First of all, let me stop you right there. There's nothing wrong with being single and there's nothing wrong with YOU for being single. I know people say this all the time but being single is a choice, not the default alternative to not being in a relationship. In today's society, so much light is shone on these perfect fairytale relationships that are, half the time, so far off from the realm of reality.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still very much a romantic. I believe in true love AND I believe in the idea that two people in this world are ultimately meant for each other, but I also believe that you're not going to get to that climactic point in your life by jumping into a relationship with the first guy who shows interest in you.
In my opinion, staying single while you're young is the best possible thing you can do for yourself. Growing up, especially through college and your early twenties, you're trying to figure yourself out. You're trying to learn what makes you happy, what you want to do with your life, and what kinds of people make you feel like the best version of yourself.
Honestly, the best way to do this is to move out of your house, go to school, and take some time away from your childhood friends.
If you're like me, you pretty much grew up in one place your whole life. You were around the same friends, the same school, and the same town for as long as you could remember. This is where you were comfortable, where you thought you knew everything there was to know about yourself, and where everything just seemed to make sense day-to-day.
The truth is— that whole time you were living as just one version of yourself. You were completely unaware of your potential for change and growth and maybe even a completely different life altogether.
When you're stuck in that kind of a cycle, you can't really change yourself without it feeling like you're trying to be somebody you're not. When you grow up with virtually the same people your whole life, your friends know you to be this one person and will always expect you to be THAT one person. Any change would just throw everything off balance and have them calling you out for acting "different." The good thing about meeting new people is that you can be a new you.
Not that you're going to pretend to be somebody else, you're just going to reveal a new layer of yourself that you never even knew you had. Basic statistics prove that the more people you meet, the better your chances are of finding the one person who is perfect for you. Every new person you meet brings something different out of you— That's the beauty of it.
Now add a boyfriend or girlfriend into this whole mix of figuring yourself out. That just adds more complexity to your already very complex life. With relationships come insecurities and a dependency on another person. For many people (not all), a serious relationship at a young age is what holds them back from change. Even though he may seem like the perfect match for you now, odds are that he's a perfect match for that one layer of yourself, not for all that you are going to become.
Not to say that having a relationship is bad, it's not. Having a relationship is actually a great way to learn more about yourself. The only thing is, you can't let it consume your life and prevent you from doing things for yourself. You have your whole life to be tied down to one other person. Take your time now to be young, be you, and have some fun.
Be single now and be proud of it because the better a person you are independently, the better a person you're eventually going to be in a relationship.
