Divorce is never easy, but it can also be a very exciting time finding new love is very achievable when you put a plan in place.

1. Make time for meeting new people...

If you already feel overwhelmed, decide what it is you're going to ditch to make time for meeting new people. Remember, it's an important project you're embarking on.

So, will it be house-cleaning you divest yourself from? (Hire a maid or increase the number of days she works for you)... Working day and night? (Stop saying YES to every one)... Kids' social calendars? (Enlist friends and family to help you taxi the kids to some of their extramurals and parties)... You get the picture...

2. Create a plan...

Then, draw up a list of all the singles' events you can go to and choose a couple (or more) that you find enjoyable.

Will you try online dating?

Or, you could join a singles supper club (just search online for singles clubs).

For a directory of other singles events you can go to  http://www.events4singles.co.za/ and http://eventful.com/johannesburg/events/categories/singles_social

3. Dating is really about data gathering...

Usually, you know little about someone when you first start dating. That’s why observation mode is so critical.

Relax and watch what happens in different circumstances without being too eager to prompt and do. You can learn a lot more by observing than by jumping in to handle things.

Everyone is on their best behaviour for the first few dates so watch and learn what they're all about.

4. Recognise that you are setting a precedent for how you want to be treated...

If you don’t plan on splitting every cheque down the centre, don’t set that pattern up from your very first date. Of course you’ll reciprocate at some point and you might offer to pay for the movie if you’ve already been to dinner, or for the after dinner drink...

This goes for other things as well, including how you like to be spoken to, how fast you want things to go, etc.

Don't become someone you don't want to be because you wanted to please... you'll only regret it later.

Now, go out and have fun and find long-lasting love, will you...

The key to happiness is good conversation...

What kind of conversations do you have? Are they mostly small talk, or do you have an almost business-like attitude to conversation... Where they always have to go somewhere important?

A new study examining how conversation connects to happiness found it’s the meaningful talks that will make you happy.

Researchers at the University of Arizona looked at the different types of conversation that happy and unhappy people participate in.

They found that the happiest people engaged in only one-third as much small talk as the unhappiest participants. Happy people tended to have twice as many substantive conversations, and spent 25% less time alone.

So don’t be too busy to have meaningful conversations with your partner, children, family and friends.

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In the name of health and happiness,