But the reality is that even when we say our marriage vows with a commitment of “until death does us part,” there’s no commitment of forever.  RELATED: The 17 Signs A Man Wants To Be In An Exclusive Relationship With You Long gone are the days of staying in unhappy relationships. We have options — and judging by all the singles out there with marriage(s) and multiple relationships under their belt — very few people are “going the distance.” Long-term love can happen; I believe it will happen for me. I’m just not going to get caught up in the details of what defines “long-term.” I mean, really, what’s long-term? Is it one year, five years, or ten years? At this point, I’ve been divorced as long as I was married. I’ve been in a few relationships and the “long-term” ones lasted between two and five years. RELATED: 5 Easy Ways To Attract High-Quality, Marriage-Material Men I was beating myself up thinking that my relationship shelf life is 5 years. I convinced myself that I throw in the towel too easily. But the only five-year relationship I’ve ever had was dead four years in yet I stayed, unhappy and afraid to leave. I didn’t want to disappoint family, friends, or him. I didn’t want to be judged for not being able to hold a relationship together. I wasted a year of my life worrying about what everyone else would think and feel. Bottom line: The only relationship that doesn’t have a shelf life is the one I have with myself. RELATED: The 4 Major Differences Between Soulmates And Life Partners Living in an unhappy, dead-end relationship is akin to being in prison and the last time I checked, falling in love isn’t against the law. When love and happiness are gone, so am I. I often take shots at myself for being a commitment-phobe but in reality, I’m not. I’ve been (and can be) committed to someone other than myself. I don’t leave when things get rough. When I love, I love with my whole heart. I’m loyal and present. I only leave when there’s nothing left. I leave when I feel mistreated or disrespected. I leave when the relationship morphs me into someone I no longer respect. People’s needs change; people grow, and when two people aren’t on the same page, love fades. Every relationship has a shelf life.  RELATED: 18 Relationship Tips From The Happiest Couples On Earth