[Prudence]

Most of the people I know who are single but profess to be looking make one of the following two mistakes:

1) completely discounting someone they get along well with, love being with, consider their "best friend", with whom they have so much fun and so much in common and the person makes them feel great about themselves -- all because the person doesn't measure up to some preconceived notion of what they need/deserve in a mate. (true example: my friend who is nearing 40 and wants a guy older than her, never married, no kids, likes cats, who has all his hair, and who has the body of an underwear model. I mean seriously - if that's what you want, then fine, but don't whine to me about how you don't have any dates....)

2) completely discounting someone they feel exceeds their preconceived notion of what they need/deserve in a mate because obviously that person will want nothing to do with them, and thus denying someone who is not impeded by mistake 1 from having a happy pairing.