2. Accept that life changes when you change.

Do you want to look back at life in twenty years and see that your life is no happier than it was twenty years ago? Accept now that life will only change when you change it. No one will do it for you. Expecting life to change without doing anything any different is definition of madness.

3. Be responsible

Don’t blame your boss, your partner or your children. Your life is your responsibility. Take responsibility and understand you are creator in your life. You have made everything happen and will make everything happen.

4. Learn to understand yourself.

Knowing what you don’t like or want is easy. Take time to understand what you do like and what you do want. Try to do things that move you towards pleasure, rather than avoiding pain.

5. Have courage

Have courage to take some action. Small action is fine. Little steps lead you a long way over time. Find people who support you and learn to ignore ones who get in your way with discouragement. Read books that help you learn more about what you want to do. Find a personal development group, go on a workshop or find a coach.

This leads us to online dating. There are aspects of character and personality that will create a bond beyond initial stage of attraction, and online dating allows us to go beyond chance meeting, beyond physical attraction. We can search out potential matches that we might never meet in our everyday lives. With click of a mouse we have access to a wealth of information: interests, hobbies, passions, lifestyle, beliefs, and more.

Online dating allows us to approach dating from an entirely different angle. Instead of getting to know someone from outside-in, we can establish a relationship from inside-out.

Does this “more informed” method your romantic life lead to a more compatible and satisfying relationship? Unfortunately answer is “No!” Just like physical attraction alone isn’t enough to carry a long-term relationship, having things in common alone won’t satisfy you. You still need physical attraction. You may find tons of people online who will seem perfect. Then you meet face-to-face and you know in a split-second that this person is not for you. You never really know what will happen until you meet.

But imagine if you are attracted! The reason you decided to meet in first place was because you have things in common and your personalities meshed. You’ve already laid foundation to take your dating beyond physical. . What online dating really offers is opportunity to find and communicate with lots of people with whom we share common interests and qualities. It’s not holy grail of dating, but it’s an excellent way to increase your chances of finding something long-term. You may still have to go on many dates to find your match, but that is why Internet is so exciting! There are always new people to find, and always opportunity for that next date.

Mike is currently online dating and loving it! I encourage you to give it a try for yourself.

Devlyn Steele ("America's Leading Life-Coach") is a Relationship Coach, Life Coach. A Columnist as well as radio host. Devlyn has also developed ToolsToLife.com. As a Relationship-Coach Devlyn has created the OnlineDatingKit.com which teaches Internet daters the skills they need to find their perfect matches on their own and offers a complementary e-book at no cost on “How To Choose The Right Dating Site For You.”