You’re thinking, ‘Enough is enough!’ You’re tired of dating men who refuse to commit; or are still sadly single; or just can’t understand why the men your parents are introducing you to have the personality of a tree.

You’re looking for your True Love aka The One aka Mr Right and are (secretly) desperate for help. Well, Mr Love’s not going to come knocking on your door at exactly the moment you want him to, but here are some tips that could help him hurry!

Whatchya lookin’ for?

Keep an open mind. If you imagine your Prince Charming will look and behave exactly like Hrithik Roshan, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.

Make a list of things you’re looking for in your Mr Right, such as maybe he should be tall, sensitive, have a great sense of humour, be a close-to-his-family kinda man, or maybe the type of guy who loves buying you expensive presents.

Then make a list of points you’re ready to compromise on, like it’s alright if he hasn’t got a Masters degree like you, or that he drinks/smokes, or that he would like you to give up your job to look after the house once you’re married.

Once you know what you’re looking for, it will be that much easier to identify Prince Charming.

Ditch the singles

If you insist on finding love on your own, quit hanging out with your single and ready to mingle girlfriends because a) you’re ALL looking for eligible men, why do you want the extra competition?; and b) it’s not like you’re really going to give the dweeb who accosts you at the bar, the time of day! It’s not an Indian dating ritual!

Instead hang out with the girls that are already married or at least seeing someone – their boyfriends'/husbands' circle of friends should include someone who catches your attention.

Flirt like mad

Once you’ve zeroed in on an eligible bachelor, get to know him better. A little innocent flirting should let him know that you’re interested. Laugh at his jokes, hold his gaze for a few seconds longer than necessary, listen attentively, and smile!

This could even work if you’re meeting a guy the parents have introduced you to. After all, if you like him, you will laugh at his jokes and you will smile happily, if not shyly, right?

Kissing frogs

Don’t get disheartened if Eligible Bachelor No 1 turns out to be not-so-eligible. After all, you always end up kissing a couple of frogs (either literally or figuratively) when you’re dating or meeting a guy in an arranged scenario.

At least you’ll be able to add some more qualities/points to your lists!

Finally, spot your prince

He’s lurking about somewhere, just waiting to sweep you off your feet! In the mean while, enjoy the hunt.

You and your boyfriend/ new husband are planning on having sex for the first time and you’re worried about being able to satisfy him. Well, you are not alone. He has his own set of sex stressors too. Here are five possible worries in his head:

Pleasing you

He wants to make sure you have a good time in bed, after all, if you’ve done the deed before, you will be comparing him with your ex and he doesn’t want to come up short. And even if it’s your first time, he doesn’t want to be the guy who puts you off sex! Or at least think it’s not worth the effort. So, even though he has done it many times before he wants to be great with you.

Premature pressures!

It could all end too early too. If he reaches climax too soon, you won’t be a happy person. He’s hoping that this won’t happen too often, because he doesn’t want to be labeled selfish or worse, inadequate. He wants to keep you happy too.

Size matters?

He has heard it doesn’t, but what if he is wrong? He doesn’t want to leave you dissatisfied. “Size does not matter. It is the way you do it that makes all the difference,” explains Dr Hemant Kumar, a sexologist.

Erection woes

Foreplay has been going on for way too long as far as you are concerned. You want to speed things up but he just can’t get it up! This can be one of his worst nightmares. In case you plan to have sex, make sure your partner is relaxed and comfortable.

Faking it

According Dr Kumar, it is not easy to tell when a woman is faking an orgasm. However, no man would appreciate you lying to him about your (s)experience with him. If you didn’t enjoy it, tell him what he could do to make things better the next time. Now that you know his worries, share yours with him, and gear up for a wild undercover romp!

Want your marriage to last longer? Then choose a husband who is five years older than you (or a wife who is 5 years younger, if you are a guy) and from the same cultural background, suggest experts from the Geneva School of Business.

They claim this formula increases the chances of having a long and happy marriage by a fifth.

How to be a happy couple

One couple that seems to fit the criteria is the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh. At 83, the Queen is four years and 10 months younger than the Duke and they share the same Royal background as Philip was a member of both the Greek and Danish royal families.

Of the 1,074 couples looked at aged between 19 and 75, the report concluded that the wife should be 27 per cent more intelligent than her husband, hold a degree while he should not.

However, marrying a divorcee reduced the chance of marital bliss.

