Is age important when dating?

In my experience as an expert matchmaker for professionals, I have noticed that single people are hung up on their list of attributes they want in a partner. They can become so single-minded about this that they ignore people of the opposite sex if they do not conform to this list. I see them throwing many good chances away of meeting suitable life partners. Whilst it is good to know what we want, we can become stuck in a groove if we stick to our list too strictly. One of my most eligible clients, a man of 50, was very perturbed when I wanted to introduce him to a 49 year old woman. She was, in my opinion, a good match for him, and they have many overlapping hobbies and interests, which would have given them a lot to talk about. He told me that up until now he had never taken out a woman older than 45, and he was sure he would not like her. It was clear to me that Tim* was stuck in a groove and that he was closing his mind off to a potentially excellent partner. If he had met her at a party and never known her age, he would have thought she was 42, there might have been chemistry, and age would never have come into the question. I also pointed out to him that many of the 40 year old women on my books would never want to meet a 50 year old man, considering that to be too old. The women, therefore, are also shooting themselves in the foot, because Tim is a very eligible single guy. When searching for a suitable life partner we need to keep an open mind and be willing to try new experiences. Perhaps the reason we have not met someone yet is because we are excluding a lot of wonderful people who do not conform to our unreasonably strict criteria. We need to jump out of the box and explore. How would we like it if other people excluded us in the same manner? Tim was quite shocked when he heard that there were 40 year old women that would never have considered him simply because of his age. It did not occur to him that women might judge him in the same way that he was judging them when it comes to age. In my mind both parties need to wake up a little. Rigid thinking can rob one of blessings. Don’t: Set impossibly strict criteria when searching for a life partner Do: Be adventurous, explore possibilities and keep your mind open when you are dating. *Name has been changed. © 2011, 2013 Marilyn Welch. Marilyn Welch is the owner of Perfect Strangers Introduction Society for Professionals and in the last year, one out of every three people who joined Perfect Strangers, met someone special! Visit our website to meet a variety of quality partners amongst whom you may find your soulmate!