Mindful Monday Are Your Dating Standards Keeping You Single? 031725

• The dating landscape is evolving dramatically, and women are at the forefront of this transformation. Morgan Stanley's groundbreaking
•  "Rise of the She Economy" report reveals a striking projection: by 2030, approximately 45% of women aged 25-44 will be single and childless – a significant jump from 41% in 2018. This demographic shift isn't just a statistical curiosity; it signals profound changes in how women approach relationships, careers, and personal fulfillment.
• Why are more women choosing independence over traditional partnerships? The answers lie in a complex web of social and economic factors. Women are marrying later (if at all), prioritizing career advancement, maintaining financial independence, and setting higher relationship standards. They're increasingly unwilling to compromise on their values or settle for partnerships that don't meet their expectations.
• But this evolution comes with unique challenges. As career-driven women enter middle age, they often discover their dating pool has changed dramatically. The men attracted to them may be significantly older, creating potential mismatches in energy levels and lifestyle preferences. Meanwhile, these women may maintain checklists of partner requirements that inadvertently filter out compatible matches. The crucial question becomes: Which standards are genuinely important for relationship success, and which might be unnecessarily limiting potential connections?
• This episode offers a thoughtful examination of modern dating standards without judgment. It's not about abandoning your non-negotiables but rather distinguishing between deal-breakers rooted in values versus preferences that might be flexible. By focusing on shared values, emotional intelligence, and true compatibility rather than superficial criteria, you might discover meaningful connections with partners who don't check every box but offer something much more valuable – genuine partnership. Subscribe now and join the conversation by texting in your thoughts and experiences!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to Mindful Monday
• 1:48 The Morgan Stanley Survey Findings
• 5:04 Dating Standards and Flexibility
• 9:57 Career-Driven Women and Changing Priorities
• 14:10 Listener Shoutouts and Etsy Recommendations
• 22:00 Call for Subscribers and Sponsors

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Bow, chicka, wow, wow. Good evening friends and welcome to Mindful Monday. I am your hostess, as in the letter L and key, as in the key to your heart. Well, thank you for tuning in If you are a first-time listener. Thank you for joining us. Thank you for listening If you are a loyal listener. I appreciate you so much. Thank you for continuing to listen to Elkivate your Life.

Speaker 1: 0:56

So, as most of you loyal listeners know, I have been going through a lot of personal struggles with my mouth. So I'm just going to start by saying I got some comforting answers tonight via the dermatologist and I'm happy to say that I feel like I met with a doctor that actually listened and is steering me in the right directions. I'm feeling relieved about some of the answers I got, which I will post on my social media. I'm not going to talk about it here because I have some other important things to talk about and tonight's going to be a shorter episode than the last Mindful Monday, so let's get into it. Are any of you familiar with the Morgan Stanley survey? There was a study done by Morgan Stanley as part of their rise of the she economy report and basically it talks about how they project that approximately 45% of women age 25 to 44 are going to be single and childless by 2030, a significant increase from the 41% in 2018. Now I have several reasons why I want to tap into this. One because I heard it on another podcast. They were kind of talking about it. It was the man's perspective, someone who's been happily married I can give you his name later but it got me thinking about my single girlfriends and divorced girlfriends, which is definitely different than single, right, anyway? So basically in the study, they found a breakdown of the key findings and factors driving this trend, and it's being talked about everywhere. So I think it is an important topic for you, ladies and you, gentlemen, to hear about. So just some of the fun facts. I won't read the whole thing, but basically the study predicts a substantial rise in the number of women in their prime working years who are both single and childless, and this demographic is projected to become the fastest growing cohort in the US. It talks about how it would impact the labor force, because a study suggests that the trend could lead to increased labor force participation rates among women, potentially boosting their wages.

Speaker 1: 4:14

Career advancement I definitely have my share of friends, women older, that are very career focused and career driven. Not that that's a bad thing. Women, after you know, like in that 25 to 44 range and up, why they'll be single and childless is because let's think about this. Ladies and gents, feel free to text in your thoughts. I would love to receive your fan mail.

Speaker 1: 5:07

So a lot of us women that are career driven or very I'm going to choose my words wisely here very specific with their list, or very particular Not that that's a bad thing. Allow me to elaborate. Our options decrease as we get older, right, because obviously we can't lean on our looks as much for one. We can't lean on our looks as much for one. But also, as we get older, our tastes change and the men that are going to be attracted to us are not necessarily going to be men that are of the same age. They're going to be older because we've now fallen into a different category.