"If people follow these guidelines in choosing their partners they can increase their chances of a happy, long marriage by up to 20 per cent," the dailymail.co.uk quoted lead researcher Nguyen Vi Cao as saying.

For marital bliss

Another study has revealed that married couples are their happiest two years, 11 months and eight days after tying the knot. The research team asked 4,000 spouses to pinpoint their happiness during married life and calculated the time period when wedded bliss began.

The study showed that just under three years was the time when couples feel completely comfortable with each other's bad habits and have a clear plan for their future.

The couples enjoy a full and active sex life and have carried out enough DIY for their house to feel homely and still find time for romantic meals together.

"Three years after walking down the aisle and everything seems to come together - making each other laugh the most and cuddle up in front of the TV," said Carol Richardson of wedding website www.confetti.co.uk that carried out the research.

"They'll also spend the longest amount of quality time together each evening and make small gestures like offering to cook dinner and help with the washing up.

Secrets to a happy marriage

"But there's no reason why you can't have a long and happy marriage if you stick to the guidelines our study also revealed. We're found the secret to the happiest time together isn't about big, expensive and lavish gifts but being there for each other to share special moments."

The study also found they enjoy their best sex, romantic meals and nights out with mates partying after two years and four months.

Wives are likely to receive a respectable number of flowers, chocolates and compliments two-and-a-half years into their marriage.

Men helping with household chores like cleaning and cooking peaks just before the third anniversary, while big arguments will be a distant memory three months later.

Researchers also found couples who stay faithful spend 24 minutes a day having a heart-to-heart each evening and never go to bed after a falling out.

Now compromise, and all the baggage that clings to the verb, tends to spook the Indian bride. How much should she give in? Or should she give in at all? After all, she's educated, financially independent and if need be, can stand on her own.

Yet, considering the kind of social structure we live in, bending a little to fulfill her role as a daughter-in-law and wife hasn't hurt a girl yet.
In fact, there are several reasons why 'Compromise' isn't (and shouldn't be) a dirty word in the Indian woman's dictionary. Here's why:

Happy in-laws = happy husband

Since hers was a love marriage, Sheetal J knew from the get-go that she'd have to work hard to get her more conservative Marwari in-laws to adjust to her.
That's why, the 25-year-old business consultant decided to take a break from work to play the role of a traditional daughter-in-law. Explaining her decision, Sheetal said, "We have to learn to balance the conservative with the modern. And to be happy all I had to do was take a step to reach out to my in-laws - for me, one step was to wear a sari at home for a couple of months."

She added that it was the simplest gesture she could make to reach out to her husband's parents, and it definitely made her in-laws, and therefore her husband, happy. "It's easier for someone with an open mind to adapt than to try and change someone with a conservative mindset. Eventually, my in-laws figured that I was uncomfortable in a sari, and they said it was okay if I didn't wear one. So, though I got what I wanted, I made sure they were okay with it," Sheetal said.

"The main thing is making the effort."

It keeps the family together

Getting married is all about give and take, as Nikita Kothari learnt. A practicing Jain, Nikita 25, never thought she'd marry a meat-eating Punjabi. "I'd always grown up thinking I'd marry a nice Gujju boy my parents chose for me. So deciding to marry someone who practiced what my religion strictly forbade was very a very big decision… I'd say it was a compromise between my love and my religious principles."

Yet her willingness to change her lifestyle - dressing more conservatively, and changing her profession to allow her to balance her home and work life better - meant her in-laws encouraged her to practice her own religion. This in turn, didn't make Nikita think she sacrificed too much.

It means you find you happy ending

The Prince Charming of your reality isn't always the same as the BMW-driving hero of your dreams. A girl's got to give in somewhere, to find her happily ever after. For Minotee Dutta, 27, compromise meant moving to a new city.

For her, the move from Mumbai to Bangalore was a huge and scary change. "My parents chose my partner for me. So not only did I have to deal with adjusting into a new family, but also settling into a totally foreign place and learning a new language. Initially, it was a big adjustment," said the mother-of-one, adding, "Of course, I'm happy now! I don't know if I would have been happier married to someone in my hometown, anyway."

Expert speak

"In the closest relationships of one's life compromise is a very ill-fitting word. There is no space for compromise," said Dr Rajiv Anand, a Mumbai-based psychiatrist and marriage counselor."When we enter into a relationship, we have to surrender to it and accept the whole. After all, you're not obliging [your partner]."

Deciding that marriage is worth making an adjustment or two isn't such a bad thing, is it? What do you think? Leave us a comment and let us know.