Tag Archives: self esteem

How To Not Mess It Up

Incredible! You’ve met someone you actually want to go out with again… and again. Don’t panic. Just because you messed up the last few does not mean you have to mess it up again. Take a deep breath, remember that you’re a catch that anyone would want to bring home to mom and read on…

A really hot, single guy friend of mine suggested this topic and actually led with a few salient points that I thought were so good… I decided to leave them as is. 

1. Slow down the physical and build the anticipation.
2. Keep your commitments to work, friends & plans. 
3. Don’t spend every minute with the person (even though you may want to)
4. Explore common interests but be true to what you actually like to do. Don’t “go along” just to please your person. Yoga, Watching sports, Camping – you will be miserable and a horrible date. Killing their fun and making them resent you.
5. Stay committed to your goals, not just your new relationship.
6. Introduce to your friends, family when appropriate. This can catch a bad decision early.
7. Explore values, life plans, thoughts on kids, etc. early and be brutally honest about what you want. Whatever you step over now will be the reason you break up later…after you invested (or wasted) 2 years of your life.

I know… easier said than done (especially that first one) but these are all great guidelines to keep in mind when you find yourself in a situation that you might deem a “keeper.” I try to keep this rule of thumb in mind at all times: “What you do to catch a person is what you have to do to keep a person.” So, if you change yourself to suit each partner that comes along… you may have a bit of a mess on your hands when you want to go back to “being yourself.”

Most people consider this a topic where the more wisdom, the better. So please add any ideas you may have uncovered in your dating journeys!

Turning Inner Geek into Geek Chic

Unless you are super cool chic and addicted to all that is plastic and trendy, the likelihood of you having a bit of inner geek is pretty high. Come to think of it, some people would count an obsession with trends to be a bit geek as well. I guess that just means that all of us have something a little “uncool” hidden deep within or perhaps proudly sported on the surface. Even Ken and Barbie. I mean really — can we talk anatomical anomalies?

You all know I’m pretty opinionated about non-game-playing and authentic behavior when it comes to dating. And yes, at times you pay for it by losing a game-player or by revealing something to someone that may be a deal-breaker for them. But I hear a lot more stories about people falling in love with someones quirks, peccadilloes or the person behind the masks when they finally get over their fear and reveal the beautifully flawed gem within.

For those readers who have embraced the inner geek and turned it chic… bravo! You may feel free to skip reading this post and move on to another article that may seem a bit more relevant. But for the people maybe hiding something “uncool” from dates and mates or reluctant to just be fully transparent, read on…

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Handling Hurt Feelings

This may be a shocker for those of you who know me or have read this blog for a while, but sometimes its really easy for me to get my feelings hurt, especially when I’m feeling a bit over-exposed. Its like someone decides to sit beside me and “poke” “poke” at the uncovered nerves. Hate it!

So, being the productive human being that I am, I’ve thought through the things I do to try to slap down that nerve poking finger:

Slap Down Option #1: An opportunity to exercise my mental gymnastics in figuring out why that person would do something to make me feel yucky. Perhaps a 50/50 chance of getting rid of the poking finger since this one really only works for me when I can actually figure out something that clears both them and me of any wrong doing or ill intent. Otherwise, it makes for a long day of trying to mind read and second guessing. Typically a time waster. Blech

Slap Down Option #2: Taking a spin through my repertoire of bad words and internal epithets. This one works when there is definite wrong-doing involved and I can villain cast. The only problem…
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Secrets for a More Satisfying Relationship

None of us are perfect, no matter how much self-improvement reading or therapizing we do or don’t do, but there are a few simple changes you can make that will take your relationships to a new level… friendships, dating and marriage.

1. Observe the Golden Rule and be the kind of person you want to attract. Think about it from the quality person’s POV… why would they want to “rehab” or “inspire” someone into being the kind of person that the quality person became on their own steam? In order to respect the other person, the quality person needs to be with someone they chose to respect in the first place. Continue reading

Avoid the First Date Let Down

I’m realizing that the busier my schedule gets and the wiser I become in the ways of dating — online and otherwise — that long, drawn out bouts of emailing and calling without ever meeting can really create an interesting phenomenon. A house of cards built on a foundation of air.

Not only does your romantic stranger “know” more about you than you mother thanks to all those emails and wistful, late night calls… you don’t even know if any real potential exists with this person. That magic “C” word: chemistry. The person may not look like their photos or even remotely live up to the picture of charm, charisma and faux-love you have built up in your heart for this virtual stranger. They may not even smell right when it comes right down to it.

