Dear Melanie,

I have been single for about eight months now and the last relationship I was in my ex boyfriend cheated on me. I’m open to a relationship, but it seems like there is no one out there and I’m feeling lost. I hate feeling like I’ll never find a guy that will treat me right because I don’t want to just settle. I always rush into relationships too fast, but I am tired of being alone.

Any time you are in a relationship that ends badly it tends to always make you guarded after, so I have to commend you for being open to a relationship after the way your last one ended.

It is so bold and brave of you to move on from that and realize that there is something greater for you out there, but I know how annoying the waiting game can be. At the end of the day the hardest part might be for you to step out of your comfort zone of waiting for someone to approach you and simply make the effort yourself.

You should never feel lost without a man. You have been you since the day you were born and you will continue to be yourself regardless of who comes in and out of your life.

It was really good to hear you say that you don’t want to settle because you don’t know how many girls will do that just that in order to feel fulfilled and it winds up hurting them more in the long run.

You sound like a smart, head strong girl, who has a lot of potential to do amazing things in life based on her own independence. You need a man who is going to be your partner in crime, not move on to something else because he is feeling like he’s not getting enough attention. He’s a boyfriend not a baby or a puppy. You need someone who realizes that your independence and standards make you the woman you are and someone who thinks those traits are, well, sexy.

I have all the faith in the world that you will find someone. Someone like you, who seems to have been through so much and still come out with such an optimistic attitude, is inspirational, for lack of a better word, and there is no doubt in my mind that your positive attitude will draw the man of your dreams to you very soon. Stay you and everything will fall into place.