While dating can be fun and exciting at times, it can also be very frustrating for those that are desperately looking to settle down and live happily ever after. Most of us just want to find that special person, avoid all the bad dates in between, and move on to building a happy life. While it would be nice if dating was that simple, unfortunately, finding the right person can be a long and tedious process. The important thing to do is not to give up no matter how frustrating things get.

One thing that you can do in order to keep yourself on track with your dating life is setting goals. No matter how bad things get, keep your goals in mind and stay focused while you are looking for that special someone. The following are a list of short term goals that may help you to find that person you have been looking for:

1. Set goals to stay mentally healthy. Many people fall into a mental health crisis when their dating life falls off track. It is easy to start feeling as if we are the problem and slowly lose our self-confidence, even if this is far from true. Find activities and ways to keep your confidence high and feel good about yourself. Join clubs, actively participate in your community, hang out with friends a lot, try meditation, etc. Staying mentally healthy will keep you prepared to be a person that people want to meet and date.

2. Set goals to stay physically healthy. People not only lose self confidence when in a dating rut, but sometimes allow their physical health to deteriorate as well. Even if our dating lives are not going so great we want to keep our bodies feeling fresh and healthy, as well as attractive to the opposite sex. This way when the time comes to date someone we are truly interested in, we will be ready. Play sports, go to the gym, and stay active. Staying physically healthy will indirectly benefit your mental health as well.

3. Talk to at least three random strangers a day. Often times we don't meet the love of our lives for the simple reason of not talking to anyone new! Real life is not like the movies. Most of us do not meet people by random coincidence or fateful chance. It is up to us to make things happen and allow the love of our life to find us!

4. Make a weekly effort to self reflect and decide what aspects of your life need self-improvement. Many people go their entire lives never self-reflecting on the aspects of their personalities and selves that need to be worked on. This is only natural. It is a self-defense mechanism to brush aside your issues. However, this is also self-destructive to meeting the right person. We all need to constantly work on improving ourselves in life.

5. Prepare and practice! Dating is not just something that you should arrive to unprepared. Dating is a skill just like anything else in life. You should come to your date prepared and ready to impress with good stories, interesting things to talk about, and a strong game plan.