There are more than 700,000 singles in Houston, which, if you do a very particular sort of math, means that, as a Houston single, you have somewhere around a one in 700,000 chance of finding your soul mate. How do you feel about those odds? The bad news: the odds are pretty steep. The good news: your soul mate is out there. You just need a way to find them.

The sea of dating possibilities for Houston singles is fraught with peril - bad weather and sea monsters assail you at every turn - and we've come up with a number of excuses to avoid even taking the chance. We're too busy with work, we're tired of the bar scene, or we would rather beat ourselves silly with the flat end of a shovel before we go on one more blind date.

Online dating was supposed to solve this problem, but then we started inventing excuses to keep up with the advancing technology - everyone lies, everyone posts phony pictures, you can't really get to know someone over the Internet, etc, etc. And while it is certainly true that online dating services have been plagued with the less-than-truthful, is it really that different from the guy in the dark, smoky bar claiming to be a millionaire, doctor, or lion tamer just to improve his short-term image?

There are a number a of online dating sites that offer Houston singles personality matching services to help you get control of your dating vessel. The idea is simple - let a computer analyze your answers and match you up with Houston singles who share a certain number of similarities. Doesn't that just sound all logical and romantic?

But is there a problem with letting a computer tell you that sort of thing? While a computer could certainly be trusted to decide which direction is north, maybe we should think twice before letting it steer our ships through all the rocks and shoals that make things a little treacherous. More than that, would you ever let a computer tell you that "North is where you want to go. Trust me. If there was anywhere in the whole world you ought to go, it would be north."

So as Houston singles navigating the dank and murky waters we affectionately call dating, why would we let a computer tell us: "This is the person you should be with. Trust me. Out of 700,000 Houston singles, this is the one you ought to be with."

As we skirt the shallow waters of physical attraction, and waves of fear of commitment toss us wildly about, what do Houston singles need to do to reach to sandy shares of relationship bliss?

First, you need to know where those shores are. You have to approach the shallow waters carefully and know exactly where you're going. No computer can tell you what attracts you are attracted to. Only you can decide that.

Next, you can use of accurate personality tests that online dating sites like Heavenly Matched offer. But remember, they can help point you north, but only you can decide if you want to make the journey. You've still got the helm, but a reliable compass can make sure you don't get lost along the way.

An online dating site that can provide Houston singles both the ability to specify your exact preferences and provide accurate personality profiling will be a powerful tool in your dating life.