Some people spend their whole lives looking for someone to be with, looking for someone to spend their time with, and to help them through tough situations. I'll admit, while it is nice to have someone to be there for you all of the time, sometimes you just have to learn to be there for yourself.

I have been in serious relationships in the past and I wouldn't trade those for the world. They taught me a lot about the kind of person I want to be and the kind of man I need in my life, and obviously, I had a lot of fun, but I feel that everyone should take some time for themselves at one point in their life. That's what I'm doing, taking time to figure out ME.

Figuring out who you are is extremely important. I once heard, "It's hard to get to know me when I don't know myself." I can't begin to tell you how true that holds. How is someone else supposed to know who I am, when I haven't even the slightest clue?
Despite taking the time to get to know yourself, there are a lot of other key reasons being single by choice is a good thing.

I am a full-time college student, participating in a collegiate sport, with a full-time job. That takes up a lot of my time and I barely have time to do homework, let alone dedicate myself to a boy. How am I supposed to put my all into a relationship when, currently, I am putting my 'all' into three other things? Saying that I could really focus on a relationship right now is silly. As much as I would like to, it just doesn't seem fair to either party involved. I have to focus on the reasons I am here. I am here to get a degree and I need a job to pay for that. I won't explain to others that I need to go to class or that I cannot take work off a certain day; I shouldn't have to.

The person I am right now is WAY too independent. I have been supporting myself since I was 17 years old; I have paid all of my own bills, purchased five vehicles and have self-supported everything I have. I am extremely proud of that and I remain that self-sufficient girl, even in a relationship. I want to help pay for things like dinner and not a lot of guys understand that. Some guys find it difficult that I don't need to talk to them all hours of the day. Some hate that I 'don't need them.' I do not walk around this Earth waiting for someone I can't live without, because to be quite honest, I don't think I'll ever find someone that I can't live without. It's not about that; it's about finding someone you don't want to live without. I hope that the man I end up with can accept my independence and embrace it the way that I do, because it is something that I don't see changing any time soon.

No, being single isn't always an enjoyable time. It can suck on holidays when all of your family asks why you're still single. It can suck when going to any event and RSVP'ing to weddings realizing that you are the only one without a date. But after you sit down and think about it, sometimes being in a relationship with yourself for a little while is the best thing you can do. Without taking time for myself, I would never be able to get through school and work, I wouldn't be able to really focus on the things that are important to me.

So do not ask me why I'm single or why I won't date this boy, because some people just don't understand what it's like when you're trying to be happy by yourself first, and I don't want to try to explain it to you.