Go solo! Love living the single life

Sad about being single? Don't be! In “How to Love Like a Hot Chick,” authors Jodi Lipper and Cerina Vincent offer tips on must-have experiences and share why, from controlling the remote to controlling the bathroom, being sans a significant other actually has its perks. An excerpt.

Being single doesn’t suck
It’s time to do a little ass kicking here. The first step to being a single Hot Chick is to rewire your brain. We know that society can make life hard for single women, but you absolutely have to stop letting this get to you, because it is total nonsense. Stop believing that being single is inherently a negative thing. Stop believing that there is something wrong with you just because you’re single. And most important, stop believing that your life has to suck until you find Mr. Right!

Being single can be fun and fulfilling, and if it sucks for you right now, it’s probably because you’re making it suck by believing that it should. The more you tell yourself that you won’t be happy until you find a guy, the less happy you will be. And the more you walk around with a foonge face about being single, the longer the universe will keep you single to give you time to figure out how much fun it can be.

So do yourself a favor and flip the switch right now, ladies. Recognize that at this moment, you are single for a reason, and just decide to enjoy it for what it is. When you find yourself getting down, just force yourself to stop thinking about the negatives and focus on all of the cool things about being single.

Stop counting how many weeks or months or years it’s been since you’ve gone on a date or gotten laid, stop being jealous of other girls whose boyfriends buy them pretty things, stop feeling resentful every time another one of your friends gets engaged, and think about this: this is your time and there is so much that you can do with the freedom you have right now. You have so much power and passion and creativity in your hot little body, and this is the time to use it, not the time to be preoccupied with finding some guy (or girl, we don’t discriminate).

If you want someone, fine. We get it. And that’s totally okay. You’re allowed to want someone. But you need to stop worrying that you won’t ever find that person and stop picturing yourself ending up alone in a moldy basement surrounded by cats. Look at yourself. You are a Hot Chick! But if you constantly obsess and complain and feel LSE [low self-esteem] about being single, then you are not acting like one.

This can be a magical time in your life; you just have to decide right now that it is going to be. The instant you stop thinking it’s so sh---- is the moment your entire life will change. It may sound cheesy, but the universe listens to our thoughts. So squash those destructive fantasy sequences featuring you as the cat lady, and force yourself to think about how much your life doesn’t suck. We promise that change of mind-set will change everything.

Single experiences
We want all of you Hot Chicks to live your single life to the fullest. This is your heyday, and it is very likely your only chance to do all of the crazy, spontaneous things that you have secret fantasy sequences about doing. No more wasting time stressing out about the fact that you still have your maiden name. Instead, pour all of your energy into the following life-changing experiences that every single Hot Chick must have.

Single experience #1: Travel by yourself
It doesn’t matter if it’s a weekend lying by the pool or a summer hoeing weeds on a kibbutz in Israel. There is simply no better way to get to know yourself than to go away by yourself. Being in a new city where nobody has a preconceived notion about who you are or has any clue that you sucked your thumb until the fifth grade is possibly the most liberating feeling on the planet. It gives you a chance to create a new persona for yourself — and that is the person who you really want to be. So, instead of flying home to your mama the next time you have some days off, take yourself somewhere new and get to know a new and different version of you. Just make sure to bring a piece of her home with you.

Single experience #2: Go on vacation with your girlfriends
This may sound similar to number one, but it is actually a vastly different (yet equally important) experience for every single Hot Chick. Pick a fun place and call your girlfriends or sister or cousins or coworkers and plan a girly trip. And please don’t say, “All of my friends are married and attached so they won’t want to go on a trip with me.” That is playing small. Trust us, your friends want a vacation away from their men, and that’s totally healthy.

It doesn’t have to be expensive either. You can all drive two hours away, stay overnight at a sh---- hotel, and drink mudslides at TGIFridays.

Or save your pennies and go to Hawaii or Puerto Rico, lie in the sun all day, and go dancing at night. Whatever you do, just take this opportunity to really bond with your girlfriends and get to know them on a different level. These trips will make for wonderful memories to look back on one day when your name is Grandma. Just remember to take lots of pictures to remind yourself how hot you were.

Single experience #3: Live by yourself
We know this may sound impossible, especially if you live in some crazy expensive city. But if you can swing it financially, we think it’s really important to live by yourself at least once in your life. This is a huge step toward being truly independent. Think about how accomplished you’ll feel after hanging curtains and setting mousetraps yourself. Plus, the value of having your own space to decorate the way you want, and in which to truly get to know yourself and figure out what you want out of life, cannot be overstated. At the very least, make this a goal that you want to accomplish at some point in your life, and we’re sure you’ll figure out how to make it happen.

Single experience #4: Play hostess
Throwing a party is not only a great accomplishment, but it’s a perfect way to celebrate your new outlook on single life. Don’t you dare be LSE for one second and worry that your party will be lame or that nobody will come. Instead, act like the Hot Chick that you are, pick any excuse for a party you can think of (your birthday, housewarming for your new pad, St. Patty’s day, Cinco de Mayo, etc.), make some fun appetizers, buy a bunch of booze, and create a fun Evite. What better way to celebrate yourself than to share your home with the people you care about? Plus, you’ll be giving your friends, family, and coworkers a chance to relax, blow off steam, and eat yummy food. It will make you feel good to make them feel good. And you never know — someone may bring someone who is fun to make out with!

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