Things To Know Before You Go on a Date
Congrats! You scored a hot date. Now it's time to make sure you setup the big day just right. You want to have the right mindset and the right tools to make it a success. You need a vision in mind before you blindly meet someone at a bar. Blind dates are old fashioned, you can vet people far better through the Internet.
1. If you are questioning whether you want to go on a date with someone you met online, talk with a friend. Show them some of your conversations and the person’s pictures. Friends can be objective and blunt here, making sure you don’t date the wrong person. They might also encourage you to keep looking or they might have your back and tell you that you found a winner.
2. Do some stalking. See what you can find on this person’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or even YouTube account. Since this person isn’t in your naturally occurring social network, you’ll need to see if they might already be in a relationship or have some loose screws you don’t want to deal with. Also, this is a good way to find out if they have any mutual friends with you, which should give you an idea of what kind of person they are.
3. Google their name. You could type their name into the “news” section on Google and their town and see if any news sources come up. This way if they’ve done any interesting crimes or something much sweeter in their community, it’ll come up to the top.
4. Google their phone number. This could also pop up some interesting things.
5. Pick a set time with them, a set place, and set your own transportation. You need to tell a friend that you’re going on an online date too, that way people know you are safe. I encourage coffee or brunch because it’s easy, usually flattering, and you can actually hear the person. Don’t get in a car with a total stranger. When you meet people in person, it can be a lot different than when texting or going through a social media profile. You might notice something you really don’t like, so you’ll be thankful you took care of your own transportation.
6. Remember to keep it positive. Even if it doesn’t turn into a five star wedding with all your best friends attending, you should treat the date with respect. Have fun, be nice, and don’t hurt feelings just for the sake of it. You may learn really quick the person makes for a good friend.
7. Don’t just sit on your butt the whole week before your date. Go after your hobbies, do something fun, and stay active. You’ll need something to talk about, and if you’ve been a bum all week, you might come off boring if your only conversation topic is Netflix.
8. Make sure that if you are going on different dates that you do them in different places. Doing all the dates the same way with each person will make it confusing on your brain.
9. Shower, gussy up, and pamper yourself. Do some meditation, yoga, or prayer beforehand to keep your nerves cool. If coffee makes you anxious, then skip the coffee. It’s okay to be a little nervous. You should be having a good time even if you are not happy or have a future with your date. Life is too short to make a big deal out of these things. (Playing it cool also gives you better odds.)
10. Lay off the alcohol. Save drinking alcohol when you are out with your besties, buddies, or bros.
11. Don’t plan too much before or after the date in case it goes well and you want more time.
12. Don’t go on and on about your exes and people you once upon a time made out with. The sooner you realize no one cares about that stuff, the better for you to not care about it either.
13. Read through their profile, don’t just date based on looks. Reading their profile will help you to come up with good conversation topics. And let you know if you have similar interests.
14. Don’t write back long, engaging essays right from the start. Unless you have a really sincere talent for humor, otherwise something that deep from the start will weird them out.
15. Go with offbeat questions, not too serious and forward of questions -- like how many kids do you want? When was the last time you thought about your ex and cried? And what was the most tearful funeral you attended? -- These questions are bad.
Today:1
