Why hello there! This is the first of 30 personal challenge posts for October. I just wanted to mention that any posts this month that are part of the personal challenge will have a “(PC)” following the title.

My relationship status tends to be a bit a of point of contention for me… not that I am single but that some people are borderline offended that I chose to be and that I actually prefer to be.

I am 24 years old and have spent most of my life trying to make everyone else happy. I used to think that my happiness was based on everyone else’s smiles. Unfortunately it took me too long to realize that it is out of my power to make another person’s life a happy one. That responsibility falls to our own selves and we need to make the choice for ourselves to be happy based on our own actions and decisions. On the flip side it is cruel to think that it is someone else’s responsibility to make us happy. Trust me, that is an exhausting way to live. Some people may need some help getting there, but it cannot be 100% someone else’s job.

Since finishing post secondary and moving out of my parents house, I have felt like I owe it to myself to do whatever I want. If I feel like eating cereal for supper or going to Europe by myself then so be it. That is what I am going to do. People are going to have opinions of my decisions but I am stubborn enough to stick with what I’ve set my mind to and not worry.

One of the questions that I get asked from friends is what do I do when I get lonely? To be honest, I don’t really get lonely. I haven’t dated that many people and am used to doing things on my own. Anytime that I have dated someone I struggle to get out of that habit and to remember that if I am going to be with someone then I need to be considerate of their interests and time.

For now, and probably for a couple more years, I am going to keep doing my thing, be selfish and knock things off of my wish list. Once I feel ready to settle down I will be content to focus my time and energy on someone else’s needs (maybe a baby one day far down the road, who knows!). Until then, this is my time for me.