Dating has changed over the years, and so have the rules of dating. That is why we have created this list of top 10 dating tips. It is hard to know what to do or where to go to meet that special someone. Before dating was a matter of meeting someone and hitting it off or not. From there you would get or give an invitation to dinner and the rest was history. Nowadays dating involves everything from online dating to speed dating cafes, phone apps for messaging and apps for finding your perfect match. So, where do you go and what should you expect from your dates? It is hard to know anymore without some help. For that reason, we have compiled a list of the top 10 dating tips to help you traverse this thing called dating.
1) Accept Old Fashioned or New Age
In a world where the balance of male/ female equality is important and each side fights to hold onto their own identity and show their power, dating can be troublesome. This is never more evident than when it comes time to pay the bill on your after an otherwise fantastic date. So, who pays? Well, this should not be a spoiler for any date, especially the good ones.
Rule of thumb, make sure you have the money to cover the bill. No, this does not mean you have to pay the whole bill, but better safe than sorry. There are three possibilities for paying the bill. He will pay, she will pay, or you will go Dutch and each pay your own meal. If he wants to pay, let him. If she wants to pay okay. As long as the bill gets paid it shouldn’t matter who paid for it. This is not the time nor the place to flex your equality muscle.
2) Just Have Fun
Tip number two is the most important rule of dating, have fun. If you do not have fun while you are dating, what is the point in it? Enjoy yourself because life is short and you don’t want to live it alone. Going into a date with a set outcome will take the fun out of the date before it even starts. It is no longer a date, it is a task to be completed.
On the other hand, if you go into your date with no expectations as to the outcome and a positive outlook to having a good time, you probably will. Even if you don’t proceed to a second date, you will at least have had a good time. This is what dating is all about. Having a good time and not having to do it alone. Having fun is the most enjoyable of the top 10 dating tips.
3) Think Outside the Box
Thinking outside the box is a useful habit to get into. Whether for a job or in this case dating. What do we mean by this? Well, the best way to explain this is to do things you would not normally do on a date. Instead of going to dinner, go play mini-golf. Instead of watching a movie, play video games. Here is a great site to play retro video games on your date Classicreload.com. Show your competitive side and again have fun with it.
Thinking outside the box can also mean that you just wing it. Meet up with your date and discuss what you want to do. Maybe you can come up with a combined plan that will turn out better than any planned date ever would. Find the fun in life and live it together because we all know it is more enjoyable that way.
4) Show Spontaneity
Following the out of the box, mindset has to be spontaneity. Don’t live by a schedule. Find a way to make each day or in this case each date count. Go to the beach when it is chilly and just stare at the waves by a fire. Go for a walk when it is raining. Your inner child will love you for it and your date will get to see the real you. Who knows they might really like what they see.
A great idea for this is to send a date message using nothing but emojis. Make it an adventure to figure out what is planned for the day/night. Here is a really great site to get unique emojis for this type of messaging: http://japaneseemoticons.me/love-emoticons/. If this idea doesn’t sound like it is your style come up with some other ideas to liven up your outings. When all else fails, jump in the car and see where the road takes you. Make a day trip of driving to nowhere in particular. Grab a bite to eat at whatever restaurant you find along the way and then head home.
5) Leave Stereotypical at the Door
Dating tip number 5 is a hard one for many people. Leave the stereotypical at the door. Meaning leave the expectations out of dating. Too many people go into dating looking to find that one person they can love and spend the rest of their lives with. This is a nice goal to set for your life but should not be what you are thinking about while dating. You should just be enjoying yourself. Remember rule number 2, just have fun with it.
When you go into your date with these types of stereotypical ideas you open yourself up to a whole world of disappointment. The worst part is, it probably won’t even be caused by your date, but you. Yes, you read that right. By creating these types of expectations, you go into a date waiting for certain things to happen. In doing so you miss out on what the date really offered. So, do yourself a favor, don’t expect anything going into a date. That way when something marvelous happens you will be able to enjoy it instead of waiting for some expectation to happen. Following this on the top 10 dating tips is sure to help your date be more successful.
