It’s OK to be the single girl in your group of friends, the third wheel, the loner, the single pringle. It may seem like the worst thing in the world, but at this young age and in this "hookup generation," it’s being smart and brave. This world is crazy with everyone seeking love and using dating sites as if that’s where their soul mate might be. Picking out your perfect person on a computer screen as if they were a build-a-bear. Gender, race, weight, hair color, eye color, career, education, religion, whether they want kids, hobbies.

I know everyone just wants someone they can love, relate to, and care for, but it’s not all the good stuff. It's screaming at each other until your throat burns and caring for someone more than you care for yourself. It hurts. It’s dedicating yourself and time to someone other than yourself. And everyone’s doing it so young. I’m guilty of falling in love and getting my heart broken into pieces. But I’m stronger from it, and it taught me to choose myself before anyone else. It’s time to live. As much as I would love to be with someone — just like everyone else — I choose me. I choose to find myself before I find someone else and to live out my teenage years and my early twenties. It seems like finding love is all our young generation is looking for.

We should be living, exploring, learning, finding happiness in little things. It’s great when someone finds their happiness in someone else but for people like me, don’t be sad. Instead of screaming at someone so hard that your throat burns, put all your time into bettering yourself. Find happiness in the little things, dance in your underwear, get dressed up for yourself, eat as many sweets as you want. Spend the time you have on your own, discovering who you are because most college kids have no idea what the world holds for them. There’s so much more you could be doing other than spending all your time looking for love. Hike a mountain, go scuba diving, take those extra classes, travel to places you’ve never been before, laugh until you cry, spend more time with family, meet new people, play a sport. Go to college and dedicate your time to building your future. Don’t let someone stop you.

There are so many bad relationships in this world. Don’t let that be you because society says it’s the thing to do. So many people are missing out on living their lives because they think their relationship defines who they are and it's the end of the world. A lot of people are going to regret not living for themselves when they could. Even though it may not seem like it in today’s society, you can do anything even when you don’t have a boyfriend or girlfriend by your side. Along the way you may find someone who you want to be with forever or they may be temporary but make it so it’s because you crossed paths, not because you met them looking on an online dating site. Learn to love yourself before you love someone else.