Worth a thought...are you too picky?

I've just read this article on yahoo.com and think quite a few people out there should consider reading it...I know it's related to online dating, and not dating in general, but the same principles apply if you ask me.

"Limiting our options with a narrow search

We all have dreams. We all have standards. We all have ideas about how it's supposed to look. But when we remain trapped in our fantasies, reality suffers. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the online dating space. Because of the perception of choice -- just pop in some search criteria and dial up a spouse! -- we think we're being open to lots of people. In fact, we're narrowing our search far greater than we do in "real" life. (...)

In real life, if you start talking to someone at a party who is intriguing, you'll probably get a phone number and set up a date. You may not find out until later that he's a different religion, or political party. This is exactly what happened to me. I set my online search criteria for a 25- to 36-year-old Jewish liberal with a graduate degree. I remained single for the greater part of eight years. Then I went to a party eight months ago and met a woman who is 37, Catholic and Republican. We've been together ever since. The moral of the story is that none of us knows anything. (...)

So what does all this mean? Are we doomed to a life of solitude and loneliness? No. We might have to adjust our perspective a bit, though. First of all, it reminds us how hard it is to find somebody special. (...) Second, it reminds us not to be so narrow-minded in our searches. (...) Until we give others a chance, what hope do we have that they will give us a chance?"