I do not actually know what I want in a partner. Where do I start?

Your list of "kind, educated, family-oriented" feels meaningless because it describes almost everyone and helps you exclude no one. This generic aspiration is precisely why you struggle to tell a good match from a bad one. To find clarity, stop thinking about what you *aspire* to find and start reflecting on what you *cannot live with*. Instead of broad strokes, draw specific criteria from your past experiences, or from observing relationships around you. For instance, if you’ve witnessed a partner consistently disregard a spouse's opinion in family matters, you now know you need someone who actively listens and values your input. Or perhaps you encountered someone who subtly tried to control your finances or isolate you from friends, even if they seemed "kind" on the surface – a dynamic where the genders in this illustration could be effortlessly reversed, and the underlying issue would remain the same. Distinguish clearly between a preference and a requirement. You might *prefer* a partner with a specific career path, but you *require* someone who supports your own ambitions, even if it means adjusting family expectations. A preference is something that would be nice to have; a requirement is a deal-breaker, something that fundamentally impacts your well-being or shared future. This kind of deep self-reflection isn't easy, and it takes time and courage to confront uncomfortable truths about what truly matters to you. But until you define these personal boundaries, every introduction will feel like a gamble.