Being single has plenty of positives. For starters, it gives you the space and opportunity to work on yourself in the way that you need. Additionally, it helps you to see what you don't want out of a partner and likewise, what you do.
But it can also be tough to know when you're ready to move on and be in a new relationship. We've rounded up 13 signs that you're likely emotionally ready to be in a relationship.
You've met someone great and didn't push them away.
Meeting someone new with good intentions can make you think that they are "too good to be true," but going forward with dating them can be a good thing. Relationship expert and matchmaker Eileen Fisher told INSIDER that if you choose to still see where things go – even if it's someone you never thought could be "the one," you're likely ready for a relationship.
"The most common yet shocking way is that you allow someone in your life as your partner that you never thought you would meet," she said. "Like someone you talk to at work or someone you meet at the gym. Really, just someone in your mind you never thought could be the one and you open your eye to them."
You've stopped questioning things.
If you've ever been hurt in a relationship, chances are you've started to question and compare those that you're dating. Though that's not a good thing to do in any instance, Fisher said that once you've let go of the need to do that, you're moving more toward settling down.
"If you realize you've had enough with the comparing each person to another, you could be ready," she said. "You've also stopped asking your friends' opinion on each of those you decide to start dating."
Your rigorous checklist no longer exists.
Regardless if you're 18 or 28, almost everyone has had some sort of checklist when it comes to their ideal partner. The moment you realize that those checklists won't give you the perfect person, however, you've opened yourself up to a relationship.
"Ahh, the "checklist," Fisher began. "When you start to realize that no one, and I mean no one, is going to be exactly who you thought you were going to be with, that's a sign. From their height and weight down to their job, you've stopped making assumptions on what they should be."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider