If there's one thing I have noticed so far in life, it is that many young people are afraid to be single. Being in a relationship and having someone special in your life is wonderful, but how are you going to discover yourself if you're constantly looking for someone? How are you going to learn to be on your own if you always have a significant other? There is absolutely nothing wrong with being in a relationship, but I urge you to take some time to figure out you. Figure out what you want to do with your life. Figure out what you want in a future partner. Take the time to learn how to be independent.

I've never been the type of person to be constantly talking to a guy or to always be in a relationship. I'm 20 years old and I have only had one actual relationship. I know many people my age and younger that have had 7 or 8 "relationships." They're looking to "settle down" and find their soulmate already. At that point in your life, you honestly do not know what you want, no matter how harsh that sounds, you really don't. This is something I have never understood and maybe it's just me. I often wonder how people can learn to genuinely care for someone if they're always in a relationship or talking to someone. To me, when I see people doing that, caring for the person they are with becomes more of a habit than being genuine. Maybe this is not the case at all, but it is something to consider and to really think about. Always ask yourself, "Do I like this person? Or do I like the attention they are giving me?". One of my best friends has been single for the majority of her life and I honestly give her a round of applause for that. She doesn't just settle for anyone, and she actually has incredibly high standards. She knows how she wants to be treated in a relationship, what she wants in a guy and she knows how to be independent. Learning how to be independent is the one thing I believe that every young person should know how to do. Learning to not depend on anyone but yourself and accepting the fact that it is okay to be alone. Alone in the sense that you don't need to have someone constantly.

Being single is a great time to figure out your worth and to figure out what you want to do with your life. One of my biggest struggles in life is seeing my worth and knowing that I was created beautifully by God and that I do have a purpose in life. By watching other people be in relationships and seeing how they are treated by their significant other, it gave me the chance to figure out what I deserve and what I want. I see many young girls settling and getting treated in ways that they do not deserve. I see young girls giving into the pressure to have sex, just to feel wanted and to keep someone interested in them. That honestly breaks my heart. If a person genuinely cares about you, they will wait until you are ready to take that next step. You do not need to use your body to keep someone interested. If you wait until you are in love and genuinely care about the person you are with, then taking that next step might be what you two decide to do.

Music is my passion, and from a decently young age I knew I wanted to do something with singing. By not having many distractions caused by relationship drama, or having to be worried about a significant other, I was able to concentrate on my music from a young age. I had the time to really work on it and in that time I discovered that music is my life calling. By being independent, it is so much easier to figure out what you want in life. You won't have that pressure to do what your significant other wants you to do, nor will you feel the need to "follow" them wherever they go. When I was a freshman in high school, I knew that I wanted to go to school in Nashville for music. Even when I began a relationship my senior year, that did not change. I went to Nashville for my freshman year of college and even though that school wasn't right for me, I'm so glad that I still went.

I'm not bashing on relationships at all, in fact dating is a good way to gain experience to decide what you want in a person. However, I'm only giving you life advice on what I have learned from being single. I'm independent, my standards keep going up, I'm learning more and more about myself and I have discovered that YOU make your own happiness. Get out of your small town, meet new people, and just experience life. Do not settle, do not feel like you always need someone, and become your own person.