I believe that smart, fabulous, successful, attractive women like yourself deserve fulfilling, deliriously happy love lives. Sometimes, though, unintentional behaviors ruin one's chances in courtship.
In compiling this list, I'm speaking as an author who's been on the receiving end of hundreds of guys' letters on their dating woes -- and as a single guy who's been on a bad date or two. So what I'm telling you here is straight from the horse's mouth -- if horses had graduate degrees and spoke in complete, remarkably coherent English sentences.
Also note that the subject of this article was framed negatively to get your attention. Now that I have said attention, I will frame the items positively -- things you should do. Tends to be even more useful.
So, you're ready? Here they are:
1. Do everything in your power to keep the first date.
You met him at a party somewhere. He stuck his neck out and wrote the first email, made the first call, and set up the first date.
Sure, you hit it off when you first met, and it was fun talking to him on the phone. But right now, as the moment of truth draws near, you just feel like you need to cancel or postpone. Excuses to exit seem to be cropping up by the minute.
And you know what? That's normal. The temptation to cancel the first date at the last minute is going to come up nearly every time you have one.
Why? Because first dates are stressful! You're going on an evening-length job interview that costs you money.
But if you want the job, you will show up to the job interview, as stressful and un-fun as it may be. You will dress up, you will do your homework, and you will do your absolute best. If you want the job.
And if you like this guy at all (whose name may or may not be Job) and want that second date, the third date, and the glorious, passionate, mutually-fulfilling relationship with moonlit walks, nights at the ballet, sheet-ripping sex, extended Sunday morning cuddling and brunch, and a magnificent white wedding on the beach...
You've got to have that first date.
There's no way around it. So you don't cancel. You keep the date and show up. If you like the guy even a little bit, do everything in your power to keep the date.
Because if you cancel, you're basically telling him through your actions (which speak much more loudly than words) that he's second best.
Sure, legitimate excuses do come up -- illness, family emergency, blocked airway, severe hemorrhage. But short of those, he'll take it personally, and if he has a shred of self-respect, he's going to be very reluctant to ask you out again.
Perhaps more important, you are unconsciously going to start disliking him. Why? To avoid cognitive dissonance. A little voice in your head will say, "Well, if I canceled on him, it's either because I'm an awful person -- or because I don't like him!" Now someone who was perfectly attractive yesterday is suddenly less appealing.
So the whole edifice of romance comes down crashing in a heap of disappointment. He's probably not going to re-invite you. And you're certainly not going to ask him out. End of story, and a lost opportunity for both.
On the man's side, flaking wreaks emotional havoc on a guy (yeah, we have feelings, too). It's basically an invalidation of who he is. So you have no idea how grateful guys are when a woman keeps her word and shows up on time. His respect for you goes up tenfold, and that's a much better setup for a potential relationship.
2. Give him your full attention.
Once you show up on a date, the best thing you can do is to give him your full, undivided attention. More than tight dresses, and yes, even more than cleavage, giving a man your attention is the most attractive thing you can do in his presence.
Avoid the temptation to fiddle with your nails, flip through a magazine, or flirt with a waiter. This is pretty basic, but you shouldn't be flirting with guys other than the one you're with. Dance with the one who brung ya.
Every once in a while when you're out on a date, you're going to bump into friends. It's polite to say hi to them, but keep the interaction brief. Avoid the temptation to spend more time and attention on them than on your date. He'll be very grateful for it.
3. Turn your phone off.
You're probably very attached to your phone and carry it with you everywhere. Especially if it's a Blackberry, you check it dozens of times a day. And if it rings, you jump to attention, stop whatever you're doing, and answer it immediately.
The whole point of the phone is human contact. Calls, messages and emails are all just proxies for face-to-face human interaction.
But you know what? On a date, you've got real human contact right in front of you -- the intended result of all those calls and messages.
When you pick up the phone and speak to a third party right in front of a guy you're out with, you're saying loud and clear: "This call is more important than your company."
No self-respecting man wants to feel second-best, so if you're into him and answered the phone, you just ruined your chances big-time.
So just turn the phone off to remove temptation altogether. Besides, the date is for you, too. You'll enjoy it more with your attention focused on your fabulous company.
4. Elevate your date.
If you've ever wondered what to talk about on a date, here's an idea: give him a compliment. One well-placed compliment is likely to have him floating for weeks. And wanting to come back for more.
You know how powerful compliments are. You can probably remember a compliment that someone gave you as a girl, years ago. Remember how good it made you feel? Well, you can do the same for this man.
