It’s Ok to Be Single

By Heather Marie Edmund

This book is about using your time of being single to find your life's purpose. There is a purpose to being single and the key is finding out what yours is.
Your season of being single is an opportunity to have your own story to tell. You can improve the quality of your life and learn more about who you are while in this season. When you know who you are, you become someone who is confident, successful, bold, fearless, and ready for whatever situation life approaches you with.
Make this moment in your life count. Your start does not have to be your end. You can decide today, right now, to control your destiny. You can live your happiest life by breaking away from expectations and being happy with who you are. Knowing your purpose in life and fulfilling that reason is the ultimate satisfaction.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Nov 21, 2022
• ISBN: 9781664281790

Heather Marie Edmund

Heather Marie Edmund is an author and blogger. Heather’s writing focuses on the betterment of one’s life. The central theme of her message is living a successful life by having a relationship with God. She quotes, “The best way to live life, is to live a life that includes God.” Heather has an aspiration to see people live their best life through Biblical lenses because the Bible is your guide for life and prepares you for life. Heather’s experiences have allowed her to learn life lessons that she shares through writings, podcasts, and videos. Her life’s challenges taught her the importance and effect of having your life renewed and refined by God’s Word and by having a relationship with God. Heather is the primary writer of Solutions For Everyday Living, a website that has blogs, podcast and videos that share life lessons and offer solutions for everyday living. Visit HeatherEdmund.com and subscribe to receive bi-weekly emails that offer inspiring articles delivered to your inbox.

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Also by Heather Marie Edmund

MY LOVE IS UNCONDITIONAL

IT’S OK TO BE SINGLE

HEATHER MARIE EDMUND

Copyright © 2022 Heather Marie Edmund.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from The Holy Bible, New

International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by

Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation,

Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of

Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV taken from The Holy Bible, English

Standard Version® (ESV®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing

ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8180-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8181-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6642-8179-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022919727

WestBow Press rev. date:  11/10/2022

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to the many people who are seeking answers concerning their life’s existence. And to those of you who have been misunderstood for wanting to use your time of being single to build a life filled with meaning and purpose. A life aligned with what is most important to you.

The pages of this book are to provoke you to want to pursue a higher level of living, where your family and community can benefit from, and to live a lifestyle far greater than the one you are living now.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Chapter 1     Your Identity

Don’t Be a Carbon Copy; Be an Original

Unseal Your Identity

God’s Masterpiece

Let the Real You Stand Out

Chapter 2     Your Purpose

Don’t Be an Imitator; Be Yourself

Custom-Made

How to Find Your Purpose

Hindrance to Purpose

Fear

Disappointments

Insecurity

Key Ingredient for Purpose

Never Too Young

Chapter 3     Your Blueprint For Life

Tied to Purpose

Follow Your Own Path

What’s in Your Blueprint?

Qualities for success

The Master’s Plan

God’s plan includes faith

It starts with a relationship

Chapter 4     Relationship Ready

Healthy Relationships

Unhealthy Relationships

The Subtle Killers

Jealousy

Insecurity

Controlling

Selfishness

Causes of Unhealthy Relationships

Settling

Peer Pressure

Time Is Running Out

Get Relationship Ready While Single

Chapter 5     What’s Your Story?

Life Lessons

Your Destiny Is in Your Mouth

Persist; Don’t Quit

Change Your Story

Conclusion

The Authentic You

Your Assignment

Dealing with rejection

There is light at the end of the tunnel

A Plan for Living

Live your best life.

Take Control of Your Story

Find Out for Yourself

The Designer

About The Author

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I want to thank God for helping me fulfill this vision and completing this book successfully. It is through his guidance, patience, and wisdom that I was able to accomplish this pursuit in sharing with everyone how to pursue one’s purpose successfully and effectively.

Your wisdom led me in the right direction as you encouraged me to face my fears and enjoy what you have commissioned me to do.

Most importantly you have allowed my life lessons to be the greatest teaching tool you have used to add value to my life.

I want to express my deep sincere gratitude to my mother Jeanette Edmund—Palmer. She has been my lioness and inspiration. Thank you for giving me encouragement and providing valuable support throughout my life. I am extremely grateful for your love, prayers, and sacrifice for preparing me for my future and helping to achieve my endeavors.

Thank you to my father Linton Edmund, and my brothers Andre Edmund and Kirk Edmund. You guys are my silent cheerleaders. Your moments of affirmation motivate me and give me confidence. Part of my life’s desire is to make you proud.