So what do you do when the build up just doesn’t match up? Continue reading

Letting Go of the Control Freak

We meet the control freaks at work and we can’t do much except to learn to work with them or look for other opportunities. We’ve likely all felt the controlling hand of a parent who can’t let go or a friend who thinks they know better than we do. Some of us are the control freaks who don’t know how or when to let go and some of us just date them.

The difference between a “control freak” and someone who is just really organized and detail oriented? Trying to control the thoughts and actions of friends/family/dates/coworkers and being unable to take a big picture view. Does it really matter that the dishwasher isn’t loaded your way and the towels are folded “wrong?” Does it matter more that he brought you the right color roses or that he brought you roses at all?
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How to be more emotionally low maintenance

If you’ve read my post on the definition of “high maintenance,” you know that I don’t think its always a bad thing to be considered “high maintenance.” The difficulties arrive when it emotionally harpoons another person into either meeting your (lets be honest — somewhat excessive) needs or walking on egg shells while trying to please you.

Expecting to be treated with respect and attention = good idea. Expecting slavish service to your desires = not so much.

Some signs that you might be emotionally “high maintenance:” Continue reading

I like Me!

I like myself!

Arrogant? According to some, having a positive self-worth can be mistaken as a sign of arrogance, hubris or even being offensive. But, after interviewing as many people as I have over the course of the years, I see it as a sign of wisdom and maturity. 

The people who like themselves simply put up with less of the negative that can come with dating and mating. You don’t go out on a second date with someone who insulted or offended you on the first date. In fact, the self-assured almost never respond to someone who uses “negs,” put-downs or one-ups-manship by giving them more of your time… you cut off the contact and move along. Very rarely does a self-assured person let another take advantage of them physically, financially, emotionally or socially. You don’t date the abusers because you KNOW they can do better. You don’t tend to take break-ups personally, deciding instead to take the lesson offered and move on. You value their own time, attention and energy — choosing to not waste it on a bad news bear. Continue reading

Why Are You Still Single?

May we please ban the question, “Why are you still single?” I mean really, how many ways do you need to hear some version of, “I just haven’t found the right person yet.”

I know that I know that many of you are nodding your heads in violent agreement with the concept of banning this question. Tired of hearing it everywhere from weddings and showers to nights out on the town and even over to people emailing you from an online profile. So why in the world does anyone ask it? Let’s look at the people behind this kind of question:

  • The well-meaning, intending to compliment person who uses this question to imply that you are immanently marriageable and they just can not understand why you would remain single. The difficulty in dealing with this well intended toe stepper, is that you know they don’t mean to say there is something wrong with being single… and yet, they kinda just did. 
  • The potential dater who wants to see how you respond thinking they can ferret out whether you are a commitment-phobe, hopelessly inept dater or just in between serious relationships. The problem with using this question to gather information: its been asked so many times, they are far more likely to get a rote answer instead of something genuine and with so much negative connotation the asker is likely to get thrown into the “just like my mom” category.
  • Then you have the catty married/engaged girls at weddings, showers and reunions who throw this social bomb into the mix to draw attention to the fact that you have not found the man to grace your finger with a diamond. Many single women I know spend at least 20 minutes before each social engagement where they know they are going to hear this, thinking of creative ways to fend off the question without sounding defensive. Men don’t escape either… perhaps getting it even more frequently as the night wears on by drunken wedding attendees.
  • Baby Boomers and Grandparents… they simply don’t understand why we wait for the “right one” when a “good enough one” will do nicely. This question becomes the grinding stone on which they obliquely criticize our inability to “settle down.”
  • Lastly, there are the close friends who ask in order to draw out conversation. This one, I understand and think, at times, is very merited. But perhaps instead of focusing on single-ness as some sort of problem to be overcome, we might start to look at it as a time to freely give back to others and learn to enjoy our own company.

Sadly, the people who ask this question are unlikely to read this post, but many of you readers are being asked this question. So, if it bothers you, I’ve come up with a few coping mechanisms that may or may not suit you depending on your personal temperament.

  1. Kick the offender in the shins or step (hard) on their toes. When they ask why — tell them that you thought they responded to pain in social situations and since you aren’t comfortable asking why they married the person they did, you decided physical pain would be the better option.
  2. Think of any number of sarcastic replies to be delivered with saccharine sweetness and a smile. If you are fortunate, the question asker won’t realize you’ve dissed them until the next day.
  3. Get over being offended by the question and get comfortable with your decisions. Assuming there isn’t some long lost lover that you are pining for, its likely that you made many smart decisions bringing you to this point of “still single.” Would you rather have married one of the people you passed by? If not, you have done well by yourself and its time to pat yourself on the back instead.

