How to Know When you are Ready to Start a New Relationship

There are no set criteria for determining whether or not you are ready to start a new relationship. However, it helps to know what would make you relationship material.

The following is a list of positive attributes of a person ready to begin a new relationship:

—You are financially secure, or preparing to be very soon. The more financially secure you are the less of a financial burden you will be on your partner. The ideal of course is that you would be dept-free when you enter a new relationship.
However, even if you are not completely dept-free you at least have a handle on your finances. If you are struggling financially right now the best thing you can do is set some goals for yourself. For instance, you can right up a budget plan, further your education, and do whatever else you need to do to help better yourself economically.

—You are sure of yourself. The more you know about yourself, your personal interests, and your personal goals and dreams the better off you are. It is not to say that you would never change your mind about what you want to do, but you are more attractive to another individual if you at least know a little about your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the talents that you have.
If you are not sure of yourself, then you may consider receiving some counseling to help you in this area. The counselor can help you feel more confident you yourself and help set you on the right path of knowing what is truly important to you.

—You have let go of past hurts. You know you are ready for a new relationship when you are over the past hurts of other relationships. This does not mean that those past hurts will not emerge from time to time after you start a new relationship. But if you at least taken some time to heal, and to process what happened in previous relationships you will be in a better position to love and be loved.

—You learned from past mistakes. Everyone has made their share of mistakes in their lifetime. The key is to make a concerted effort not to repeat those mistakes. For instance, perhaps you were too critical of your last partner. If so, you will want to make sure that you appreciate the next person who comes along.

—You know what you want. It is so important that you know what you want from a relationship. For instance, you might be looking for someone to settle down with and raise a family. If that is the case, you will want to meet someone else who has the same goals. You also will want to make sure you find someone with whom you can get along with and who you know you have enough in common with to want to have a long-term relationship with that person.

These are only some of the factors of knowing whether or not you are ready for a relationship. You also may want to think about how physically and mentally healthy you are, and to determine what you need to do to manage any health issue you may have.

Once you know enough about yourself, you will be able to have the kind of relationship you want. In the mean time, if you decide you are not ready there is no harm in meeting new people, socializing, and developing new skills, talents, and hobbies.