Personals Work!

Excerpts from:

"A New Approach to Finding Love:  A Guide to the Personals"

By Linda Weltner, Boston Globe Columnist and Author

My friend Grace is a striking, passionate, witty, single, white, 32-year old female with a natural beauty and deep-set hazel eyes....This resourceful, curious, observant, and unassuming woman just happens to be seeking a very bright, health-conscious, financially stable man of integrity, 30-42 and over 5'8".

And she's found him.  Isn't that amazing?

....She's a great catch, but so unassuming, she'd never have been able to say those things about herself without the expertise and encouragement of...Susan Fox who runs a service called Personals Work! .

Grace would never have tried the classifieds without Personals Work! .  The whole process, with its...uncertainties, seemed an overwhelming undertaking to someone naturally shy.  "It's too much to handle on my own," Grace protested...

Susan saw the Personals Work!  role as not only creating an ad that would attract the right men, but teaching Grace the art of "conscious dating."  The Personals Work!  staff helped her make a list of non-negotiable specifications, gave her tips on how to screen and where to meet men who responded, told her what problems she might encounter, and stressed the importance of trusting her gut responses....They even assigned homework...Most importantly, they wrote the ad, wrote her voicemail message script, and chose the publications [now including web-based internet sites] most likely to generate the right responses.

"By the time I left I was definitely feeling more confident," Grace explains.  "It was as if someone had shined a light on a black hole and made it less frightening."

...They suggested I regard the first date as an interview and learn what I should know before investing in a stranger...They helped me see...that the process of selection could be upbeat and positive..."

"It's hard to do this on your own," Grace says.  "Everyone can benefit from skilled coaching.  It really helps to have a support network, or someone knowledgeable to encourage you and help you keep things in perspective."

"I thought there were no mean out there," Grace continues, "but...I'm in love with the seriously wonderful man."

"The important thing is I know there is a healthy relationship out there for me. One of the beauties of this is that it takes away any feelings of desperation.  No matter what, I know I can go on from here and have the relationship I want on my own terms and without anxiety."