Her is an article by Larry Ferguson published in the Pikes Peak Bulletin yesterday, February 12, 2015.
HAPPY VALENTINE”S DAY!!!!
By Larry Ferguson
If you think love is blind, you need to have a long talk with Donna Shugrue. She’s been bringing together people who are looking for love for almost three decades, and she’ll tell you it pays to keep your eyes open when it comes to building a lasting relationship.
“It’s so much more than physical attraction, which is important but not everything” she said. “When someone is with a person who thinks like they do — and there’s also physical attraction — the chances of success are much greater.”
Shugrue is the owner and founder of Perfectly Matched in downtown Colorado Springs, currently the only locally based dating service in Colorado Springs. At the heart of her services is what she refers to as a compatibility and personality profile test that features 49 statements with which clients 1. clearly agree 2. slightly agree 3. are neutral 4. slightly disagree 5. clearly disagree.
None of the statements is right or wrong; rather, each is designed to measure how a person feels about certain areas.
“It’s a tool that enables me to match people with similar outlooks,” she said.
A few sample statements:
“Worrying too much about money spoils happiness.”
“People who do good to others will be rewarded in an afterlife.”
“Each month I balance my checkbook carefully.”
“A big party is more fun than a quiet evening at home.”
“I believe in the theory of evolution.”
The test helps measure six main areas: temperament, sociability, conformity, affection, religion and finance.
“It’s no coincidence that couples with the most compatible scores are usually more successful in their relationship,” Shugrue said.
The belief that “opposites attract” is not conducive to a successful relationship except in the area of temperament, she said.
“Two people who are low in temperament are going to butt heads and fight,” she said, “while two people who are too easy going don’t address important issues. In other areas, though, the more couples think alike, the better the chances of building a lasting relationship.”
Shugrue launched her career as a professional matchmaker in 1987.
“I was going through a divorce and had to find a job,” she said,. “I worked awhile for two national dating companies in Denver, but soon decided I wanted to do my own thing. I knew I had some talent as a matchmaker because I had been at it since high school when I’d tell people “I know somebody who would be a good match for you.’
“For me it was something I got into because of necessity, and I found a niche I hadn’t thought about before as a business.”
Since she opened Perfectly Matched, more than 700 of her clients have gotten married.
“I go to a lot of weddings,” she said with a smile.
Her busiest time of year is not, as you might expect, around Valentine’s Day. Rather it’s the months of October, November and January.
“When the holidays are coming, people want someone special in their lives,” she said. “And January is the time for New Year’s resolutions and new starts. People quickly forget about Valentines’ Day when it’s over. It’s not Valentine’s Day that makes someone pick up the phone and call me.”
In addition to the profile test, Shugrue collects a variety of other information from her clients in order to find a compatible match for them. One of the questionnaires, for instance, asks, “How long ago was your last serious relationship? How long was it? Who ended it?”
Another form asks clients to briefly describe what they envision to be an ideal relationship, while another asks them to describe in writing moments in their lives that they will always remember.
Smoking, drinking, kids, pets, education, income and intellectual compatibility are also hot-button issues that needed to be explored.
“Smoking is the biggest limiting factor when it comes to matching people,” she said. “Nonsmokers today will not meet with smokers, period.”
Shugrue has some advice when it comes to the number one thing many people are looking for in a partner — physical attractiveness.
“I would say give it more than a nano second of consideration,” she said, “because it can be very limiting. Instead of saying ‘He’s got to have this or she’s got to have that,’ it could be that the blonde, blue-eyed person you’re looking for is really a brunette with brown eyes.
“I come from the opposite direction when I’m matching people. I want to identify the things that really matter. When clients first meet through me, they don’t see a photo but instead get a physical description. They meet for an hour, and afterward share their feedback with me.
For additional information about Perfectly Matched or to take the free compatibility test, go to Shugrue’s website at www.perfectlymatcheddating.com. For a no obligation interview, call 260-1000.
To be continued………….