When you make the transition to single life to being in a relationship, things change without realizing it. You start to depend on someone for your happiness and your lifestyle becomes a cycle of sharing a life with another person. You let them in to your daily life, your dreams, your goals and your aspirations. With a blink of an eye, that person shares your world and you did not realize how quickly things changed. Within this chapter of your life, it's extremely important to still embody characteristics you had while you were single. While a relationship is a great thing, you need to make sure you don't lose yourself in the process.

1. Be ambitious

You had plans for your future before you met Mr. Right. Your future is in your control, no matter where your significant other is planning to do. Please, don't change your future for him. It may seem like you won't ever be happier, but believe me, you will be. You need to learn to put yourself first despite how amazing things may be. Don't lose your ambition. Don't let your future goals slip from your content right now. Remember that no matter what happens, your future is what you make of it, no matter who is by your side. Don't let yourself lose sight of what you've always wanted and work hard for those goals. If your significant other cares about you, they will be by your side through it all.

2. Be independent

Dating someone is incredible because you become so close with someone that you don't care if they see you without makeup on or when you first wake up in the morning. You start to do things with them, like going to the store or watching your daily television show. You begin to share your life with this person, making time in your schedule to see them and doing things you normally do alone with them. In the midst of all of this, make sure you stay independent. Take a day to binge watch Netflix alone. Take a walk downtown and get yourself a coffee. Read your favorite book.

Whatever you do, make sure you still encompass independence because if your relationship bites the dust, you know you will always have yourself.

3. Be curious

Don't lose your curiosity for the world. It's easy to become comfortable and fall into an everyday routine with your beau, but this is when you let your relationship take over your life which never ends well. Stay curious. Don't lose your sense of wonder. Travel. Do everything you imagined yourself doing at this age. Don't let your relationship hold you back from exploring this world and discovering new hobbies and new interests.

You may be content with your love life, but please don't let your relationship stunt your growth. Grow with him. Grow with yourself. Don't lose your spark of wanting to discover more. If your relationship is strong, your significant other will want you to be curious and constantly on your feet, wanting to find out more about the world.

4. Be headstrong

Don't lose your strength in yourself. Headstrong seems to have a negative connotation, but it's not a bad thing. Believe what you have always believed. Be strong in your values and morals. It's fun to be with someone, without a doubt. But, you can't let your infatuation with that person deter your thoughts and values. If your significant other does not share the same thoughts and values, please don't let them take that away from you.

Your beliefs make you who you are, and being with someone who doesn't respect that could really deter who you are as a person. It can become severely damaging to you as a peson, having the person you value most telling you your beliefs aren't correct. Stay strong in your beliefs and be headstrong when people go against how you feel. You may not remember the words people say, but you always remember how they made you feel.

5. Be yourself

This is the most important characteristic of them all. If you lose yourself while dating someone, it will become hard to find yourself down the road. It's really easy to lose yourself while in a relationship. You begin to adapt to your significant other, picking up their characteristics and changing yourself to make them happy. You want them to think you're perfect, because you value their views and thoughts. You want to be loved by them. But if you aren't holding true to yourself, then there is no point. That person won't be loving you, they'll be loving their creation of you. So please, out of all things, be yourself. Be the you that you were before you started dating. Be strong in who you are and you will thank me down the road.

Don't change yourself for anybody, even if you love them. If they love you, they will love all of these things about you. They will respect and value every part of you. This is hard to find, but once you find it, don't let it go.