The purpose of dating is to find that someone who fits you perfectly. Either they’re your twin, your complete opposite, or somewhere in between, they serve a purpose in making you happy. But before you embark on the mission to find that special someone, you should first know a bit about yourself. While none of us will ever know who we are fully, we need to focus on ourselves and build confidence and understanding in that so that we know what we are offering others in a relationship.

Compatibility is a two-way street. You may know the other person, but if you are going to find out how that piece of the puzzle fits in with yours, you have to know both sides. Otherwise, you will find yourself bouncing around into fulfilling relationships that never satisfy, since you are always unsure of what you are looking for.

It’s okay to not have all the answers, but some questions need to be made a little more clear to yourself before you date. For example, are you the kind of person that needs to protect another? Do you have a dominant personality? Or do you want a parental type figure who will care for you in your time of need?

Other things to consider are whether or not you want short, passionate relationships, or if you want something long term where you might find the person you are going to marry. If you don’t have the answer to these questions, or at least an idea of what the answer may be, it’s going to be very hard for you to direct your relationship, and it will eventually just flounder.

Getting to know yourself isn’t just critical for having a successful relationship, it’s also critical for yourself. Your life will be a lot clearer and easier if you know what you want, who you are, and how you operate. Otherwise, you’re going to waste a lot of time trying the wrong thing and being with the wrong people.

Another thing to consider is that the person you date will suffer if you don’t know yourself. They’ll have nothing to latch onto, and they’ll have to watch as the relationship fails. So do yourself and the world a favour and get to know yourself. The world deserves to have more self-awareness in it.