Make 2026 the Year You Care: A Matchmaker's Advice for Singles

Whew! You made it through the holidays and into 2026. You survived all the awkward questions and conversations about your single status. No matter how you handled it, you got through what can be a very difficult time of year.

Unfortunately, another tough one is just around the corner: Valentine's Day. The day that just about every single person dreads for a multitude of reasons.

But before you begin that spiral, I want to share a new approach you can take for 2026.

One of the important reasons I became a matchmaker is that I realized I approach life in a way that has served me really well, especially since I have a long history of moving to foreign places where I not only didn't speak the language, but also didn't know anyone or have a support system.

Besides an abundant sense of adventure and curiosity, the skill that turned every one of those adventures into success stories was my ability to care about other people. The fact that I genuinely care about people I interact with every day has filled my life in a way that means I will never be lonely or alone.

So here is what I am proposing to you. Whether you make New Year's resolutions or not, the fact that you are tired of being single and alone should be enough to motivate you.

Starting today, view every encounter you have with another person as an opportunity to recognize that they are a living, breathing person just like you.

They have their own personality. Their culture might be incredibly important to them, or not important at all. They have their own beliefs, way of doing things, and methods of coping with life. They may have a great support system, or none at all.

Just like you, they may have something going on in their life that you know nothing about. They might be having a really bad day for a multitude of reasons. They may be grieving or missing someone. They may have mental health challenges you don't know about.

But what you do have in common, no matter what, is that you are both human beings with feelings, emotions, and fears.

So the next time you are mad at someone for cutting you off in the grocery store or on the road, remember that they are human too. You have no idea why they are behaving the way they are, and you probably never will. You don't need to.

However, if you instead choose to care about other people (which means not jumping to judgment, seeing them as a fellow human being, treating them with respect) something important happens.

You start to open yourself up to meeting new people. You're flexing your "caring muscle," and that changes how you show up in the world. You become more approachable, more open, more genuinely interested in others. And here's what matters for your love life: you're practicing the exact skill you need to go on a date with someone brand new.

Think about it. If you've been isolated or single for a long time, the idea of sitting across from a stranger on a first date can feel terrifying. You're rusty. You're closed off. You don't know how to be genuinely curious about another person anymore.

But if you've been practicing caring about people every single day (the person who cuts you off in traffic, the cashier at the grocery store, the stranger in line at the coffee shop) you're ready. You've been flexing that muscle. You know how to be open, curious, and genuinely interested in another human being. And that's what makes you attractive to potential partners. Not desperation or neediness, but genuine interest in who THEY are.

When you care about people as human beings, you stop being so focused on yourself and your loneliness. You start noticing others. And they notice you back. People who could become your friends, a romantic partner, your new ride or die, and if you are really blessed, they become your support system and family.

Make 2026 the year you care enough about yourself to open up to caring about other people.

I promise you that it will bring you a wealth beyond your wildest dreams. Having an abundance of people you genuinely care about, who feel the same way about you, opens up a whole world of possibilities you could not even have imagined. The photo accompanying this post is of friends I made in Zanzibar in 2012. We're still in touch. This is what happens when you choose to care about people.

I know because I have found this abundance everywhere I choose to live. Caring has never failed me, and it will make your 2026 so much better.