I'm not sure if you're anything like me, but my dating life could best be described with the singular phrase, "poor choices in romantic partners." Most of the men that I have dated (except for a select few) have turned out to be not-so-great guys. Granted, maybe they weren't great guys to begin with, and I chose to have my "oh my God, he's so amazing" blinders on so that I didn't see the red flags that inevitably popped up.

After my last breakup, I made a promise to myself that I was not going to enter into a relationship with anyone who didn't check off the boxes of my "this is what I'm looking for in a man" list.

If you've had really crappy luck with romantic partners just like I have, then maybe making a list of qualities that you do/do not want in a partner could be incredibly beneficial to you.

For now, though, I'm okay with being single.

I'm okay with taking the time to learn more about myself, and I think that it's perfectly fine to be selfish when it comes to this kind of thing. I'm the kind of person who used to look to other people, mostly the men that I've dated, for some kind of validation. I also used to measure my sense of self-worth by how I felt my partners saw me—that and the whole "I need outside validation" thing were incredibly problematic, to say the least.

I had to realize that I shouldn't ever have to look to someone else to know that I am worth something in this world, and you shouldn't feel the need to look to other people for your own self-worth, either.

I had to learn that, except for a few select people, how the rest of the world sees me isn't my concern—I know my worth.

So, until I find a man who checks off the boxes on my list, shows no red flag qualities, and can fully and unconditionally show me that he looks at me the same way I seek to look at myself, I'm perfectly fine staying single.

I don't need anyone else to validate my opinion of myself, and you don't either.