I find that a lot of online dating advice seems to push forth this fact that you should stop caring about dating entirely and accept and become happy being alone. While I'm not necessarily saying this is bad advice, I think it's somewhat unrealistic and somewhat difficult to accept (atleast for me).

I think it's very natural to desire a relationship and want to not be alone and that's something that probably >80% of people will agree with me on (as long as you're not aromantic or asexual or something). Many people I know, including those in relationships, would be very unhappy with the fact of living alone for the rest of their lives. Honestly, just thinking about that future for me sounds so depressing. I can't imagine being single for the rest of my life and feel a constant desire for something and watch as hundreds of people get the thing I want, as I continue to grow old and I lose all my friendships as they continue to invest in their own family life.

I believe you can be happy being single, but you can also want more than that and you should be putting effort into more than that if you want to get into a relationship with someone you really like. Funnily enough, many people who do not desire relationships also do not get in them. I don't remember the exact stats but I recall seeing how if you don't want to get married there's like a less than 5% chance that you will ever get married.