Katrina, your dating personality is:




Katrina, when it comes to dating, you are a Social Idealist. This means you feel in your heart that there is one special partner out there for you and chances are, you've spent plenty of time daydreaming about them. You've probably imagined all kinds of things about who they are, compiling a mental checklist down to the smallest details. After all, knowing what you want is a good thing. You're pretty sure you'll know love when you see it and you're more than willing to go out and find your ideal mate. Being naturally social, meeting people may feel almost like a hobby of yours. You enjoy chatting up friends of friends, or even total strangers, more than most people do. But this outgoing nature doesn't mean you take whatever comes your way. When it comes to finding a love interest, you're not interested in just anyone. You want "the one."

This romantic quest likely has you sizing up new people's potential as soon as you meet them. In the first five minutes of talking to someone at a party, you've probably determined whether you find them attractive, critiqued their personality, and decided whether or not they're a long-term prospect. You may have even named the offspring you would have with them.

Your checklist-style quick judgment can work both for and against you. Many people don't measure up to your ideals. Be careful of any tendency to throw a potential date away too quickly. You just may overlook a fantastic mate because they have a funny laugh or the wrong colored hair, and ultimately, is it worth it to do that? You never know where love will blossom, and with so many different prospects to choose from, even the process of looking can be fun.

Based on your answers to the test, we can also tell that you're likely to have taken a leading role in your romantic life, so that your dating career to this point has been no accident. In fact, whether you realize it or not, you probably take your search for the right partner quite seriously. More than other people, you tend to strategize ways to meet new people. You are also likely to give this goal equal importance when compared with others. Whether you have found dates through friends, joined a dating service to increase your chances of meeting new people, or simply talked to an interesting stranger you keep running into at your local bookstore, you know how to take control of finding love. By charting your romantic path, you're likely to find yourself with a steady stream of dates, or at least people in whom you're interested. This puts you well on the right road to finding "the one."

There are many ways you can find love. But based on your personality, your best bet is to take advantage of your comfort in social situations. When you let your personable, friendly nature shine though, everything you do becomes an opportunity to meet new people. Not only that, but your confidence can actually draw people to you. You may find total strangers going out of their way to ask you the time or strike up a conversation about current events. Learn to pounce on these special moments. Also, because you're as at ease in unfamiliar places as you are in your own backyard, you can meet others in a wide variety of situations. Take this strength to heart and branch out. Widen your net to cover the parts of the dating pool you find most interesting: new restaurants, sporting events, museums, or charity functions. The world is your oyster. Additionally, since you've probably determined that no one in your current social circle is a contender for "the one," keep your eyes and mind open. This title is likely to be won by someone new in your life, not someone who is currently unavailable or uninterested in you.

