Over the years I've had the same conversation with men and women of all ages, I believe predominantly these come from the same place ... Fear.
It appears that even before meeting a potential partner a whole list of preconceptions, a bunch of planning for deal with 'what ifs' and as head full of thoughts about how they should be, how they should behave, what they should say are piled on the table.
They are almost done before they even start and that is such a shame and I believe this need not be the case.
I would like to share my answers to these points and those answers are always pretty much the same.
Dating and getting to know someone is suppose to be fun not a task. If you welcome people in to your life with an open mind and heart instead of succumbing to the urge to catergorise them as quickly as possible you maybe surprised in the best way.
Don't try and plan ahead for all of the 'what ifs' you can think of because they may never come to be and many delightful 'what ifs' you haven't imagined may just bring you more happiness than you could have thought.
As for how should you be, you should be wonderful, open, honest you, because the right person for you will love you for the true you. Consider this in reverse, you want to truly know the person you fall in love with so let them experience the same.
So stop plotting, planning, kick fear to the side, be you, get out there and remember dating is suppose to be fun!