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Don’t get hung up on being single this V-Day

Don%E2%80%99t+get+hung+up+on+being+single+this+V-Day
It’s that time of year again: Everything seems pink, Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets are in the shape of hearts, those awful Nicholas Sparks-style movies are in theaters and everyone seems to be pairing up with each other … and then there you are.

Lets set the record straight: Valentine’s Day is just a commercial holiday. While it originally had wholesome roots, it’s become just another day of the year retail companies try to capitalize on. A study by The National Retail Federation concluded that, this year alone, Americans are expected to shell out approximately $17.3 billion on cards, candy, flowers, fancy dinners and giant stuffed bears. That’s higher than the total net worth of the late Apple Computers co-founder, Steve Jobs, who sat at only $10.2 billion. The study also predicts that Americans will spend an average of $133.91 each on Valentine’s Day this year.
Seriously? We as a society have become so obsessed with the materialistic and social status of this holiday that we torture ourselves (and our wallets) trying to be a part of this cultural trend.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate Valentine’s Day. Personally, I actually enjoy it (my wallet, not so much). So if you have a boyfriend, girlfriend or maybe a cat, by all means, enjoy it. Celebrate it. But if you don’t have a significant other to celebrate with, don’t let it bum you out.

Way too many people take this holiday too seriously and allow it to put value on themselves. If you don’t have a Valentine this year, who cares? Think of it as “[insert your name here] empowerment” day or “I just saved a bunch of money on Valentine’s Day by switching to single” day. You can even think of it as just one more day ‘till a boatload of candy goes on sale.
Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about celebrating love and those you care about, not about buying your boyfriend or girlfriend the biggest teddy bear on the market. So why are we all so concerned about if we are single or in a relationship? This Friday, celebrate with your loved ones, whether it’s your significant other, your roommate, best friend or cat. Do something different. Who says you have to stay in and watch cheesy romance movies with bad acting? Go do something that makes you happy.
This year, don’t let your relationship status this Valentine’s Day to determine your self-worth. You, and you alone determine who you are and what you’re worth. You determine your happiness; not your friends, not the number of Twitter followers you have, not the contents of your wallet and especially not your relationship status this Friday.

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