You can do a hobby or hang with friends without dating. Are you trying to make dating a "life requirement"? I have been with women (sometimes overlapping) ever since I started dating. In 1981. It's the type of thing where I kind of wish I had at least 1-year to myself since then. At 45 today, I love where I am at (a moderately funcational family of four). However, I have a few guys who I have worked with who stayed single and pursued their own life-goals with dating mixed in here and there but didn't serial-date. I kind of wish I had the strength to do that years ago.

If you want a partner in life - work hard. Really hard. To find someone who is compatible with your baggage. Everyone has baggage and you want to find someone who is entirely comfortable with yours. Be able to push away those who aren't compatible without fear and also without remorse. It may be cold but you do yourself a favor by being more selective than less selective.

Key to life - being happy with yourself "because" of yourself. You shouldn't need others to let yourself be happy. Go on a 3-mile hike alone and see if you can find that part of yourself you really love and feed that part of you with as much fertilizer as you can.