I know there's a lot of negative connotations when a woman proclaims herself as independent. People, mostly men, think there must be something wrong with her if she is okay with being by herself. In reality, these independent women appear threatening to men in professional positions and just in their love life in general. If a woman tells a man she feels she is independent, most men will be completely turned off and uninterested. By telling a man that you are independent, you are not saying "I am not interested in you," or "I'm better off by myself," you are saying that you do not need a man in your life to be happy or successful, and most men don't believe that a woman can be happy without a man in her life. News flash, we can be!

I for one consider myself a highly independent woman, and I am not ashamed of this whatsoever. By becoming an independent, strong woman I have learned so much more about myself. I have stopped considering that I may not be good enough for a man when they seem uninterested in me, instead I have begin to thought that maybe I am too good for that man, and I have begun to know my self worth. Measly pickup lines and late night texts to hangout no longer appeal to me. I am my own person, not a sexual object. My independent self is no longer interested in impressing every guy she meets at a party or in her class, I'm much more worried about having a good time and learning what I have to do learn in class. No man will dictate my mood or my feelings.

Independence does not mean that I want to be alone, but it means that I can survive on my own and I can grow more and more successful on my own. I for one still believe in true love, and my independence does not mean I don't want that in my life. But no longer are love or relationships my main focus in life. I have to focus on growing as my own person before I can learn to love someone else. I know when I find the right guy my independence will not scare him, it will intrigue him. He will fall in love with the fact I am my own person and I have my own goals, yet I can still love him unconditionally. Independence does not mean I will be forever alone, it means I will find someone who realizes my own worth just as I have. Until that day comes, I will be a strong, independent woman, working my ass off to accomplish my goals in life.