Get Good at Being Alone

Get good at being alone.

Get good at getting out of bed and out of the house with no other motivation than your own desire to see something new today.

Get good at picking a destination, whether it's familiar or new to you or you're leaving it up to fate. How you get there is all up to you, that's the beauty of this being a solo journey. It's all you, babe. Want to blast those tunes your friends would laugh at you for? Go for it. Want to sit in silence and listen to the rumble of the road beneath you? Beautiful. Want to ditch the car altogether and let your own two feet take you there? Glorious.

Get good at letting the day unfold according to your own desires. Feel like starting the morning with a latte from that place around the corner? Feel like getting a croissant too? Why the heck not? Nobody's here to tell you not to. Feel like sitting in the comfiest chair in the corner to read? Feel like walking around the neighborhood? Feel like heading to that museum next? Feel like taking a drive with the windows down? Feel like doodling in a journal? Feel like laying in a grassy field to just stare at the clouds rolling by? Here's the wildly freeing thing: when you're alone, what you do is up to you and you alone. Learn to let that excite and enchant you, not paralyze you.

Get good at deflecting the glances with a smile. There will be glances (there always are) because our society thinks it's undesirable to be alone. Let them look. Let them judge. Let them wonder if you're waiting for someone or if you're happy to be here unaccompanied. It doesn't matter. You're getting good at being alone, remember?

Get good at listening to your own thoughts. Flying solo means the only voices you need to pay attention to are the ones in your own heart and head. Pay them some attention. Maybe it's been a while since you really let them speak, since you really noticed what they were saying. You might learn something new about yourself today!

Get good at turning the phone off, forgetting about the clock, and disconnecting. Being alone is best when you're not still plugged in. It's like next level aloneness, and it's such a breath of fresh air. It feels weird at first, like you're missing a limb or forgetting something important. But then, you get used to it. You realize all the things around you that you might have missed if Instagram had stolen you away instead. You think new thoughts instead of filling your head up with all the thoughts other people are dumping online.

Get good at realizing you're a really swell person. You're brave. You're good-looking. You're a badass. You're doing things by yourself, because you don't need another guy or gal to validate your existence all the time. Look at you! That's something to be proud of.

Get good at taking care of yourself. Times like these, when you're on your own and frolicking around however suits you best, they're restorative. Carve out space for them more often. Let yourself rest. Treat yo'self. Laugh out loud. Cry it all out. Feed your soul. Stoke the fires of creativity in your bones. Find out what makes you come alive, and devote real, solid time to it.

Get good at living your life. You only have one. I know that's cliche, but it's still true. Don't spend so much time with other people that you become another copy of them. Break away from the crowd. Blaze new trails. Be different. Be courageous. Be confident. Be silly, be wild, be free.

Be you, brave one. Get good at it.