I cringe every time I see it. Every time I log on to Facebook, Twitter or any other social media platform and see the same degrading posts.

"Find a man who will do this."

"Find a man who treats you like a queen."

"I can't wait to have a boyfriend who does this."

Every single time, I just have to wonder, why are you so afraid of being alone? More importantly, why are you so afraid of loving yourself.

Why are you so afraid of focusing on your personal needs? Why are you so afraid of working towards your own goals? Why are you so afraid of complimenting yourself? Why are you so afraid of being able to independently recognize the good qualities you possess? Why are you so afraid of being independent?

The truth is, two people need to be able to be alone before they are able to be together. You must be able to independently strive for your own goals, compliment yourself, and focus on your personal needs before you can also take into account the needs of a partner. If you cannot fully love yourself on your own, you cannot fully expect someone else to be able to either.

Being single has almost become something to look down upon in today's society, which is something I will never be able to understand. Why is it wrong for someone to be focusing and working on themselves?

There is no reason for it. Because the answer is there is nothing wrong with it. I repeat: there is absolutely nothing wrong with being single.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a better you first. There is nothing wrong for having expectations. There is nothing wrong with loving yourself. There is nothing wrong with wanting to wait until you've reached the goals you want to reach first. There is nothing wrong with wanting to focus on your career, athletics or school. There is nothing wrong with wanting to discover yourself in new ways. There is nothing wrong with taking yourself out to dinner. There is nothing wrong with complimenting yourself. There is, and never will be, anything wrong with wanting to be an independent person.

I will not lie and say relationships are not a beautiful thing, because they absolutely are. But, let me clarify, the right relationship is a beautiful thing. A relationship that starts with two independent people deciding to team up, rather than one relying completely on their partner for their happiness through the constant giving of compliments and reassurances. You have to be able to do that for yourself first. I have been blessed to have found someone who makes me incredibly happy. If for some reason (Heaven forbid), however, he were to walk out of my life today, I would not quit being happy. I would love myself. I would continue to push myself. I would lift myself up because I do not and never will rely solely on someone else to do that for me.

I can stand here today, flaws and all and say I love myself. I treat myself like a queen. And my prayers for you are that you do the same.