So What If You Never Find Love? 9 Upsides To Being Eternally Single

The pressure of finding love can be exhausting. Is it even worth it? We have to stop pretending that finding “The One” is the end-all, be-all to a happy life. There are plenty of positive things that can come from being eternally single—here are just some of them.

1. You can form amazing friendships. Carrie Bradshaw got it right when she said, “Maybe our girlfriends are our soulmates and guys are just people to have fun with.” Having deep, soulful friendships can be so real and raw. Finding someone you fully connect with and can be yourself around is like finding a diamond in the rough. Truthfully, most people in romantic relationships now don’t have that kind of feeling. Why sacrifice great friendships for a mediocre romantic relationship just to keep up with everyone else? Besides, most friendships change after you get into a relationship, then get married and have kids. Life changes, but when you’re perpetually single, you don’t have to let go of the friendships that mean so much to you.
2. You can travel the world. When you’re single, you have this desire to explore the world around you. After getting into a relationship, you find comfort with each other. Life progresses and you just can’t find the time or the money to travel. If you’re single, you can jet off across the globe whenever your heart desires. You don’t have to worry about aligning schedules or making sure your kids are taken care of. (OK, maybe you need to find a place for your cute little dog or cat.) The world is at your fingertips and you can go anywhere, anytime.
3. There’s nothing to distract you from building a bomb career. Sure, it’s the cliché response for a woman who desires to stay single, but is it really all that bad to throw yourself into a career if it’s something you love? Romantic comedies always downplay the benefits of a woman focusing on her career, opting for the narrative of having love be the only thing that can make a woman happy. Bull. If you have a career you love, that can fulfill you! Whether you’re a fashion designer, author, tech entrepreneur, or anything else, you can find passion in making a difference in your world of influence.
4. You never have to answer to anybody. There’s something so freeing about being able to do whatever you want whenever you want. Even in healthy relationships, couples tell each other where they’re going or what they’re up to. However, it’s simply out of convenience, it’s not necessarily a situation where they feel the need to be in each other’s business. When you’re single, you don’t even need to do that! It feels pretty incredible to have that kind of independence in your life.
5. You never have to compromise. Compromise is a part of life. We don’t always like it but we deal with it. When you’re sans relationship, you don’t have to compromise on anything. You want to decorate your house in grey and purple? Design away! You want to hang female empowerment quotes and artwork on your walls? Have at! Do you want to watch whatever you want on Netflix? The choice is yours! That whole freedom thing really does taste good.
6. You get to flirt to your heart’s desire. Just because you’re single doesn’t mean you can’t have fun! When you get rid of the pressures that come along with dating, you can really start to enjoy yourself. You don’t have to feel stressed and anxious about finding “The One.” You can have fun with the great guys and ditch the horrible ones. You can flirt with a guy at Starbucks or work out with a cute guy at the gym. If you want to explore your sexuality a little bit, go right ahead! Nothing is stopping you from having some adult fun.
7. Your life is gloriously drama-free. Sure, there are upsides to having relationships too, but the fact of the matter is that they do add a lot of stress and drama to your life—maybe not all the time but enough to be draining when it does happen. When you’re eternally single, there’s no drama to contend with and no issues to resolve. It feels great.
8. You can live anywhere you want. When you’re not in a relationship, you don’t have to be grounded where you are. If you’ve lived on the East Coast all your life and have always wondered what living in California would be like, you can move! When a promotion comes up across the country, you don’t have to talk it over with anyone except yourself. You can take every opportunity that comes your way! Moving to a new city can be so exhilarating when you’re single. You can put your own mark on it and make a name for yourself. It’s exhilarating.
9. You learn to love being alone with yourself. Here’s the truth: you’re pretty amazing! You can have a blast just being by yourself. Society seems to associate alone time with loneliness and that’s just a myth. There’s something so special and pure about spending time with yourself. Whether you enjoy taking hot baths with your favorite music, going out to the best restaurant in town all alone, or binge-watching the latest Netflix craze, you can seriously have an amazing time. When you’re in a relationship or have a family, you can’t do that. Seriously, women who don’t live alone crave this time. They would give anything to be in your shoes. You might as well take advantage of enjoying the single life and all it has to offer.

At the end of the day, relationships can be fulfilling but your life isn’t going to be less fun, exciting, or full without one. Whatever happens, know that you’re going to be OK either way. In fact, you may even find you prefer things all on your own!