You've just learned about your dating personality and how it can affect your approach to finding love. Now let's turn to some practical ways you can better prepare yourself to find your mate. Based on your characteristics, here are the top 6 guidelines to help you meet your match. 1. Be self-aware The more you are in touch with your own likes, dislikes, behaviors, and shortcomings, the more equipped you'll be to find love. Not only will self-knowledge aid you once you're in a relationship, but it can also help you to feel at ease when meeting new people. When you know yourself, you can be yourself, and this brings a whole new kind of confidence to your dating style. Just how can one become more self-aware? The most basic way is by paying attention to your actions and feelings in different situations. For a more complete view, consider asking the people who know you best, and who will be truthful, to tell you their perceptions of you. Sometimes it's hard to hear what others think of us, but be brave. You might be pleasantly surprised by what they have to say. No matter what, you'll gain valuable insights into your character. 2. Ditch your personal baggage When a relationship ends, you're typically left with a random collection of photos, fond memories, stray T-shirts, and mementos. However, what you may not realize is that each relationship also leaves a little something behind in your psyche, a reminder of the experiences you shared with another person. Some of these mental marks can be positive, like memories of laughter, special moments together, and thoughts about the times when you felt completely loved and accepted. Other marks are not so positive. Unfortunately, most people have had at least one relationship that ended poorly or one person who treated them unfairly. If you've ever been hurt like this, you know it can leave a chip on your shoulder that you carry into dating and future relationships. No one wants to feel pain, but to truly connect with someone, it's best to leave your preconceptions at the door. Just because one love used to lie to you doesn't mean your next one will. Don't cower behind your old fears. And don't presume that if a new interest shares one characteristic with an old flame, that they share all characteristics with that person. Similarly, if you always had to nag your old flame, don't start into your new relationship where you left off with your old flame. Don't start your relationship off on the wrong foot by showing your new interest you're going to nag them for no reason. Because you know what you want in your perfect partner, you tend to be very selective at the outset of a potential romance. The most basic way you take control is by screening out the many prospects you don't find worthy. However, once you've settled into a relationship you may find that you hand over control to the person with whom you're involved. Since they've already met your standards, you may feel that now you can "relax and enjoy the ride." Let them pick the movies and make the decisions. You already did your work by finding them. When things go well in your relationships, everything can be rosy between you two. However, if your relationship begins going badly, you might find yourself disillusioned and withdrawing from your partner rather than trying to work things out. This kind of behavior could be due to a number of reasons. One potential reason is the fear of taking responsibility for your relationship's successes and failures. Another is that you may be withdrawing to regain your independence, if you felt as if you were losing yourself within the relationship. In either case, by reversing this trend and beginning to make important relationship decisions, can you increase your chances of creating a lasting love, and that accepting that you actually might have found it. 3. Love yourself for who you are Chances are, there are some aspects of yourself that you like, and others you're not so crazy about. You may love that you're friendly and easygoing, but detest that you sometimes let people walk all over you. You might appreciate that you have your mother's beautiful eyes, but be endlessly frustrated that she also passed along that short gene to you. Everyone has parts of themselves that they'd like to change - although they may not readily admit to them. Rather than harp on the aspects you don't like, psychologists encourage you to begin accepting yourself as a whole person, warts and all. Remember that no one is perfect and everyone has faults. It may sound cliché, but it is our differences that make us unique. Those who can realize this truth and accept themselves for better and for worse are best able to connect with another person to find love. 4. Increase your self-esteem Feeling good about yourself is one of the most attractive qualities you can possess. Whether you realize it or not, positivity radiates in ways that people can feel. Think about the last time you saw someone who was really at ease. They may have seemed to glide right into the room and chances are, they got more than one person's attention. But it's all well and good to say, "Feel good about yourself," when the fact of the matter is that some days are better than others. Self-esteem fluctuates and certain events that affect it are beyond your control. However, once you know how a particular type of situation is likely to affect you, you have much more power over the repercussions. For example, if a friend of yours has a habit of making snide remarks that put you down, it's likely that you always feel bad about yourself after spending time with them. In such a case, you have options. You can stop spending time with your friend or speak up for yourself until the remarks stop. By taking either action, rather than just letting the pattern continue, you make positive steps towards building that kind of self-esteem that attracts partners. 5. Get in the right mindset Because you know that you thrive in social situations, set at least one attainable goal for yourself — something you know that you can accomplish easily before the night is over when you go out to mix and mingle. No need to raise the bar too high at first; you want to set yourself up for success rather than failure. You might tell yourself, "I will speak with at least 2 new people tonight," or, "I will smile at three complete strangers in every single place I go." Once you've met your initial objective, feel free to up the ante. Set goals that may be beyond what you think you are capable of doing, and then see what you are made of. You might not reach every goal, but you'll probably be pleasantly surprised by what you can accomplish, and how people will react to you. 6. Last minute tips To further prepare yourself to get out there and meet the perfect partner, here are some thoughts to keep in mind wherever you are, to maximize your dating potential. The fact that you're comfortable in social situations can actually put other people at ease. Use this strength to your advantage. By being approachable, you greatly enhance your chances of connecting with someone special. It can be fun to get to know new people, so there's no need to make it a chore. Instead, pretend that you are playing a game. Your objective is to meet at least one new person each time you go out and to learn as much information about them as you can in one meeting. Keep in mind which kinds of questions are appropriate, of course. There's no need to get too personal. While you're getting to know this person, remember to make eye contact and smile, but don't overdo it. If conversation doesn't flow naturally with the first person you approach, move on to another. Remember that the object of the game is to learn about someone new, not to put a stranger, or you, in an uncomfortable position. Remember that a lot of the advice people give you about life in general still applies to dating. If someone doesn't respond to you in the way that you had hoped, don't take it personally. Instead of being self-critical, try to think of the situation in a new way. If someone didn't smile back at you, maybe they were having a bad day. If a person didn't laugh at your jokes, perhaps you two simply don't share the same sense of humor. Think of these kinds of situations as saving you a good deal of time and energy. Your efforts are best spent on people who can enjoy and appreciate you. It's far too exhausting trying to figure out how to please people and make them laugh if they don't share a number of commonalities with you.