Obviously I’m a fan of #3 since there really isn’t much you can do about people who have forgotten what it’s like to date with an expectation of finding a mate or who married so young they just don’t know that its ok to be single. The real travesty in this “Why aren’t you married” question is that it masquerades as an appropriate thing to ask any non-married person between the age of 25-50, but all it really does is call focus to a societal opinion that something is wrong with being single.

Why Didn’t He Call?

Scene: Anyplace where two interested parties are inspired to exchange contact information.

Situation: Boy asks girl for number. Girl gives boy correct number. Boy says “I’ll call you.” Girl waits many days for boy to call. Boy never calls.

So many answers for this question… and girls ask it constantly: ”Why didn’t he call?”

Please don’t read this as me saying the not calling is alright, I’m a big believer in doing what you say you’re going to do. But some of the funnier reasons I’ve heard girls use to excuse the delinquent behavior include things like:

  • What if he got in a wreck and flirts with death in the hospital? (If so, he’s not likely going to want to see the girl he randomly met out at the bar last week… just sayin…)
  • Maybe he lost my number or entered it in wrong on his phone so I should track him down… (And do you really want to go track down some guy who can’t even be bothered to double check with you to see if he got your number right?)
  • I think my friends scared him off and now he’s afraid to call because they teased him all night so I’d better call and let him know I really am still interested. (Ummm, yeah. That’s exactly what happened.)
  • His fingers could be broken and he became suddenly deaf and mute… (yes, this one tivos her soap operas for repeat viewings)
  • Maybe I should find him on facebook in case he lost his phone/charger and can’t get in touch with me. (If he really wanted to find you… don’t you think this would have already occurred to him?)

Well, you get the picture. Some pretty funny things go on in the mind of a waiting girl. Here’s the deal ladies. After traveling around the country, interviewing guys and girls — one thing comes across loud and clear from the men out there… if they don’t call you, they aren’t interested. Yes, it sucks and you want to know why they bothered getting your info in the first place if they didn’t plan to call. They have no good answer to that question, but here are some of the reasons offered up:

  • They don’t want to hurt your feelings and think not calling is the answer to that. (As if waiting in vain for a promised call is any better) Any number of reasons could have come up between getting your number and deciding not to call but the key thing to remember: they are deciding not to call.
  • They actually don’t remember meeting you because they were too intoxicated/met too many women that night/were just on a hunt for numbers/etc. These guys would legitimately look at you in confusion if you did manage to track them down because you simply did not make a huge impact. Key to remember: they don’t remember you enough to call.
  • They simply don’t care that you await a phone call, they don’t feel like calling.
  • Many guys think that asking for your number is a good way to exit the conversation but aren’t really interested in taking it further than the initial conversation. Key to remember: You aren’t likely to convince them to look beyond their first impression, so just let it go.

It doesn’t matter if they ooogled and googled over you. They could have claimed that you were the love of their life. They could have even convinced you to come home with them. But if they don’t call… they just aren’t interested. I’m sorry. The chances of them being laid up and dying in the hospital are extremely slim and if he comes out of it and wants to see you… you WILL hear from him.

This goes for the one and done. Or several dates and fizzle. If a guy wants to be with you, he will make the effort to be with you. If he isn’t interested in anything more than the time you’ve already exchanged with him, he won’t take it further.

This is actually great news when you think about it because that means the guys who DO make the effort, DO want to be with you. Its a great sorting tool if you can take your pride out of the equation and be clear eyed about the situation. My mom gave me solid advice when going into college rush (I know, I know… I went to a southern school – give me a break! But, its a lot like dating when you think about it)… she reminded me that not every house was going to like me and if they did, I wasn’t being true to myself. Looking back on it, she was right. If I’d pleased every house from the peace-loving nature girls to the high maintenance country club party girls… I would have lost myself in the process. Same with dating. Not every guy is going to like you EVEN IF HE ASKS FOR YOUR NUMBER. So be glad he’s not calling and open yourself up to the guy who is.

p.s. to my libby readers who think its silly to wait for a guy to call and just go ahead and call him yourself. It all depends on what you want — if you are looking for a guy to lead and pursue, you’ve got to let him. If you want to be the hunter/gatherer in the relationship, then definitely pick up that phone! If you want equal partnership… it can come from both ways — its more up to what you do IN the relationship than who starts it.