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Kenneth Chesney -
I've been where you are. I put all of my hopes and dreams on an "ideal mate", and kept saying things like "when I find him, THEN I'll ______."
But let me explain what happens when you do find them. Life is amazing for 6 - 8 months. After that, all of those personal problems that were still lurking only became magnified under the microscope of a serious relationship, because now the person you love is witnessing you deal with them.
I am the perfect example for your expressions of loneliness. I always thought... "when I have a partner, I will no longer be lonely." But during our first year of marriage, when my partner was busy most days setting up a dental practice and too exhausted to go out and do things afterwards, I was lonelier than I ever was to begin with, because now I was married and couldn't go out and just get attention whenever I wanted it. So I finally had to learn to deal with it in healthier ways that wouldn't manifest bitterness or resentment, and now my husband had to watch me learn how to handle it, which as difficult. When someone you love sees the a less attractive side of you, it can be incredibly painful.
So when you build a relationship in which you expect your partner to MAKE you happy, it's a recipe for failure. In that example, I was under the assumption that my partner should MAKE me feel less lonely. But he was busy providing and setting up a future for me (for us!) He was giving love in a way that I was not receiving it, so I had to re-tune myself to understand that he was trying, but in a different way.
Bottom Line: Nobody can make you happy or less lonely or fix any problems you suffer personally. It's unrealistic for so many reasons, and if you don't understand that, you'll never be able to have a healthy, interdependent relationship.
Human beings are complicated creatures. Somehow in our minds, we think adding one into our life will ONLY help us, but the truth is, it only complicates things further. To make it work, you have to be a sustainable, independent adult so that you can address both YOUR problems and any problems that arise in the relationship. Otherwise, the relationship is a dependent one, and eventually something will break.
If you've never had a serious relationship, none of that may make sense. But I'm telling the truth. You need to learn to be happy on your own first. Don't prolong your life and don't expect someone to come along and fix your problems, because it doesn't happen that way. I totally get that you're lonely, I've been there, but the more sustainable you become on your own, the better your relationship will be with someone in the future. Somehow, life only gets harder when you have a partner because you can't always have your way. Enjoy it now!
EDIT: This was directed not just to you, but to everyone. I only hope to share in my experience if only to spare others from making the same mistakes. But please understand, I do sympathize.