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The Love Blueprint: 7 Must-Haves That Transformed My Dating Life
The dating exercise that brought me to my love.
When I was in highschool, I started writing a list of qualities my someday partner would embody. I wrote it as small as I could and folded that paper and kept it in my wallet. Over the years, as I dated and had relationship experiences, I added to that list: qualities I knew I needed but which had been lacking in my recent relationship, or the features that had drawn me toward that man in the first place. By the time I met my ex-husband, the list was 73 items long, but many were superficial and not necessary.
Around this time, I started compiling photos and floor plans of how my someday dream house would look. I made a spreadsheet (yes, I’m a giant nerd) of must-haves, would-likes, and definitely do not wants. I narrowed that list of must-haves down to 7 key features that I would not want to live without if I were to build or find my forever home (hello large kitchen and ample counter space!), and I realized that this approach could work in dating too.
Finding your ideal partner involves more than just shared interests or aligned physical attraction, though those are nice beginnings to connect us and make us curious. But people can pretend to be interested in activities for the sake of appearing laid back…
