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You Don’t Need to Settle

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Why High Standards Protect a Tender Heart
By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

Just because a man shows up doesn’t mean he’s supposed to be in your life.

One evening, I went to a basketball game at the university where I teach. I tried to get a couple of girlfriends to go with me, but no one was available — so I went by myself.

During the second half of the game, a friend stopped by and asked if I was dating anyone. When I told him I wasn’t, he said he wanted to set me up with his brother.

Fast forward a few weeks, and I was sitting across the table from that brother on a dinner date.

He was charming. Funny. Shared my faith. He had two kids, seemed stable — and yes, he was super cute. I really liked him.

I remember thinking, Wow… good thing I went to that game alone.
If I’d been with friends, this never would’ve happened.

It felt like proof that patience and positivity had finally paid off.
Maybe the universe was rewarding me. Maybe this was meant to be.

We went on a coup

...

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3 Reasons Why You'll Never Be Good Enough for a Relationship

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And a Better Way to See Things

By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

Have you ever wondered what was wrong with you that you were still single?

I spent a lot of years and money trying to figure out why I could never have a successful relationship.

I would start therapy sessions with a new counselor with the instruction that we needed to determine what was wrong with me and fix it so I could get married.

I read every relationship book, listened to every dating podcast, tried every self-improvement hack. I wondered if I was not thin enough, not pretty enough, not elusive enough, too elusive.

When I was 40, I considered that maybe something was just wrong with me - like the wiring in my brain must be deeply flawed. So flawed that nobody could figure it out, but clearly there was something wrong with me that was the cause of my singleness.

It wasn’t visible: I have a good figure, I keep myself up, I look way younger than my actual age. I’m successful, I’m fin...

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It’s OK to NOT Be OK With Being Single

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It’s Good to Want a Relationship

This post is part of our January series: Acknowledging the Ache of Singleness

Shouldn’t I Be OK With Being Single?

Our culture often tells women that we shouldn’t need anyone.
That independence is the ultimate goal.
That wanting a relationship means we’re weak, needy, or clinging to a fairy tale.

So if you feel a deep desire for love, partnership, and family, you may quietly wonder if something is wrong with you.

I used to tell people, “I don’t need a man.”

But in my heart, I knew that wasn’t true.

I wanted a relationship. I wanted marriage. I wanted family. And for a long time, I felt embarrassed to admit that. It sounded old-fashioned. Unmodern. Unempowered.

Yet Scripture tells a different story.

God created us for relationship. He created Eve with a desire for her husband. Wanting love, companionship, and family is not weakness — it’s part of how God designed us.

And yet, many of us are over 40 and still single.

So we walk around feelin...

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Why He Left YOU For HER

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And How to Stop Obsessing About It

By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

Have you even wondered why “he” chose “her”?

This wondering may show up in two scenarios:

(a) you wonder why that man (guy you know, celebrity, athlete) chose the woman he’s with; or,

(b) you wonder why the man you wanted (or were with) chose someone else.

Let’s focus on Scenario B today: “your” guy chose her instead of you.

I was dating someone once, and right after we broke up, he started seeing someone who had a less-than-sterling reputation.

To the outsider, it’s clear that his interesting choice had nothing to do with me and everything to do with his own character.

But when you’re inside the scenario, it’s normal to wonder if there’s something wrong with you.

I think there are two issues here:

He doesn’t want to be with you
He does want to be with her

They may be correlated, but not causal. That’s fancy scientific jargon for, “they might both be happening, but one doesn’t ne...

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Thoughts From a Former Doormat

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I thought I was being nice. Accommodating. Flexible.

Turns out, I was being a doormat.

Most people wouldn’t think of me as a “doormat” type of girl. I’m confident, I’m sassy, and I have informed opinions.

I also don’t want people to be mad at me, and therefore I tend to prioritize the happiness of others over my own.

This was totally in line with my Christian upbringing, which taught me that everybody else comes first. A popular church saying when I was growing up was, “JOY stands for Jesus, Others, You.” You come last.

Is that what God wants? Does He want us to erase ourselves in the name of being “good”?

I don’t think so. As Christian women, we are to put our relationship with the Lord first. We are to follow His lead. When you read about Jesus’ interactions with people, He gave out of His loving willingness to do so. But we are also told that he often withdrew to “lonely places” to pray. He did not change His plan based on other people’s desires.