Speaker 1: 6:09

It's not as if when we're in our younger days, where we have that factor not to say ladies that there's plenty of women that I run across that are in great shape and they take good care of their skin, their bodies. All of that harder as we get older, right, because sure, there's the whole, oh, a man wants a younger woman. But also, when we get into our middle age and we want to find somebody that we are attracted to and we have this laundry list of expectations, you may want to really think about that list and I've said this to some of my single girlfriends, mind you that there has to be. Obviously there's going to be things about oh, these are my boundaries, these are my deal breakers. I just would encourage you, ladies, speakers, I just would encourage you, ladies, to think about are there some things on that list that you could be flexible with? Like, does he have to be 6'4"? Blue collar, brown eyes, tall, dark and handsome, as we like to say? Because what happens is, when we get into that middle age group, the men that are attracted to us are older, and then we may not be attracted to the older men because, well, I'll speak for some of my girlfriends that I'm using in this example is that these men are too old for them, they don't have the energy, they don't have the stamina, they don't have the willingness to do certain things. They want to stay home and play bingo and go to bed at 10 o'clock, whatever. I'm just using some examples and, ladies and gentlemen, I am not trying to stereotype. I am simply stating some facts that were derived from the study that they did.

Speaker 1: 8:33

So it goes on to talk about the factors that are driving the trend increasing age of marriage, increasing age of marriage the average age at which women are marrying is rising, leading to more women remaining single. Longer Career focus women are increasingly prioritizing their careers and professional advancement, which can impact their decisions about marriage and family. Oh, I definitely have some lady friends with this. Then a lot of them want their financial independence, which totally get. I'm one of those ladies. Higher relationship standards Well, here's what I was talking about, right?

Speaker 1: 9:22

Some argue that women are setting higher standards for relationships and are less willing to settle for less than ideal partners. And then, lastly, personal fulfillment Personal fulfillment and the pursuit of individual goals are becoming increasingly important priorities for women. So the only reason I'm trying to share this with you is, like I said, it's being talked about not just here but in other countries, that things are changing, and I just want to put it out there to my single ladies that it doesn't mean oh, I got to run out and get myself a husband right now. Okay, I'm not saying that. What I am saying is and I'm using this as an example that I've actually experienced with some of my single women friends is that if you have a running list, it's okay. If you want to look at that list and think to yourself is this a deal breaker? Can I be flexible with this? Does he have to be 6'4" tall, dark and handsome? This kind of job makes this much money, etc. It's okay to maybe consider some other important aspects like okay, do we have the same interests? Do we have the same hobbies? Do we have the same values? Values In one of my podcasts a while back, I talked about this book that my daughter was reading and sharing with me.

Speaker 1: 11:33

Oh gosh, I would have to go back to that podcast to title it and tell you, but it was like the hundred questions that you and your partner should ask one another before getting married and it was very much in line with what I just mentioned. Values, maybe you know, is family important to you? Just important questions. Family important to you? Just important questions. Not necessarily basing it on the amount of money that the man makes or the physical appearance, because there are so many more things. I'll use myself.

Speaker 1: 12:19

For example, I definitely had a running list of during my dating season before I got married, and some of the things that were not necessarily on that list were does he have emotional finances? And very specifically like what is your knowledge of finances? Who handled the finances you know during if that person was married, or that sort of thing. I didn't really delve deep into the more important things, let's put it that way, and I'm just using these things as examples. I'm not saying my husband doesn't have this or I don't have this. I'm just saying I can tell you off the top of my head my list was spiritual, romantic, open to reading the love language book, same hobbies and interests, family oriented family oriented I don't even think I had things that are actually important to me that I'm laughing out loud like good hygiene or knows, or likes cooking neat and tidy or total slob. Again, I'm rambling off examples, but hopefully you ladies are picking up what I'm putting down in that, as we get older are chances of finding someone of like-minded interest and wanting a partner that we like and we're not going. I got to settle for the older guy because the guys my age don't want me. Me and bear in mind you could say to yourself well, I work out, I take good care of my skin, I'm healthy, I cook, I clean all of those things. But I have to tell you, lady ladies, there's always going to be someone out there that is prettier, takes better care of her body, takes better care of her skin, especially if they are in a high profile position, because you can afford to do all those things, and so can all of those other ladies in those high power positions, can all of those other ladies in those high power positions. So just keep that in mind.

Speaker 1: 15:29

I know this is probably going to be a controversial topic that I'm discussing, but I thought it was important that I do discuss it because it's being talked about everywhere China, singapore, uk, us. There's a reason that they did this study and it's being talked about. So, ladies, we need to think about are we being too particular? It's one thing to have standards. It's another to be so choosy looking for the perfect man that a great man might pass you by because, nope, he didn't check all the boxes on your very specific list. That's all I'm saying. So I want to make sure that I and I do hope that this is such a controversial topic that you are open to texting in your ideas, your thoughts, your feedback, your difference of opinion, because that's why we talk about these things right?

