Your rating is a bit low for a 8 woman, since she would be looking for a 8 or higher. Do you have a high enough income to offset that difference?
I LOVE the honesty of this post.
I've been single a long time and have known a lot of singles. Almost every single I talk to wants to marry "up" on the scale -- if they're a 6, they want an 8, 9, or 10. If they see themselves as a 10, they want a 15.
A few people will say they're willing to accept someone around the same level as themselves.
But I don't think I've EVER heard anyone say they want someone who rates below them. (And I have to be honest with myself as well... I'd look for someone on the same level and go from there.) Now I realize this encompasses a lot of things. Part of what I consider to be "on the same level" for myself means he won't be an alcoholic (been there, done that, have the lost years of my life to prove it.)
People like to talk about looking at the heart, and I'm sure many people sincerely do, but at the end of the day, Christians are like the rest of the world in that most want someone who rates high, and usually high-er, on certain scales than they do.
Shoot, we Christians even believe this is what God WANTS for us, because He wants ONLY THE BEST for us, and surely THE BEST must mean exactly what we want for ourselves. (It's a tough day when one finds out that God's best for them might differ -- a lot -- from what they see as being the best for themselves.)
For instance, I've been reading that older women who have been widowed or presumedly had a "good" divorce settlement (getting a house and money, etc.) are starting to be seen as "prizes" -- to men who don't want to work, or want to be taken care of.
I recently read a fictional book in which one girl is described as looking kind of like a hillbilly ragamuffin, but she conned her way to wealth because, "She liked pretty boys, and she knew pretty boys cost money."
The hard truth of is, if you're behind someone in one area, you'll very much most likely need to make up for it by being exceptional in another area (and for many, that seems to be finances.)