When you’re single, it can sometimes feel like everyone except you has found their perfect match and settled down.

But in reality, less than 50 percent of Americans who are over the age of 18 are married. That shows that there are plenty of people just like you out there who are still looking for love.

Finding a partner that you’re compatible with isn’t easy, even in this day and age when it’s never been simpler to meet people. There are so many challenges that people face when they’re interested in finding someone to share their life with.

If you need help in the love department, here are 7 tips for finding a partner who’s a perfect match for you.

1. Begin by Learning to Love Yourself

“Love yourself” has turned into a little bit of a cliché at this point. But as cheesy as it sounds, it’s important for you to love yourself and be comfortable in your own skin before you start trying to find a partner.

If you’re not happy on your own, you’re not going to be happy in a relationship. In fact, you could end up making yourself even less happy than you are now by trying to use a relationship to increase your happiness levels.

When you’re OK with the idea of being alone and loving yourself first and foremost, you’ll be less likely to get involved in a relationship simply because it’s something to do. You’ll be able to hold off for the right person instead of wasting time with someone who isn’t the perfect match.

2. Think About What You Want From a Partner

While you’re in the process of learning to love yourself, you should also spend time thinking about what it is you want out of a partner. Ask yourself these questions:

• What kind of personality do I want my partner to have?
• What interests do I want my partner to have?
• What do I want my partner to look like?
• What values should be important to my partner?
• What should my partner want to do in the future?

Your perfect match doesn’t have to check every box on your list. But they should share many of your same interests, values, and even personality quirks. You’ll get along better and enjoy your time together when you have things in common.

3. Find the Best Places to Look for Love

A decade ago, there weren’t a whole lot of places people could turn to when they were looking for love. Many people started dating after meeting at a bar or coffee shop or were set up by friends.

Today, there are tons of places you can go if you want to commit to looking for love. For instance, there are dating sites you can sign up for where you can meet people and arrange dates.

Using the internet to score dates used to be a taboo subject. But these days, more and more people are doing it, and some studies are even showing that married couples who met online are happier than those who met in “real life.”

Keep that in mind before you turn down the idea of using one of the many dating sites to your advantage.

4. Ask Friends to Help You Find a Partner

No one knows you better than your closest friends. So if you’re really struggling to find your perfect match, why not go the old-school route and ask them to lend a hand?

Maybe your best friend knows someone from their work who they think would be great for you. Or maybe they know someone from their gym who is just your type.

Swallow your pride and let them book a blind date for you. It could turn out to be one of the best decisions you ever make.

5. Keep an Open Mind While Dating

Remember those questions we told you to ask yourself earlier about what you want from your partner?

You should use those as a guide while you’re dating different people. But you shouldn’t use them as a reason to dismiss someone as a potential perfect match.

There will be times when you go out on dates with people who are very different than you. Rather than writing them off, see what they bring to the table first. You could miss the chance to meet a pretty amazing person if you don’t keep an open mind. Sometimes looking in the past is not so bad! Consider long-lost love! There are cases of meeting the right person at the wrong time!

6. Refuse to Settle!

Only about 65 percent of Americans say that they’re happy in their relationships right now. That means that more than one-third of people in relationships don’t consider themselves to be as happy as they should be.

Some of these people can bring their happiness levels up by going to counseling or finding ways to fall back in love with their partner. But some of them are also likely in their current position because they chose to settle while looking for love.

Don’t ever settle when it comes to relationships. It doesn’t matter how old you might be, what everyone else around you might be doing, or where you think you should be in your life. If you settle for someone just because you’re tired of looking for love, it’s not going to lead to you finding true happiness in your relationship.

7. Avoid Rushing Into a Relationship

When you finally meet Mr. or Mrs. Right, it’s easy to get carried away and rush right into a relationship with them. Try not to take this approach.

If two people move too fast at the start of a relationship, it doesn’t matter how compatible they might be. They’ll often find that the love between them will start to fizzle out.

Take your time and get to know another person before you make things official with them. It’ll be well worth the wait.

Try Finding a Partner Today

Your perfect match is out there somewhere. Be patient while you’re looking for them.

Whether you choose to rely on your friends to set you up on dates or you use dating sites and apps, you can have success while finding a partner. Keep the tips listed here in mind as you’re trying to do it.

Read our blog for more advice on looking for love online.