Speaker 1: 17:12

So, for this Mindful Monday, this is something that I think a lot of us need to be mindful of is are we aware of the statistics we're looking at and how the world is changing, and are we narrowing that gap by creating a list of a man that may or may not be out there? Are we being realistic with ourselves and also just thinking about okay, there's nothing wrong with being career driven. I just think it's a good thing for us to be mindful about and aware of. Well, I'm getting to this age and these men are too old, so I need to bridge the gap. That's what I'm trying to say. Gap, that's what I'm trying to say. So I want to make sure I give a shout out to my loyal listeners and subscribers. Thank you so much to Kyle Few, who is a loyal subscriber, friend, basically he's family. He has an awesome book out that I talk about in all my podcasts. If you haven't listened to it, you haven't gotten the Audible. I highly recommend you do.

Speaker 1: 18:34

Commitment to love. Love is a verb. It's not just for people that are couples or married, it can be for a single person. In fact, if you are single, I do recommend that you read it, because he goes into talking about self-love and, let's face it, we have to have self-love in order for someone else to love us right? So thank you to Kyle Few. Also to Lisa Roberts Curbelo, thank you so much for being a loyal listener and subscriber. My heart goes out to you. I saw you over the Happy St Patrick's Day weekend. By the way, happy St Patrick's Day, duh. Hope you didn't get pinched and if you did, I hope it was just the way you like it. Um, lisa's going through something, so just want to send us a special warm thought out to her. Also, mike Kaufman, thank you. Or. He's sick of hearing about my problems and wants me to move on to more important, moving, helpful topics, so hopefully this one fit the bill for you, jeff.

Speaker 1: 20:19

I also like to boast and brag about my loyal listeners out there. To boast and brag about my loyal listeners out there Dory Travis, lisa, samina, carly Rain, andrew I'm going down the list Sarahless. Others Also want to give a special shout out to my friends, kara and Tom, that have an amazing Etsy store that I'm constantly bragging about that. I'm constantly bragging about Kara and Tom have different styles on their Etsy Instagram. So Kara lovemyartistetsycom has some beautiful artwork that she creates. She does a lot of digital creations. She also does some beautiful paintings, writes poetry. She has a beautiful custom song lyrics video if you wanted to send that to a family member or friend. And then she's got some great clothing line options real Italian leather boots and a matching bag. Kara, I know I say this every time, but I am making it my mission in life to get these boots and matching bag. I simply must have them. Purple, white, black zebra what's not to love about all those things? So I highly recommend you check out her Ets rustic, a lot of wood, metals, wall decor, that sort of thing. And he has an Etsy store as well with a lot of great things, and his Etsy store is miners, pick, miners, pick, dot, miners, pick, studios, dot etsy. His is a more rustic style a lot of woodwork, metal, hanging, hanging art, ornaments, dream catchers, laser engraved things. Also a really talented gentleman. So between the two of them, they are a perfect pair.

Speaker 1: 23:44

And I'm trying to think if I've left anyone out, if I left you out. Oh, barry, thank you for listening and being a loyal listener. I would love to mention my daughter, brooklyn, and Brandon. Quite frankly, I never know when they listen. If they listen. Yeah, I think that's about it, so I'm going to wrap things up. Thank you so much for tuning in and listening. Oh, you know what? I did want to give a special shout out to somebody. So last week, dory and Debra sent me some lovely feedback of their take on my podcast. So shout out to Debra Lynn Woodliffe. She sent me a lovely message of how much she loved my podcast. Thank you, I love hearing that. And, dory, thank you to you too, and please feel free to share your feedback on my podcast page.

Speaker 1: 24:51

If you text in which, no matter what platform you're listening to, which, no matter what platform you're listening to, I can be heard on YouTube, amazon Music, spotify, apple Podcastle, deezer, podchaser, soundcloud. There's countless others and I can never. I mean, if I recited them all, it would take up another few minutes, which I'm not going to do, but you get the idea. But there is an option where you can send a text or text in to send a fan mail, and it gives me the opportunity to talk about you, talk about your business. Maybe you have a topic idea that you'd like me to discuss and share in my podcast.

Speaker 1: 25:43

Maybe you want to be a guest on my podcast, which brings me segue into my next request, which is I'm always looking for subscribers and or sponsors, and for as little as a cup of coffee, you can subscribe to my podcast and what I do in return is I talk about you, your business, whatever you have. That's important for me to share with the world and, as far as sponsors go, that helps me to build my brand so that I can get a podcast camera and actually be seen and heard. That is my goal. I already have listeners in the UK and Canada, but I want to expand even more. I have much bigger dreams for this podcast, so I would love your help in this endeavor. So thank you for tuning in, ladies and gentlemen. I appreciate you so much. Please remember to like, follow, share. It means a lot and you're helping me grow by doing so. Until next time, ciao for now.