Thank you to my nieces and nephews. You all are part of the reason I strive for excellence and am passionate about fulfilling my purpose. I want to model a lifestyle that is significant and admirable. One that you will be proud to not only emulate but outdo. You all have become part of my why in life and why I live the life that I live and do the work that I do.

INTRODUCTION

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens.

—Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)

Singleness can be seen as a bad thing and may even cause you to feel ashamed. Constantly being asked why you are alone could make you feel like something is wrong with you.

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of stigma with being single that causes few people to see being single as a gift if you understand its possibilities and what you can accomplish during this season.

But singleness is not a failure; it is an opportunity. Most people are unaware of the fact that being single can help you fulfill your purpose.

Without understanding your purpose, you can go through life without a clear reason for what you should be doing, causing you to settle and live beneath your worth. Therefore, this season in your life can be the turning point needed to uncover the recipe for your success.

There are amazing benefits to being single. You can use the time to find out the reason why you were born and know the pathway to achieve that reason. And you can have your own identity and not become a carbon copy of someone else. You can use the time of being single to be successful or use the time to set yourself up for success.

It is an opportune moment to develop. In this season, you can take your personal life experiences and learn from them and use those lessons to help you get through the next seasons of your life effectively.

You will also see how relationships play a pivotal role in fulfilling your life’s purpose and how having the right people around you are important during your journey to success.

Finally, when you are single, it will allow you to gain control of your life story and love the ending.

It does not have to be a time of loneliness but a time of fulfillment while learning about yourself and your purpose in life.

It is a time to find out what you like, learn more, develop skills, mature, and take your time to find the person of your dreams while making yourself their dream come true.

It can be difficult to prioritize being a better version of yourself when you are involved because you either become selfish by focusing solely on yourself or you end up neglecting yourself because you do not have the time that is needed for development.

Singleness may make you feel incomplete, but it is in this season where you can become whole and contented with who you are as a person—if you make the most of it.

While single, you should focus on things that will allow you to accomplish your goals and make you effective, great, inspiring, and impactful. You get the chance to become a great mother, father, husband, wife, friend, teacher, leader, entrepreneur, or whatever you desire to be, and you are given the time needed to prepare yourself for the different phases in your life.

Resist the urge to leave this season in your life prematurely and before you accomplish the purpose for being in it. Instead, spend this time becoming your best self so when you meet others, they will meet the best version of you.

This book is about all the wonderful things you will discover while you are in the season of singleness. It will show you how being single can help you discover your identity, uncover why you were born, discover your unique pathway in life, how to control your destiny, how to not hate the experiences that shaped you, and how relationships have a hand in your purpose-driven life.

We are all not meant to stay single, but while you are in this season, do not waste it or see it as something negative. See it as a chance to spend uninterrupted time with your Designer so you can live life authentically, find out what your purpose is, and discover what steps you should be taking to accomplish it.

Do not overlook this season. Take advantage of it, and when you do, you will know why it’s OK to be single.

CHAPTER 1

YOUR IDENTITY

Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.

— Oscar Wilde

Don’t Be a Carbon Copy; Be an Original

W hen you find out who you truly are, you will want to be your own authentic self, and when you find out what you were designed to be and how it fits so perfectly with your personality, you will wish to have your own life.

Everything about you is exclusive and set up to match your unique identity. Your hair, eye color, facial features, body shape, and personality are all combined to make you who you are. You are not identical to anyone else; you are made to be one of a kind (Psalm 139:13–16).

Your identity is your individuality or the mark you leave while here on earth, the lasting effect you have on others, and who you were created to be. Knowing and living with your own identity is needed to succeed in life.

You cannot accomplish your purpose without knowing who you are because knowing who you are is the basis of the type of life you will live.

When you know your identity, it drives you toward purpose. You will know your value and live according to your worth and not want to be like anyone but yourself. It will help you to know the life you should be living and not be influenced by other people’s lives. It will give you a clear understanding of who you are, enabling you to fulfill the life you are supposed to attain.

When you know your identity, you will not accidentally connect with the wrong people. You will not make friends or marry individuals who are not the right fit for you, and you will set boundaries to protect your purpose.

Unseal Your Identity

Desiring to be exactly like someone else is the wrong course to follow because you will fall into the trap of living someone else’s life and not your own. It is not natural, and soon you will be found out as just a carbon copy. People will start to refer to you as someone else, and you will never have your own identity.

It is not uncommon for