It’s not every day that I write articles, but when I do... you can probably bet your bottom dollar it’s geared towards dating.
I believe marriage is one of the most important decisions we get the honor of making. Therefore, since the majority of us date someone before we get married to them... I'd like to think dating deserves a lot of credit too
As passionate as I am about dating, I am even more so about singlehood. It is a season that is meant to be lived and experienced. In some cases, I would even argue it is necessary.
I think it is all too easy in today’s world to look at being single as an insecurity. If you're not seeing it as a problem... there is probably someone in your life who talks to you like it is. Being single has become something people portray as a weakness or some type of situation that needs fixed. If you are not partaking in cute photo-ops with a boy, bringing a guy to holidays with the fam, or you're in your twenties and not married... there must be something wrong with you, right? Wrong.
All too often we look at our singleness and wonder when it will be over. When will it be our time? I am here to tell you... Your time is now!
Here are 10 tips to rocking your singleness:
1. Own it!
So what! Yeah, you’re the girl who is single and you’re not sure you’re even ready to mingle quite yet! It’s ok to be the girl who is doing her own thing. Embrace it. Flaunt it!
2. Be the crazy girl on the dance floor.
Don’t let the lack of a dance partner stop you from busting out your best dance moves! Slow song? Grab a gal pal or a nearby 3-year-old and strut your best two-step. I’ve danced with many toddlers in my day and believe me... They are probably cuter than any boy you could find on the dance floor! :) Fast song? Now, this is the time to whip out all those dance moves that are so embarrassing they make your friends feel uncomfortable. I’m pretty sure the day I meet a guy who can keep up with me on the dance floor will be the day I have found my soulmate.
3. Travel often.
Go!!! Take the trip. Buy the camper! Book the flight. Travel far and wide. See as much as you can, as fast as you can. Trust me, by the time you meet your significant other, there will still be plenty of the world left to see. You’re just getting a bit of a head start. There has yet to be a trip I have taken that I regret.
4. Go on dates.
There have been seasons of life where I've literally talked to no one of the male species. Other seasons I have spent my Friday nights getting picked up and going on dates with guys. Whether you date or you don’t… Do not allow the pressure to steal from your experience. If you go on a date, it doesn’t mean you have to walk down the aisle anytime soon. If you don’t find yourself on a lot of dates, it doesn’t mean you won’t be walking down the aisle sooner than the next girl. Besides, if anything… Bad date stories make some of the best stories to laugh about later.
5. Don't waste your time.
There are plenty of ways I love to spend my time but sitting around snap-chatting dudes and texting everyone that asks for my phone number is not one of them. Be okay with turning a guy down if he doesn’t approach you properly. Trust me, you don’t want to waste your sweet time on guys who aren’t ready to be dating quite yet.
6. You have to realize being single is going to be as much fun as you make it.
If you think the single life sucks... it will. But if you make the effort to LIVE, and not just wait on life until you're married, singlehood may catch you by surprise. Something I tell my friends all the time is "I don’t want to date anyone unless they are making my life more fun. I love my life. It is fun and I am fun. Therefore, until I find a guy who is making my life better than it was before he walked into it… I will continue to be single."
7. Take advantage of the opportunity to become close with your friends and their significant other.
Third Wheel. Fifth Wheel. Seventh Wheel. Some of the best times I have had is when I’m the odd man out. You may even want to take some notes in the process.
8. If the boys aren't flocking... Stay patient. One day the right one will come knocking.
Don’t ever allow the number of boys lining up at your door dictate how you feel about yourself. Sometimes I like to think awesomeness is a bit intimidating so just wait for a man who isn’t scared to approach someone like you. When a guy is more willing to respectfully embarrass himself at the chance you may turn him down than he is to let the chance slip away… It might be the time to go on one of those dates you’ve been waiting for.
9. Trust.
Can I just take a moment to say how relieved I am that it's not up to me to go and hunt down the man God has for me? Phew.
Coming from a girl who is still living out her singleness. I have learned it is best to trust God. Not because I have met the love of my life and now I can say it was worth it... but because after 3 years of waiting I am still single and know that My God keeps no one waiting if it isn't for their good. You can find peace in knowing that if it doesn't work out with you and a guy, there is a reason, and it's a good one.
10. Figure your shit out.
What better time to figure things out than when it is just you, yourself, and yourself? Being single has allowed me to evaluate who I am right now and who I want to be in the future. In the days of a single girl, there is plenty of time to take a long hard look at ourselves and realize we have so much learning to do. It's great.
I don't think being single is weak at all. I mean... It's definitely not the easiest thing to be the girl who isn't talking to a guy when all her friends are, or seems to be the odd man out at weddings because let's be honest, what really is a plus one? But let's all not forget that dating has hardships of its own, therefore, soak up your singleness while you can, so you can be the girl who can look back and not regret all that you did not do. Be the girl who wakes up every day believing everything is going to work out just as it is supposed to. In the mean time, LIVE.
