You are excited to sign up for a new service to try online dating…right? But are you really ready for a new relationship? Run through this to-do list to check your relationship readiness.
If you are on board with most of this checklist, you are ready to go!
- Know what you want in a relationship.
Do you know what you want and don’t want? Maybe you have learned from past-relationship-trial-and-error. Maybe you have just grown to the point where your needs are clear to you. Just remember – whatever it is that you expect and need – settle for nothing less. - Expect and embrace change.
Are you ready to live the life you were meant to live, every day in joy and gratitude? Does the idea of something new excite you? - Clear out the old relationships.
Has the “junk” of past relationships been released? Are you truly free of emotional, physical, or money issues that might sabotage a new relationship?Note: The biggest “not yet” sign that you aren’t ready are your own feelings of self-doubt. Are those feelings well-founded, or are they just normal jitters? Normal Jitters are nothing to worry about, but if you are feeling fragile and unsure, wait and continue taking care of yourself for a while longer.
- Live your life authentically.
A level is a tool that contains a little bubble inside that has to come to rest in the exact middle so that the user knows whatever is being installed or built is balanced. We all have one of those bubbles inside us. It is important for an authentic life that you pay attention to what yours is showing you.If you are living and acting in balance with your inner truth, you will feel that little bubble settle in the right place – you’ll feel that clear, calm center about whatever you are doing. If you aren’t living and acting in balance – that little bubble will also warn you that things aren’t right and out of balance, and you are about to do something wrong for you. Pay attention!
- Live your life with confidence.
For one thing, it’s very sexy. When you are confident and realize how truly magnificent you are, it means your beliefs are in sync with your words and attitude. AND…the best benefit of living with confidence is that you’ll begin attracting the kind of relationship that really does align with the best version of you. - Don’t be afraid to take risks.
Try something different! Meet someone with a like that might not currently be yours. Talk to someone who has hobbies that you might have secretly thought you might like to try. Even something as simple as meeting at a new restaurant with food you haven’t tried. LIVE! Push your personal envelope toward something outside your usual comfort zone.Make contact and begin to expand your horizons.
Start now meeting new people. Church, work, wherever – just say hello, make eye contact, engage in conversation. Get into practice for the relationship to come! That’s how it works, and you can do it! - Update your style.
Be sure that how you present yourself is how you feel inside. Someone once asked me, “Is it normal that one haircut could make me feel more like myself than I ever have before?” Yes, absolutely! Our haircuts, clothing, shoes, and color choices speak to everyone we meet about who we are. So whatever makes you love and appreciate yourself—that’s the look you want to project. If you need a makeover – get one!
Part of being ready for love is being ready for life. Embracing new thoughts and attitudes and trying out new behaviors is one way to create the life (and relationship!) you were meant to have. Keep this checklist in mind as you get ready to date online, whether for the first time, or in a new way.