I understand. I get it. You skipped dinner to stay on budget. You wrote so many cover letters to not hear back from a single employer. You show up to work an hour early. You leave work an hour or two later than you are supposed to. You wake up early and try to exercise. You drink three cups of coffee by noon. You wait for him to text you back. You skipped dinner again. You feel left out when you hear about another party you weren't invited to. You are frustrated. You are still waiting for him to text you back. You keep skipping dinner and you keep getting too drunk. You wake up later. You are still waiting.

And what exactly are you waiting for? A reply from a job you don't even want. Love from a boy that you don't see a future with. Acceptance from friends who are part of an exclusive scene. Reassurance from people who quite frankly don't matter.

Yes, sometimes you want someone there, whether that be a friend or romantic interest, and that's valid. You are only human and loneliness creeps up, between the sheets, through the walls and down the drain. On a Saturday night when the rest of the city is thriving on house music and empty bottles. On a Monday afternoon when you are so tired from work, all you want is someone to talk to.

But you know what you should be doing, other than waiting on people who aren't making you a priority? Making yourself a priority. Independence isn't just some trendy feminist movement. Be independent from those girls you desperately want to be friends with, but will never invite you to that breakfast date or that movie. Stop responding to the guy who has benched you, dragging you along, fingers fluttering across his iPhone keyboard at 2 a.m. and too many drunken promises. Stop letting players control whether or not you play at all. Play your own game. Or better yet, stop playing the mind games -- they're getting old.

I've never been good at sports. I used to play basketball, but realized I almost never played. I quit and found hobbies I actually liked. Get off the bench, quit the game, and start your own. Be your own referee, your own coach, your own team.

People who are worth it to have in your life don't warrant a whistle, sidelines, or coaches.

And if you need some motivation, spend a Saturday afternoon waltzing down Fifth Avenue. Sometimes you just have to buy a pretty dress, sit in Madison Square Park with your best friend, look up to the sky and think about french fries to realize everything will be just fine.