Case in point: when...

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Why There's Nobody Out There For You

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How to Save Yourself From the Terror of Singleness

by Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

Is there someone for everyone?

One of the popular sayings we hear as singles is, “There’s someone for everyone.”

Another favorite: “Every pot has a lid.”

If you’re in the Christian community, people will quote Psalm 37:4: “If you delight yourself in the Lord, He will give you the desires of your heart.”

We wander through our singleness, wanting a relationship, always waiting for that one person who will “complete” us. Thanks, Jerry Maguire.

What if there ISN’T someone for everyone? What if your pot doesn’t have a lid?

What if God never gives you the desires of your heart?

One of my girlfriends always wanted to be a wife and a mother. She is a dutiful daughter, a respected nurse, and a beloved friend. She nursed her father through his cancer, and has taken care of her mother in the years since his death. She is a wonderful “mom” to her fur-baby (a dog), and she te...

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How to Deal With Shady Guys

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Things Aren’t Always Cooler in the Shade

By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

One of my girlfriends recently had an experience that we can all benefit from.

One of her neighbors was being very flirty with her. He was bringing the compliments and the sweet words, and eventually asked her to dinner. She found him very attractive and she liked his personality. Except for one thing: he’s married.

The only way she suspected this was because when he was moving in a few months ago, a woman was helping him.

He is in town on a work assignment that will last months.

When he asked her out, she asked if he is married. “Separated,” he answered.

OK - stop here.

One thing you need to know about shady guys is that they will play semantics and split hairs, all while justifying that they aren’t lying to you (omitting key information is fine, though).

In this case, I’m sure he meant “separated,” as in: we’re living in separate locations. On my taxes I claim the maintenance of a “separate househo...

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Be Your Own Hero

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Victim or Hero: Which Role Are You Playing?

By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

As women, we frequently like the fairy tales where the princess is rescued by Prince Charming. While it’s fashionable to bash these damsel-in-distress stories, there is some biological basis to them. As women, we want community and connection, and we want a man to provide for us.

In many ways, our culture supports us in identifying ourselves as victims. While it’s out-of-vogue to use the word “victim,” it’s very much “in” to talk about your past trauma, your current drama, and how you were messed up by your dad or mama.

But, who are you rooting for in an action movie? The hero or the victim? The hero, of course!

“Wonder Woman” was a blockbuster hit in 2017. Nobody’s waiting for “‘Why Me?’ Woman” to come out!

If you have suffered a major trauma, then it’s time to deal with that. And it’s unlikely that you can process it and heal without professional help. Get a therapist, get a support group, get a ...

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Why You Need to Disappear

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How to Increase Your Value

By Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

In economics, the principle of scarcity tells us that hard-to-get products are perceived by the market to have a higher value. In other words, we tend to want what we can’t have, and we’re willing to pay more to get it.

Goods that are in ample supply - like potato chips - are priced relatively low. They’re seen as commodities and are therefore worth less to us.

Scarcity is why Starbucks only offers that Pumpkin Spice Latte in the autumn. It drives demand. We know we can’t get it any other time. If we could, it wouldn’t be exciting. You may like the Caramel Macchiato, but it’s not special.

As women, we think men will appreciate us more if we are readily available and “there for them.”

However, men are hunters. They enjoy the thrill of the chase.

I live in the deep South, where many men are deer hunters. They will sit in a deer stand for hours - in the cold, at 4 a.m. - trying to shoot a 12-point buck. During that ti...

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Require Him to Do This

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Quit Settling for Basic Treatment

by Mary R. Dittman, M.B.A.

Netflix and chill.

Hanging out.

Just kicking it.

These are the low-value situations women are finding themselves in. Sadly, they rarely lead to the care and commitment most women over 40 desire.

Certainly, if you are NOT interested in marriage, these scenarios are perfect! But, if you long for long-term commitment in the form of marriage, these paths are dead ends.

I teach at a university, and many of my girls have accepted “Netflix and chill” or “hanging out” as the way to build a relationship. This teaches the guys that they don’t have to put forth any effort to get a girl.

In this demographic climate, there are many more single, professional women over 40 than there are single, professional men over 40. This leaves single women feeling like they need to go along with a man’s low-effort plan in order to “get a husband.” But, when you let him lead you down this low-value path, he doesn’t see you as “wife mate...

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