During my 20s and 30s, I didn't date much. I was completely focused on my career, grad school, and starting a business. I had a lot of fabulous girlfriends who filled my life with fun. 

Before I knew it, I was 40 and still single. I was extremely upset. I didn't understand how this could happen to me. I had boyfriends while growing up. Why were men now so seemingly scarce? Then, something inside me snapped, and I decided to look at this from a new angle. Maybe I was the reason I was still single?

Here are six daily habits of women who find love after forty:

1. They open their heart

First, I worked to open my heart and get my love energy moving. Everyone has loving energy, so I figured if I could be aware of my love, I would be more attractive. I spoke affirmations and did visualizations to see myself as lovable. Research from 2015 confirms that repeating affirmations boosts your self-esteem.

2. They work on their appearance

Andrea Piacquadio / Pexels

I no longer felt desirable as a woman, which chipped away at my self-esteem. I got a great new haircut and bought a bunch of new "date-worthy" clothes.

Within six weeks, a friend called to fix me up with a friend of hers. The inner work was paying off! He wasn't Mr. Right, but he sure was Mr. Right Now; he was just what I needed to feel better about myself. We dated casually for over six months.

When it ended, I went on an incredible man-meeting campaign. I went to dances, and singles events, and ran a few personal ads (before online dating emerged) to meet men with a new attitude. Every week I went out at least once.

3. They shorten their list

Rather than the laundry list I used to have for the right man, I narrowed the list to five must-have qualities:

• He must have a good heart and be a good person.
• He must have a sense of humor and get mine.
• He must be fun to spend time with.
• He must accept me for who I am as I would accept him.
• He must want a long-term relationship.

In addition, he had to be single, emotionally available, attractive, honest, and employed. Okay, ten must-have qualities.

4. They date a bunch of men

Jonathan Borba / Pexels

My shorter list freed me up to date with all kinds of guys. What a blast I had! I dated a heavy equipment operator, a train engineer, a car salesman, a high-tech salesman, an attorney, an architect, a tool and die maker, an insurance salesman, and a postman to name a few. Overall, I dated 30 men in 15 months to meet the man I married, who is a mechanic.

Even though I have an MBA, I didn't insist on my dates being professionals. Dating guys from all walks of life helped me become skilled at interacting with men. 

I no longer got upset by a bad first date or not getting a second date. The more men I dated, the more confident I grew. And even better, I discovered that men find a confident woman very attractive. Research from The Society For Personality and Social Psychology even confirms that men rate confidence as a very attractive trait in a potential partner.

5. They give more men a chance

In the past, if a man didn't fit my perfect picture and wasn't as successful as I was, I'd turn my nose up at him. I didn't meet very many men, so I shut down my options too quickly, leaving me single until I was 40.

My secret this time around was to give men a chance. I got to know them for who they were, and what they had to offer as human beings. I held them up to my 5-part list to determine if I should keep seeing them. 

I became adept at letting go. Even on a first date, if I felt the guy wasn't right, I figured out how to reject him kindly.

6. They don't give up

What worked for me was to keep dating no matter what. Trust me, I got disappointed by men. Sometimes I was at my wit's end. Then, I would meet someone new. Every man I met brought me one step closer to the right man for me.

Finally, I met my husband. We were set up by a friend of a friend, whom I had told about my dating adventures in great detail. Paul was her brother and my last first date. 

I didn't know immediately he was the one. But he was consistent. He had a good heart. He had a sense of humor I enjoyed and was fun to be with. He seemed to get me. Plus, he was really cute.

We just celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary. We are still in love and he's still cute. Recently, I was in my car driving near my house, and I saw Paul walking down the street. My heart fluttered like it had years ago just to see him unexpectedly.

As a dating coach for women over 40, I share my story with you to inspire and tell you what worked for me. Finding love in midlife is completely possible. People fall in love every day. You could be next. Try these tips to open your heart and start meeting men. Build your confidence and skills in interacting with men. Above all, believe everything you do will be worth it once you find love.

Ronnie Ann Ryan is an Intuitive Coach, Past Life Reader, and author of six books. She’s the creator of the free audio course How to Ask the Universe for a Sign and Get an Answer Within 24 Hours. She's been published on ABC, BBC, and NPR.