Every year, I get asked the same question before Valentine’s Day, “What is the easiest way of finding someone I can enjoy Valentine’s Day with?”

You might think I would recommend my services at Maureen Tara Nelson Private Matchmaking as the only way to be successful, but I never do that. In fact, I suggest to all single people that you first start the dating process on your own, and I will also give some helpful suggestions on how to make it easier for yourself to be successful. 

I recommend giving yourself six months on your own.  If you take my advice, and you are lucky, you hopefully will find someone on your own.

After six months of trying, if you are still single and are running into the same obstacles that most singles do during the dating process, then I suggest speeding up the process and making it much easier for yourself. Come in for your free consultation ( we're based in Long Island, NY) and see for yourself if we can help you.

Now in over 20 years of matchmaking, I have over 1,000 success stories from people just like yourself who are very happy they came in and let me do the work for them.  But again, first, give yourself six months of trying to meet Mr./Ms. Right on your own.

Here are some helpful dating suggestions that will hopefully make it easier for you this St Valentine's Day:

- When you are ready for a committed relationship, let everyone know you are ready and looking for someone who shares the same interests as you.

- Make sure you are at a healthy and happy place in your life.  You need to love yourself first before someone else can love you.

- Be sure you are portraying yourself in a positive light.  (No one likes someone who is negative.)

- Stop looking for perfection.  No one is perfect, not even you.

- Decide on the five most important attributes your partner must have.  (If someone doesn’t possess something which is number seven on your list let it go; you are being too picky.)

- Always leave the house looking and feeling your best.  Confidence is a huge turn-on.

- Do not get disappointed if you are not successful in your own search for six months.  It truly is very difficult for everyone to find the right person.

- For a match to be “made in heaven” you must have two characteristics. You need to be compatible with one another, and you need to have chemistry with each other.

Does that sound easy?  Yes, but in reality, the typical “single person” who is successful, attractive, funny, faithful, and loyal is usually also very busy with his/her job and tired after work.  In my program, I find that my singles go to work and then just go home.  They do not want to find someone in the bar scene.

If you meet someone in a bar, typically one of you is going to want to continue that activity of going out and drinking.  While most people think they will just go to a bar to find someone and then once they do, they’ll both stop going to bars and spend time together, usually that’s not the case.

Either one or both of the people that meet in bars wish to continue hanging out there.  So you need to tell yourself if you do not wish to spend your time together in bars, then don’t go to bars to meet someone. 

For more information on the services of Maureen Tara Nelson, Private Matchmaking, check out mtnmatchmaking.com.

* Originally published in 2013. Updated in 2023.