1. Get over your latest heartbreak. Before you enter a new relationship, you should try your best to let go of your old loves. Stop daydreaming about your exes. Stop wishing they would walk back into your life and give you another chance. Accept that they’re out of your world forever and move forward without thoughts of them weighing you down.

2. Spend some weekends alone. Even once you’re in a relationship, you aren’t going to spend twenty-four hours together. You need to learn to embrace your loneliness. Find ways to feel comfortable in the silence. Learn to enjoy your me time instead of trying to fill the void with any random person.

3. Start thinking of yourself as beautiful. You shouldn’t need a partner to make you feel beautiful. Your opinion of yourself shouldn’t change based on whether or not someone complimented you that day. You need to gain confidence on your own. No relationship required.

4. Prioritize yourself. You don’t want to lose yourself in a relationship. You don’t want to end up putting yourself last in order to put your partner first. You should start prioritizing your happiness now so it’s easier for you to do once you’re in a relationship. Remember, it’s not selfish to practice self-care.

5. Make yourself orgasm. You need to learn the way your body works. You need to learn what turns you on and turns you off. That way, once you’re in a relationship, you can teach your person. You’ll have an easier time getting on the same wavelength when you actually know what you want.

6. Speak authentically. Stop censoring yourself. Stop saying what you think is expected of you. If you want to find real love, you cannot play pretend. You cannot be an idealized version of yourself. You need to show the real you. Be vulnerable. Be raw. Be real.

7. Love yourself. You should date someone because they enhance your life, not because they make your life worth living. Before you get into a serious relationship, you should learn to love yourself. Value yourself. Respect yourself. Treat yourself.

8. Go out to eat on your own. Or go to the movies on your own. Take yourself on some sort of date. Remind yourself you don’t need a relationship in order to do the things you love. You can do them for yourself.

9. Cultivate healthy friendships. When you date someone, they should be your best friend first. If you aren’t able to be a good friend right now, then how are you going to be able to be a good girlfriend in the future? In order to practice your communication and listening skills, make sure you give your friends everything they deserve. And more.

10. Write down your goals. The first step to completing your goals is recognizing them. Write them down on paper — or somewhere in your phone. Make sure you don’t lose track of them once you enter a relationship. Make sure you never give up your dreams for love. Make sure your passion outshines everything else.