6) Look in All the Wrong Places
Okay, I know how this sounds but it is true. This goes back to thinking outside the box. When you are looking for someone to go on a date with think of new places. Like online chat rooms like this one http://www.chatib.us/user/chatroom/Singles-Chat-Room where you can chat with other singles looking to have fun. This is a new concept for many and yeah it can be scary. No more so than dating itself though. The concept is the same as messaging and we all do that every day. This way though, you might get a nice meal out of it.
Check out online chat rooms and dating sites. Just chat and have fun. If you find someone who piques your interest get to know them better. One word of caution though when dealing with online dating, you want to have a throwaway email. An email that is not used on a regular basis. Because you will get spam and a lot of it. This is an easy fix though with email sites like this one: Throwawaymail.com you can have your personal email and one just for chatting with potential friends/dates.
7) Have Patience and Keep Trying
Along with not having expectations you need to have patience. Do not expect dating to be an overnight success. You will have really good dates and horribly bad ones. That is just part of putting yourself out there. There is no way to avoid this. Life is a long string of good and bad events and dating is just a knot in that string.
While these bad dates can make you want to give up and forget the whole dating process, don’t. Get back out there and find someone new. Chalk it up to a learning experience and try again. Rome was not built in a day and love does not happen without effort. So, unless you are one of the lucky 1% who finds your soulmate right out of the gate, you will go on many dates before you find someone you truly click with. Besides, even Tiana had to kiss her from before she found her prince.
8) Be Imperfectly You
This one should be obvious but never really is. When you are dating you need to be yourself. The whole imperfect package that makes you unique. Do not shy away from showing your true nature because in doing so you create a lie you will never be able to maintain. If you start out this way, then the person you are dating is not dating you. They are dating the person you have let yourself become. Being yourself is absolutely one of the most important top 10 dating tips.
The old saying that every lie has its day of truth, applies completely to dating. In pretending to be someone you are not you rob yourself of the true experiences you could have had. What if you met the “one” and ended up losing them because of a lie? This would be no one’s fault but your own. So, show your imperfections and let the world know who you are. They will thank you for it.
9) Speak Your Mind
I know you were all told growing up that if you didn’t have anything nice to say, not to say anything at all. Well, this does not always apply to dating. This is not to say you should be rude, but honesty can be polite. So, speak your mind. If you do not like something tell them. If that food they are crazy about is not suited to your tastes let them know. This will avoid major discomfort and possible embarrassment in the future.
This applies to all aspects of your date. If they ask you what you think of something, tell them. Do not be brutal, just honest. If you do not care for the restaurant, tell them that the atmosphere is nice but you were not crazy about the service. Whatever it is, make it nice but honest. Honesty can never be worse than a lie. Telling the truth in these small things also promotes trust in future big ones. Always speak your mind, and that is possibly the most important of the top 10 dating tips.
10) Be Adventurous, Try New Things
Our final tip for this list is to be adventurous. This includes trying new things. This is not the time of your life to be shying away from something just because you have never done it before. Look what trying new thing got you as a kid. Now you like all of those foods you didn’t want to try. The same concept holds true for many things in life. Go out on those jet skis or jump out of that plane. You might find you enjoy these new things. Then again, if you don’t you will at least have a funny story to talk about the next time you get together.
Being adventurous does not mean you have to do something dangerous. Go hiking someplace you have never been. Just try new things, overcome those fears or just get out of your bubble a bit. This concept goes back to having fun, which of course is the whole point of dating. If you find you are not cut out for your adventure, find a new one. Just live in the moment and make the most of it. This is listed last, but is definitely not the least of the top 10 dating tips.
Final Thoughts
Dating should not be a chore or job to be completed. It should be a fun-filled adventure of a lifetime. Leaving your expectations behind and living in the moment will ensure that you get the most out of each date possible. Remember that it is okay if you don’t have a second date. Just enjoy the one you are on. Tomorrow is another day and you can always find some new adventure to go on. Dating does not mean you quit living your life, just that you have someone to do it with. Or in some cases many people. Each person will bring their own style and adventures to the mix. It is okay to let them take the lead. When you do find that perfect person all of the time you have spent getting to that point will have paid off. So, enjoy the ride along the way to finding your happy ending.
