Being single sometimes feels like its the end of the world, but it’s actually a really important time in your adult life. When you’re single, you learn a lot about yourself — knowledge you’ll need when you finally do settle down into a committed relationship. If you want to give your next big love the best chance of lasting, make sure to do these things while you’re still rolling solo:
- Live alone. If you don’t know your preferences for your home, then you can’t be upfront about it in the future with someone else. Trust me when I say you can avoid a lot of fights if you know you just don’t like blue walls.
- Learn how to communicate. Knowing your communication style and how to utilize it properly is one of the most important things you can do in life. Communication is key in every type of relationship, whether it’s with your boss, your best friends, or your boyfriend.
- See the world. Go somewhere you’ve always wanted to go but couldn’t for whatever reason. Doing something like this for yourself will really make you appreciate time with yourself and will open up the ways in which you see the world. Alone time is important to keep your mental state in check.
- Spend an entire weekend by yourself. Don’t go anywhere or do anything major — just be with yourself, figure out what you really actually like to do in your alone time. Maybe meditate or paint; maybe binge watch the first season of Gossip Girl. Remember what activity gave you the most joy and don’t lose that when you get coupled up again.
- Set your short and long-term goals. Your life is about you and what you get out of it. Even if you think it’s about finding Mr. Right, sometimes Mr. Right leaves you, cheats or becomes a psycho and you’re alone again. You need to make goals that are about you and your life, and you need to stick to them. The right guy will support you in achieving them and he’ll be there to celebrate when you do.
- Forgive your exes and other guys who’ve hurt you. Ghosts are anchors to the past. If you want to move forward and be happy in a relationship, you need to let go of those ghosts. Forgiveness is like cutting the rope on an anchor and letting it sink to the depths of the sea. So forgive and float onwards!
- Identify one weakness and work on making it a strength. Find something you know isn’t your strong suit and work everyday to make it better. If you’re passive, try speaking up at least once a day, if you’re aggressive, try letting someone else take the wheel. Self-improvement, when done only for yourself, is so empowering and will attract the right kind of guy as a bonus.
- Purge the unnecessary crap. Get rid of crap! Just like you need to drop your ghosts, you need to drop your mix tapes from middle school. Keep a few sentimental things if you’re that type, but remember life is about the people and the places not the crap. Learn this lesson early and you will have the happiest relationship ever.