Often times, especially in the south, us ladies are more than eager to rush out of college and tie the knot. We are constantly searching for "the one" and not allowing ourselves to grow and develop into our own person. News flash! It's okay to be single. It's perfectly fine to be a self-sufficient person and not rely on a relationship to keep you afloat or make you seem as though you are in the norm. Crazy, huh? You can live on your own, maintain a job on your own, and be freaking awesome on your own.

You don't need a Prince Charming to prove how amazing you are.

It's time we realize that girl power is a real thing, and us ladies can rule our own kingdom and not depend on a man to do it for us. Not having a Prince Charming gives us so much more freedom to do what we want and not have any ties holding us back. We can travel wherever we want, hang out with whoever we want, flirt with whoever we want, honestly, the list of perks go on and on.

Yeah, it may be nice and all dancing with your man to the sound of birds chirping in the middle of the forest like most princesses, but the real beauty of being a princess is growing into the most beautiful version of YOU you can be.

Sometimes it takes being single to allow ourselves to grow to our fullest potential...and that's perfectly okay.

Not having a Prince Charming to fix all our problems gives us the opportunity to be the self-sufficient women we are made to be. The typical princess story involves a young, pretty girl who happens to face some difficult obstacles and then falls upon some charming guy who sweeps her off her feet and somehow magically solves all her problems. Sorry gals, that is not how real life should work. Let's rewrite the story. The story that tells of the life of a strong, independent woman who faces obstacles, but overcomes them on her own. Someone who isn't dependent on a man, but relies on her own abilities.

Love is a great thing, but when we make it our ultimate goal in life to find love, we tend to damage ourselves.

Now, I'm not saying to forget men and never get married, but "find true love" doesn't have to be number one at the top of our bucket lists. Finding love is a wonderful thing, but it shouldn't be something we strive for just to check off a list, feel normal, or even as a way to seek fulfillment before we reach our own personal goals. Let's be adventurous. How about "hike the Appalachians," "go skydiving," or even "have a career of my own," as top things we hope to do. Instead of constantly being on the hunt for love, we need to first love ourselves and strive for important goals we want to conquer.

The fulfillment we are constantly seeking is not going to come from some dapper Prince Charming - fulfillment will come from how we better ourselves and the world around us.

So let's be the makers of our own fairytales, ruling our own kingdoms and being the princesses we've always wanted to be as little girls. Every one of us gals is a beautiful princess, and we don't need a prince to prove it. When we finally grow to love ourselves and be a strong, virtuous, and loving woman is when we reach our true happily ever after.