Some of us have the loner mentality all wrong. There is a difference between being lonely and between being alone. “Although I am a typical loner in my daily life, my awareness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has prevented me from feelings of isolation,” said best by Albert Einstien.

If you or one of your friends is a loner, you can relate to these truths.

1. Your friends start to realize they can’t take no for an answer.

They have gotten really good at convincing you to go out. Instead of getting a text saying, “Hey, want to get some lunch?” you get a text saying, “Hey, I found a really cool restaurant with fire breathing servers, I’ll pick you up in an hour.” You notice the large amounts of effort made and that’s why you love your friends that much more.

2. You start to run out of excuses as to why you can’t go out or meet up with the crew.

Telling them that your paint chipped and you have to paint your entire room again for the third time is not going to cut it this time, mister.

3. You look forward to arriving just so you can leave.

When you really have to show up, you’re so stoked on the idea of the time coming to leave that you are actually excited to show up.

4. You’re a “bad texter.”

When it comes down to reality, you’d rather sit there and finish painting than answer to pointless chatter.

Everyone thinks you’re always too busy to kick it, but you’re really just hanging in your backyard reading about a new species that was just found in the desert... or something like that.

5. Your independence is your most prized possession.

You don’t need a friend to accompany you for a coffee date or a travel buddy to go on adventures. Just because you like to do things alone doesn’t mean that you are lonely. Half of the time, you feel that you gain more from an experience when you do it alone by meeting new people or finding new places. You still love ever single one of your friends, but you know, you just love yourself the most!

7. You are subject to a lot of “forever alone” jokes.

8. Your hobbies consist of anything that can be done alone like drawing, painting, reading, writing, and playing an instrument.

9. You are less confined to the norms of society.

With all the time you spend on yourself, you allow yourself into new pockets of thinking that might not have otherwise formed by being in the center social gatherings.

10. When and IF you do go to a party, you are the life of it!

You value your time alone as it reenergizes you. Once you are really in the mood/mindset you knock all of their socks off.

Get the loner mentality down and you will learn so much about yourself and the life inside of you. Balance is the key. A social person might go out all of the time and the loner stays in; both are just as susceptible to feel loneliness. It's about what you hold true to yourself that keeps your heart fulfilled.

“Be a loner. That gives you time to wonder, to search for the truth. Have holy curiosity. Make your life worth living.” — Albert Einstein