Look around your life – you've got a full schedule, interesting hobbies, good friends, and maybe even a long-term project to work on. You've taken time to keep yourself balanced and work out your emotions, and you've acted firmly but ethically in dealing with the ties that bound you and your ex-girlfriend together. In short, you've taken a jumbled pile of feelings, thoughts, and hopes, and built yourself something beautiful with it. Be proud. If you're really beginning to feel good about yourself again, you should feel less and less of a need to contact your ex. Don't try to show her up or rub your new life in her face; she won't care, and you'll look like a jackass. Your achievements should be their own reward. It's a great feeling to finally be enjoying life again, but that's no excuse to stop improving it. Your life will only get better if you keep putting time and effort into making it better; if you don't, you'll end up languishing. Don't think of happiness as a peak to be attained before calling it a day and heading back down; think of it as a prize to be won and carried with you on the rest of your journey. Now that you're truly over your ex-girlfriend enough that you don't look at everything through breakup-colored glasses, you're probably beginning to notice other women again. This is the perfect time to think back on your past relationship one more time, and realize how you've grown.  Examine how your values have shifted. Having gone through a breakup with one type of woman, you probably have a good idea of the things you didn't like about her personality. This means you're probably eying women who have a different personality in that regard, which in turn means that you've learned from your past – a sure sign of personal growth. Realize that you know yourself better than ever before. You've looked into your own heart and sought to understand it. You've tallied your interests and goals, and made new friends without anyone there to affect your presence. In short, you know yourself now in a way that you didn't before. You're more poised, more possessed, and more confident as a result. Think about anything you spend your time on now that your ex would have scorned, laughed at, or not understood. You won't be hiding that part of yourself from the next girl who comes along – and she'll like you more for your forthrightness and unselfconscious attitude. Once you've gotten to the point that you can go a week without getting upset about your breakup, the time has come to put yourself out on the dating market again, if you feel like it. Spending time with someone new can help distract you from thinking about your ex. Remember, if you're looking for a rebound, or the first willing woman who comes along, you're probably not over your ex quite yet. You shouldn't need a girlfriend to validate yourself. Put your best foot forward. You've learned a lot from getting through your breakup, but you'll be pleasantly surprised to see that you've also learned a lot from the time you spent with your ex-girlfriend, too: Once you've truly accepted your breakup, you'll find that your last relationship was a goldmine of useful information for wooing your next crush. Here are a few of the basic things that should come more naturally to you than ever before when trying to pick up a date:  Good hygiene gets you past the first gate. Maintain it religiously. Smile and be animated when you talk to your crush. Take pride in your own life. Women like a man who seems complete even without a companion. Be witty. A quick wit will charm the pants off a woman who's interested enough to pay attention to you – sometimes quite literally. Be good company. Don't be self-conscious in the company of other men; instead, be outgoing and enthusiastic. Show that you have nothing to be afraid of. In purely physical terms, if you and a date hit it off, however fast you want to go is entirely your business, but emotionally speaking, it's important that you ease into your next relationship. Ending a relationship always stings a little, but short relationships sting less if you've managed to keep a clear head. If you find yourself thinking things like “she might be the one,” or constantly talking about her to everyone within earshot, you're probably in too deep – especially if it's only been a few weeks or months. Take a step back and make sure you're actually happy with yourself in general, and not just with the fact that you've managed to get a new girlfriend. Girlfriends aren't just tools for validating your life. On the other hand, don't be afraid of commitment. If you've been dating a girl for a couple of months and you're beginning to feel more attached to her, don't hide it from her – or yourself. There's nothing unusual about it.

Summary:
Be proud of yourself. Maintain your distance. Keep moving forward. Assess your growth. Meet someone new. Don't jump in too quickly.