Think of that ideal person you want to be with. Imagine who he or she is, what he or she likes to do, what he or she looks like and how he or she lives his or her life. Now, imagine the person he or she thinks about when he or she reads that last sentence. Good. Now you have a goal.

Being successful in love requires a lot of work, and the first step happens before you even meet your match. In order to attract your ideal mate, you have to be his or her ideal mate, or at least someone he or she finds attractive. This means that if you want someone smart, gorgeous and rich, you’d better be willing and able to do the work it takes to attract him or her, whether that means more studying, more gym time or other self-improvement measures.

If you are reading this, you’re probably a Madison College student. This means you are already addressing two of the most common self-improvement factors: education and money. A degree will increase your earning potential, making you a more attractive mate. An education makes you appear smarter – if you can retain it – which many people find attractive. The third most common factor within our control is fitness. Eat better, work out, become more attractive and your romantic choices will open up.

The real message here is to get your own house in order before you start getting upset about not being able to land a quality partner. The perfect mate is out there for you – there are, statistically speaking, thousands of perfect mates for you. Your job is to be the best possible version of yourself when you finally meet him or her.

Get motivated, but don’t get too obsessed to have fun. Most worthwhile people will see the effort and time you are putting into being a better person and see that, in itself, as enough to start something.

Don’t stop improving. Once you are in a relationship, you need to keep being the best you can be, not only to keep your loved one, but to simply be a better you. It’s worth it, and remember, perfection is a moving target.

That’s all for this issue; good luck out there.