do you know when you come close to something that never was? You never really know until it happens to you. Those near misses and close encounters will only ever be that - always missing the mark. We can quickly get into some personal strife if we believe that we are able to provide happiness for someone else. Things don't work out that way. You can try your best to be supportive and make their lives as easy as possible, but the happiness is something that can only come from within themselves. If you are trying to evolve, grow and change, convincing people that you have turned from your old ways - is that a good enough reason to move?
Almost heard you saying
You were finally free
What was always missing for you babe
You found it in me
But you can't get to heaven
Half off the ground
Everybody knows
Almost doesn't count
You probably get confused when someone professes to find missing parts of themselves in you that they expected to find in others. You can't control how others will gravitate towards you and how to receive them. You can never really understand how to negotiate those spaces, so good honest conversations are necessary to make sure there is clarity and understanding, ensuring there is no room for misunderstanding. Everyone wants a piece of freedom that allows them to relinquish pain and worry that threatens to consume them otherwise.
I can't keep on loving you
One foot outside the door
I hear a funny hesitation
Of a heart's that never really sure
Can't keep on trying
If you're looking for more
Than all that I could give you
Than what you came here for
The mistakes that we make in love can often come in the form of our past reaching out to pull us back. When we think that we are making some inroads in progressing forward, we may find the insecurities of individuals from our past seeing the progress you are making, seeing the life you are building beyond them. Are you holding onto love for someone who wants you to give up everything for them just to keep you? What more could you possibly offer that you haven't already done so? When we don't listen closely and carefully enough to our hearts, it is no wonder that there will always be hesitation.
Gonna find me somebody
Not afraid to let go
Want a no-doubt-be-there kind of man
You came real close
But every time you built me up
You only let me down
But everybody knows (everybody knows)
Almost doesn't count (almost doesn't count)
Have you found someone who is willing to be vulnerable with you? We spend so much time trying to control things and people beyond our reach, that we lose sight of the obvious before we become oblivious. How many times have you relied on the smooth talking stylings of compliments and praise that lead to nowhere? We need to stop building up people's hopes when there is no intention of reciprocity, when there is no genuine good intentions, just intent for self gain. Will you continue to put yourself in situations that allow you to be compromised?
Maybe you'll be sorry
Maybe you'll be cold
Maybe you'll come running back
From the cruel cruel world
Almost convinced me
You're gonna stick around
But everybody knows (everybody knows)
Almost doesn't count
People are only sorry or cold when they feel the loss or emptiness that follows honest reflection. When do people come running back to you? How often do you let them come running back? Why do you even wait for them to come running back? The harshness of the world shows them that your softness is a welcome reprieve. What will convince you to put yourself first for once? When you can't rely on the loyalty that once was, remember that people's feelings change, people's demeanors are affected by situations that do not feature you at all. As long as you find acceptance in what needs to be, you'll be able to convince yourself, rather than relying on external influences.
So maybe I'll be here
Maybe I'll see you around
That's the way it goes
Almost doesn't count
I hope that you spend time focused on your own needs and priorities. While others may try to tell you what to do and influence your decisions, at the end of the day, you are the captain of your destiny, the architect of your design, the creator of energy flow. Challenge yourself to confront situations and people that question you, try to strip you down, or take you to places you don't want to go. When we look at the things that we want to accomplish and the people we want to cheer us on, keep your eyes on the prize. Everybody knows that not all relationships are perfect, not all connections can be explained. But that's just the way things are when almost doesn't count. . .