Once you've taken some time working with the advice in the previous sections, you'll be ready to get out there and apply what you've learned. Don't expect yourself to have fully mastered these tips before taking the plunge into dating. Perfect self-esteem, complete self-knowledge, and zero emotional baggage are not realistic precursors for meeting someone special. If they were, no one would date. Instead, you can simply be aware of these ideas and learn about yourself as you go. In fact, committing to evolving as an individual and acknowledging there are still things for you to improve is the best way to come into a relationship that will need the same kind of commitment, attention, and love. You may feel as if you have hit a wall in the dating process and have exhausted all your options to meet someone you care about. Try not to let this feeling get you down. At one time or another, most people get into dating ruts. It's time to break out of your old patterns and get ready to try something new. As discussed above, there are all kinds of ways to meet people. Make the most of your outgoing nature and keep an open mind when choosing activities. Also, while you experiment with different ways to connect with someone special, note what works for you and what could be improved. Over time you can fine-tune these suggestions to make them a part of your natural routine. You may have tried some of these suggestions before, but do yourself a favor and try them again. Because you are likely to have just learned a good deal about yourself, you may find that the techniques work differently now. Also, know that some suggestions may feel awkward to you at first. It's often hard to try new things. Only practice makes perfect. So here's the first thing you can try: use networking to your advantage. How to use networking to your advantage Most people think of networking as being limited to the business arena. The word likely conjures up images of people in suits trading business cards, or someone seeking leads to find a job, or a sales person making connections to find new clients. But networking is much more than a way of doing business. It's a practice that can help you in your search to find your ideal mate. Networking is all about using your current connections to make future ones. This technique can be put to use easily in your search for someone special. Almost anyone in your social circle is likely to have friends or acquaintances who are single and looking for a date. Just think of how many people you know — friends, work colleagues, neighbors. You can probably compile quite a long list. The key is to access this vast resource in a way that fits with your personality. Your social skills make you a natural networker. Grab your address book and begin thinking about people you'd like to contact during your search for dates. Talk with your closest friends first to see if they can set you up with anyone. Then, when you feel comfortable, branch out and start asking your acquaintances and business colleagues if they know of singles with whom you might make a good match. Learn to ask anyone and everyone: your hairdresser, your local dry cleaner, you name it. You never know which one of these people might know someone who'd fit with you in a romantic relationship. Just remember that if it doesn't work out with one person, it's okay. The more dates you go on, the closer you come to perfecting your search for "the one." Besides tapping your social network for possible dates, you also might want to consider participating in singles events. Because you're typically outgoing, you're a great candidate for these kinds of activities. Several sponsors, ranging from religious organizations to vacation destinations, hold events specifically designed for singles. Find one that fits your interests and run with it. Since everyone who participates in these activities is looking for love, there may very well be a potential Mr. or Ms. Right in the bunch. At the very least, you're likely to meet new people who can fix you up with someone they know. That's the magic of networking. Because of your personality, it's difficult to present you with challenges in the networking arena. Connecting with people, whether they're old friends or strangers, is your forte. This being the case, here is another networking suggestion to try. Why not volunteer to help out your high school or college alumni association? By getting involved there, you might forge some new ties with old friends. And who knows, your perfect partner might even turn out to be the friend of a former classmate.

Katrina, you're a bit like Rachel!

She's everybody's sweetheart, despite some (mostly) endearing quirks. And it looks like you too, have a little Rachel Green inside you. (If you're lucky, you might share her good looks too). Some may see you as a little spoiled, or at times naive. But overall you're a total doll. Like the real Rachel, you make your way in the world, figuring it out as you go.

Sometimes your story-book ideals of how things should turn out keep you from taking life as it comes, but that lovable vulnerability just makes people feel closer to you. You have true compassion, an idiosyncratic side your friends delight in—and, of course, great taste. Reminder, o charming one: People love it when you call them "hun."