The Joy that is living on your own.

Nothing gives you a high like being in control. I have a confession to make before I start this post I'm an introvert in an extrovert's environment, my whole life, I loved being with people, but I realised soon enough how much I loved being on my own. I hate big groups. For every hour of the day I spend with people I know, I need that much time away from them. I do need away time and I don't apologise for it. I do not hate being alone.

It's been about 3 years of living on my own. Nothing has given me more joy than living on my own. My money, my space, my dinners, my everything. I know at this point I am sounding more like a self centered ego maniac, but trust me I'm not. I have always grown up believing that I can live on my own, in complete independence, do as I please, wake up exactly the time I want to wake up. I need control. But when you are raised like a pampered child, all this just sounds like faf you give other people about being independent because people think you are bullshiting.

 

I'm truly happy about the fact that my parents not only allowed me to live on my own, they actually encouraged it. 

Here are the 10 most significant things that happened to me

1. My beliefs have changed over a period of time, I've had the time to make up my mind about what I feel.
   
2. I've learned to manage money. I don't claim to have figured it out, but I do know how to manage money, I know how to value it. I know when something is expensive. 
   
3. I've learned to spend. On the other hand, I've actually learned how to spend money. It's not always clothes or books. It's about the other stuff you spend on as well. I know I need to buy fruits when I need to buy them, at home you take this for granted.
   
4. I got introduced to the 'R' word and it wasn't all bad. Yes, responsibility is great. Health, rent, laundry, lunch? You take control of your life, you decide on the things that matter. You buy your own medicine for your cramps and fevers! Why is that good? Because that's how you learn to take care of yourself. 
   
5. I got introduced to different people; when you move out of home you deal with different people. Yep. From the security guy to grocer, to a friend who moved recently who you need to show around. It's great!
   
6. You get to sleep whenever you want and yet you don't (on most days). I was at home and I couldn't wake up a single day without 3 alarms and a mum waking me up, even now on most days my roommate asks me if I want to wake up, but there was a time when I woke up by myself cleaned up and got myself to work.
   
7.  It gives you so much noticeable free time. When you live on your own, at least for me, it allowed me time away from people, it helped me take notice of all the time I had because I literally had nothing to do. I started doing more with my time. I started reading more, writing more.
   
8. I've always been empowered, living on my own just reinforces that. 
   
9. I don't have to have a bath, study, sleep, eat and yet I do. I have for the longest time told everyone that I'm organised only because my mother thinks it's a good thing, but when I started living on my own, I realised I did it out of my own . The locus of control stopped being external
   
10. I started to enjoy my freedom. I like not answering to anyone but myself. Of course I still feel obligated to certain people, but I make my own rules. I decide.