Observing Lent, single-lady style

Today is Ash Wednesday, also known as the start of Lent – a season known in the Western Christian tradition as the 40-day period of fasting, prayer and penitence before Easter – or in single-lady language, a month and a half to become a better you. Though Lent is traditionally a Christian holiday, in recent years, it has been recognized by people of all cultures as a time of self-denial, of sacrifice and of giving up something in their lives that they’d rather not do without. Whether you’re religious or not, Lent is an excellent reason for single women everywhere to clear away the cobwebs of their pasts and open the curtains on their future by letting go of negative energy, behaviors and attachments. Here are some suggestions for taking a 40-day vacation from your bad habits in true single girl style.

1) Step away from the candy bar. If your weakness is chocolate-covered Oreos with a side of chocolate, how about fasting your sweet tooth for the next 40 days? Chances are, not only will you feel better, but you’ll even find that school’s back in session for that fabulous pair of skinny jeans you’ve been hiding in the top of your closet just waiting for the day that you fit into them again. Isn’t strutting your stuff in those sexy True Religions worth the sacrifice? If you find that you just can’t live without a daily hit of sugar, replace your usual calorie-laden Reese’s Cups with sugar free chocolate pudding for a hint of sweetness without the guilt.

2) Trim your social networking tree. If you’re spending several hours a day on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or whatever the latest trend is by the time this article is posted in the next 15 minutes, chances are your productivity in real life isn’t where it should be. Unless you’re paid to social network non-stop throughout the day, we could all survive with a little less posting and tweeting. The world will not end if you don’t update your status every five minutes, ladies. Commit to only spending a half hour a day in your “second life” and go out and experience the fabulousness that is your real life.

3) Amp up your exercising. The point of Lent is to sacrifice something that you’re truly going to miss (otherwise it wouldn’t be a sacrifice) and wouldn’t spending less time on the couch and more time on the treadmill be a sacrifice? While working up a sweat every night jogging instead of fretting over who the next American Idol is might not be your ideal evening, chances are you’ll feel and look like a million bucks at the end of 40 days if you commit to exercising in some form or fashion every single day. Couple this with the #1 suggestion above and you’ll be looking so foxy that the talk around the watercooler will be you and your hotness instead of Olivia and Fitz’s!

4) Text less. Talk more. GASP! Give up TEXTING?! Certainly life as we know it will cease to exist! Yep, I said it. Give texting a break for 40 days and actually pick up the phone and CALL your friends. C’mon…haven’t you missed it even a little? The excitement of talking to someone you like, voice to voice, for hours at a time instead of the endless mind-numbing texting back and forth? The personal touch of a phone call has gotten lost somewhere along the way in the shuffle of texting and IM’ing. Remember those great heart-to-hearts you used to have with your best friend b4 she became just ur BFF? Or those intimate late night conversations you had with your crush until 4:00 a.m. before it became acceptable to stage an entire relationship without ever even hearing the other person’s voice? What’s next? Marriage proposals via text message? Get back to the basics and pick up the phone, my friends. Tell your text messaging C U L8R and phone home for the next 40 days.

5) Take yourself out of “The Game.” Perhaps you’ve been spending too much time focusing on the opposite sex. And when I say focusing, I mean obsessing. Does he like me? Will he call me? Is he going to ask me out? If that’s you, it’s time to call for a time out and take a seat on the bench of love for 40 days, because you need less “HE” time and more “ME” time! You are too fabulous to waste another minute fretting and worrying and Facebook stalking any man. Throw out “The Rules” and start writing your own! For the next 40 days – no dating, no flirting, no pursuing, no digit giving, no stressing…just enjoying simple, uncluttered, uncomplicated, “Me, Myself & I” time. A funny thing will start to happen – you’ll start to relax! You’ll start to focus on you and your dreams and your goals and you know what happens next? You become the girl who every guy in town has to have simply because HE CAN’T HAVE HER. The minute you exit The Game, you’ll instantly become the Hottest New Recruit. And in the meantime, you can enjoy some time pursuing the things you love…reading great books, watching those movies you’ve been dying to see, going dancing with your girls and fulfilling that New Years’ resolution to hit the gym every day. Any man you’re going to meet in the next 40 days is going to be willing to endure a brief hiatus before taking you out…and if he’s not, you should probably show him the door anyway. So live it up, single-lady style, let life take its course – and you’ll probably end up places you never thought possible.

Ladies, whatever you surrender for Lent, do it with passion and conviction. Throw all your chips on the table! After all, in life, it’s not about whether you win or lose or even how you play The Game – it’s about how fabulous you are to even be brave enough to get off the bench.