To get to know thyself is to love thyself

Are you ready to start dating or contemplating taking your dating relationship to the next level? Before you do either, it would be wise to do a bit of self-reflecting and even more important, a self-analysis to make sure you are ready to attract real love.

Most people are already aware that the key to any successful relationship is communication; however, if you do not work on improving this one skill, it will become painfully obvious that you are lacking in this area. Possessing this one quality is even more important than having great communication skills. To be able to attract real, lasting love, the quality you will need the most is to be self-aware. That’s right! You must know thyself.

Here are 7 ways you can start to become more self-aware to make sure you are ready for true love:

1. Take time to get to know yourself. Before you can expect to have a successful relationship with someone else, you need to be aware of who you are
   and what you need in a relationship.
2. Make a list of your values. Knowing what is important to you and what your non-negotiables are can help you to make better dating decisions.
3. Ask yourself honest questions:
   • What do I want out of a relationship?
   • What kind of partner am I looking for?
   • What are my expectations?
4. Understand your patterns. Pay attention to the patterns in your past relationships and analyze why they didn’t work out.
5. Get in touch with your emotions. Being able to identify, accept and express your emotions is an important part of self-awareness.
6. Learn to set boundaries. Establishing boundaries will help you to keep your relationships healthy and ensure that you are not taken advantage of.
7. Be kind to yourself. Learning to forgive yourself and accept yourself is a key part of self-awareness. Remember to be gentle with yourself and set realistic expectations.