Single? Work It to Your Advantage
February 11, 2009 by Anne Lyken Garner
Published in Relationships
There are all kinds of research these days, some proving that married people are happier and more content; and on the other hand, others insisting that single people live longer and have more fulfilling lives. Meanwhile, in our real world, these results do not address the seemingly opposing views displayed in the reports of rising divorce rates, or the constant drive for unmarried people to find that ‘special someone’.
Regardless of what you believe, and how you view your status – whether married or single, there is one fact with which we all agree. It is best to wait until you find that person you want to spend the rest of your life with, rather than settle for someone just because your friends are pairing up all around you.
Valentine’s Day, birthdays, and public holidays seem to be the times of year when single people find it hardest to cope with their status. I know that this was certainly true for me as a young adult, before I got married.
So how do you work being single to your advantage?
Understand that you don’t have to have a partner to start living your life
Many single people plan to go travelling, learn to dance, play sport etc., but they put this off until they can find someone with whom to do it. This is a waste of your time. Your life and your personal advancement should not be indefinitely on hold simply because you are single. In fact, you should use the time you have on your own, to do exactly what you want to do – allowing your life to take the direction you’ve always envisioned. You are not subject to another person’s choices or preferences, you can do things exactly the way you like them, at the time and pace you wish to. If you have goals in life that you want to achieve, or events in which you want to participate, go ahead and do just that. Waiting for the right person to come along to help you start living your life, makes for a very boring existence. Get out there and start living. Who knows, there may be someone else with the same ideas, at the very place you want to be.
Liked it
February 11th, 2009 at 4:03 am
very nice post.
happy valentine’s day to you.
February 11th, 2009 at 5:43 am
Great article, great advice, and great tip!
February 11th, 2009 at 6:38 am
“Alone” and “Lonely” sure are two different things. Some of my loneliest years were while I was married.
February 11th, 2009 at 6:40 am
Good article, great advice on living life to its fullest.
February 11th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Anne, I could not agree with you more. Being married does not cure anything, and if it is not a good marriage it can cause a lot of pain and strain. If nurturing is what you need, you need to learn to find that within.
Take care & G♥d bless!
February 11th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Great work! i give it thumbs up.hope you stumble on mine too.stay blessed
February 11th, 2009 at 8:08 am
interesting,married or single,just the same.you can be both happy or loely
February 11th, 2009 at 11:52 am
Great article and right on so many points. Also like the links.
February 11th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Great article. Very down to earth and very real with awesome advice. Well done
February 11th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Thank you for this article,Anne. Being single certainly has it’s challenges and rewards. I enjoyed being married, but I now enjoy a full single life,doing some of the things you have mentioned in this piece I want to be married again someday,but I am not going to sit on the couch waiting for him to come to fix my washer, if you know what I mean.
February 11th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Very good points. I have an older sister who is single, and sometimes we envy each other. I have the stable home life, the hubby who can fix anything, and kids who might allow me to be seen in public with them again in 5 or 10 years. My sister gets to travel, she can spend too much money on books and clothes and only have herself to answer to. You can be happy or miserable irregardless of your marital status. It’s a choice.
February 11th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
You are certainly right.If you are not happy within yourself as a single person you will not be happy within yourself as a married person.
April 26th, 2009 at 3:27 am
Thank you Anne for your posts, I find them enormously helpful.