“Remember your self-worth.” These are the words I recite to myself whenever a young man tries to talk with me. In today’s society, it is so easy to forget that you are worth more than a few meaningless texts and “I Love Yous." That phrase “I Love You” is used so loosely in today's generation that we have forgotten how strong it really is and can be; I must admit that summer has been the biggest learning experience for me because, in a split second, I forgot my self-worth, but regained consciousness of it faster than I ever have before. Now, just like any other female, I will sometimes try and talk myself out of my decision to message the contact saved on my iPhone as “DON'T TXT PD,” I simply remember that my self-worth is worth much more.

Now, you probably wonder where exactly I am going with this...

relationships. The one thing that everyone is constantly looking for and always fed up with is relationships. The one with that perfect someone, or one that will make you happier than you ever have been before.

Well I, on the other hand, have decided that just living my life at the moment is perfect for me. Relationships bring baggage that I just find myself unwilling to handle, and if you feel the same way as me, don’t feel ashamed. What people fail to understand is that, if you can’t go a few months of even a couple of years without being in a relationship and you feel that you must be with someone all the time to be truly happy, you are wrong! A relationship should not define your happiness, it should simply enhance the happiness that you already have within yourself.

My brother told me in middle school that the key to happiness was “loving myself first” and that is what I’m doing, figuring out who “Diamond” is first before adding in a man. This, to me, is the best way because when I do find that perfect someone, I will be much more self-aware of what it is that I want out of a relationship, so things can be more mature.

Most people will simply not agree with what I have to say; some may even get offended, but that is fine because that is your opinion and I respect that, just please respect mine. I want today's generation of young women to remember that you don’t need a man or boyfriend to define who you are because truthfully, you must be able to define yourself first as a woman before any man can. So I want you to think about that boy you are texting, or the one you are randomly hooking up with, and say "is 'DON'T TXT PD' really worth my time? Or is he just someone that God put in my life for me to learn a lesson?” Whatever decision you make, I think you know what the next move must be.