You also know how powerful a cut-down can be, and how long those last. A little bit of playful teasing is okay, but avoid the temptation of making any kind of put-down, cutting remark or sarcasm altogether.
The most effective compliments address a quality that a man has obviously worked on.
For example, complimenting him on his height is nice, but noticing his graceful bearing as a result of two decades of martial arts training is better. Saying "gosh you're so smart" is good, but noticing his expertise on English Romantic poets is even better.
When you address the compliment to a noble aspect of a man, it makes him grow even more in that area. So with your compliment, you're actually helping this man's evolution. A good man knows how rare that is, will appreciate you and come back for more.
5. Ask for information judiciously.
Good fences make good neighbors, and in relationships, there are information fences around certain parts of our lives. So if a man seems reluctant to proffer certain bits of personal information, respect that.
Now some questions you're entitled to have an answer to, especially on a first date. 'Are you married?', 'Do you have any kids?', 'Are you gainfully employed?', 'Have you ever been to prison?', 'Do you do any drugs?' deserve a straight answer, and if you don't get one, there need not be a follow-up date.
But if he says he'd rather not talk about his parents, his work, his atheism or his missing pinkie finger, respect that. If you like each other enough, you'll meet again. And with greater rapport and familiarity, the important information will come out eventually.
On a personal note, I'd rather talk about anything besides other people, especially when they're not present. So when a woman presses me for juicy gossip, it's a big turnoff. Our company is sufficient -- no need to bring other people into our space.
6. Give out information judiciously.
When a friend was in England, he struck up an email correspondence with a friend of a friend who was very smart and attractive. In the third email, without any prior warning, she sent him a 5-page novella describing her love travails in intimate detail. All before ever meeting face-to-face.
Needless to say, whatever romantic interest he had in her extinguished, never to be rekindled. Had she revealed that stuff in an appropriate manner, it could have been a different story.
As a general guideline, privileged information about breakups, bodily functions, drug use, finances, politics and religious preferences are best left for later (or never) rather than sooner.
Sharing privileged information is the currency of intimacy, so do share some juicy stuff -- tactfully. At the same time, leave a little mystery, too. Missing information is what draws people in. Keep him curious and wanting to know more.
7. Keep your wits about you.
Many a great first date happens around a civilized libation. And a nice buzz is a good cure for the overthink.
However, turning into a slobbering, slurring boneless mass is something else altogether. It says so many wrong things about a person that almost nothing is less attractive.
Moreover, it puts you in a position of compromised judgment and coordination, which opens up a Pandora's box of problems -- and real danger.
So even if you completely trust the guy you're with, do yourself a favor and stay mostly sober. Drunk people say and do things they don't really mean, which puts a decent guy in a position he'd rather not be in.
In sum, plan to show up, pay attention, be lavish with your praise, have good information hygiene, and stay conscious. That way everyone has more fun, and love has a chance to blossom.
For more practical wisdom for smart, strong women, get the #1 rated women's dating book on Amazon (4.96/5 stars!): The Tao of Dating: The Smart Woman's Guide to Being Absolutely Irresistible. Now available as book, ebook, on Kindle™, audiobook, and Sinai™ indestructible stone tablet.
Visit the Tao of Dating and Awaken Your Genius blogs
Follow Dr. Ali Binazir on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrAliBinazir
William Horden: The Tao of Green: Love of Humanity and Nature
Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe: Practical Wisdom: The Right Way to Do the Right Thing
Allen N. Wilkins, M.D.: The Power of Martial Arts
If you're living your life and taking life direction from some ancient book, or by what your religious peer group tells you is right or wrong, then you're wrong for me.
I have had a couple 1st dates that went no further because of just that issue.
Dating is not a job interview.
Ideally one should be able to find out about a person through his friends and family. These days it's not always the case that they're reliable or anywhere around, for that matter.
As for the drug usage (coming from a woman who was lied to about drug usage), I would rather someone disclose it so I know what I'm getting into ... but that might be because I experienced it.
Maybe it should have said, "expect extended fishing trips, nights at the sports bar, and a short chat on Sunday mornings..." just to set expectations straight.
And the "sheet-ripping" sex is fine - but, whose sheets will we be ripping; cause a good set nowadays can set you back, oh, maybe even 100$, and most men don't even know how to change them...
Let things fall into place if the spirits so wish. That's how it's supposed to be.
1. Don't bring up past relationships or try to compare your date to past relationships.
2. Be direct...if it's not going anywhere...let him know. Don't know why women have a proble with this.
3. See 1 and 2.
Just have fun...if either one is not the other one's 'cup of tea', upgrade to an espresso.
Peace,
John form Philly.