Oftentimes, we go through life listening to a chorus of voices encouraging us to fall in love and find “the one.”

Society sings to us the idea of romantic love and leads us to believe relationships are always superior to singlehood.

I’d be lying if I said I would not want my own relationship at some point, but now that I am intentionally single for the first time, I am beginning to realize that singleness is a beautiful gift.

Being single can be difficult for many people because we often carry this notion that life is incomplete without the right person to share our lives with, but the very definition of single is to be an individual. You are not incomplete; you are not a half waiting for your other half to appear.

Singleness is not a punishment for doing something wrong, and a relationship is not a reward for doing something right.

Actually, being single can be one of your greatest blessings if you let it be. Perspective is everything. Instead of asking yourself, “Why is this happening to me?”, ask yourself, “What is this moment of my life trying to teach me?”

The best way to maximize your single life is to spend time establishing who you are—and I mean who you really are, not who social media has influenced you to be. 

Shut out the rest of the world for a while. Start with a week. Delete your social media apps, be more mindful of the YouTube videos you consume and be more mindful of who you give your energy and time to.

As you go throughout your week, ask yourself: “What do I like? What brings me genuine peace and contentment? What is my definition of fun?” 

We are frequently told what a happy, exciting and successful life is supposed to look like, but it’s important we take the time to define that life for ourselves. Let me tell you, it’s much easier when you break away from the outside noise and take your life off of autopilot.

Take time to work on yourself, for yourself. Change is more sustainable when our priority is not to impress. Take a break from posting on your Snapchat or Instagram story, hoping that a certain special someone will see it. 

Whenever you struggle to stay consistent with your goals, just envision the person you have always wanted to be, and strive to become the person you would want to be with. Having a vision for ourselves is so important. 

Albert Einstein once said, “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions.” I encourage you: do not waste your single life stifling and ignoring your imagination. Imagination is such a precious gift.

Use this time to dream of the life you want for yourself, and don’t hold off on your dreams waiting for a partner to accompany you on your journey. They will appear when it is the right time. In the meantime, you can travel on a whim, exercise, strengthen your faith and your friendships. Now is the perfect time to break old habits and make yourself a little uncomfortable.

I get it, being single is not always fun, but sometimes these moments in our lives are just necessary. If you are single, embrace this time while you have it.

At the end of the day, you are already with the person you are going to be with for the rest of your life, and that is you. So, make the best of it. Your future relationship will only benefit from you improving yourself now.