When you’ve been dating awhile, it can take a lot of time, energy, and determination to keep putting yourself out there when it seems you have little results to show for all your efforts. And if your heart has been bruised and battered, it can be even more challenging to date and risk getting hurt again and again.
You might be bringing your baggage from a past relationship to the dating process and unknowingly pass on some men who might be serious contenders for love. Unless you make a habit of being a good date, you might not have the chance for dating round two.
Why It Matters for You to Be a Good Date Too
If you want to get second dates, it’s important for you to learn how to be a good date. Practicing your dating skills on the men you meet is a good way for you to get ready to date Mr. Right. You might have to kiss a few frogs to find your Prince Charming. Okay maybe not kiss them, but learn how to be a good date with them.
When you know how to be a good date, you avoid jumping to quick conclusions about who a man is and what he wants based on your previous experiences that may not be fair or even correct. You could be weeding out some good men who happened to be off their game that night or who you misinterpreted on the first date. It is important to approach your dates with an open mind and a basic level of respect.
Isn’t that what you hope for from your dates?
Knowing how to be a good date involves managing your feelings. Learning how to cope with dating disappointment is important for your future happiness. Even Mr. Right is likely to be disappointing in some way, someday. You want to be ready and able to handle that situation. Even if you aren’t thrilled with your current date, you can learn a lot about yourself from the experience. You want to know how to make a good impression on a first date.
When you give your dates the treatment you want to receive, it can take you a long way towards your dating goals. Don’t let good men slip through your fingers.
Here are three valuable tips for a first date:
1. Be respectful.
Men are people too. They deserve basic respect just like you do, even if they may not be who you expected or hoped they would be. Let’s say, for example, that a man you are on your first date with has a lot less hair than you expected. Maybe you aren’t attracted to him the way you wanted to be, but that doesn’t give you a free pass to be rude or disregard the man’s value as a person. Stop staring at his head and look into his eyes for a minute. Knowing how to be a good date involves remembering the Golden Rule which says, ‘Do unto others as we would have them do unto us.” Want to be treated with respect by men? Then you might want to learn how to treat them with respect.
Maybe you don’t want a second date with him because you aren’t attracted to him. But is it possible that you could be missing out on a really great guy? It’s good for you to date men who treat you well and who are attracted to you. It might be worth it for you to have a second date. When you know how to have a good first date, it gives you a lot more options. Dating different men gives you the opportunity to figure out what is really important to you in a relationship. But, why would any man want a second date with you if you don’t treat him with respect from the get-go?
2. Be appreciative.
Of course, it’s very disappointing when your date isn’t your dream man or even remotely what you were hoping for, but that doesn’t mean he has no redeeming qualities. Why not give him a chance to impress you? That’s not to say you should try to convince yourself to like him. On the contrary, being appreciative like this is an exercise in being able to see past your hang-ups to clearly see the possibilities before you. Everyone is likely to have some good qualities, even if it’s just that he has good taste by wanting to date you! When you know how to be a good date, you can feel flattered with that knowledge and get over your initial disappointment.
You’re far better off learning to be polite and appreciative, even if you aren’t interested. We all have our flaws and our bad days. Do you want to further limit your options by weeding out perfectly nice men for unrealistic or unimportant standards?
Try to look beyond his small negatives to see any major good qualities you might appreciate. Could he be a man who has the qualities to make you happy? Don’t you want your dates to get to know the real you rather than judge you on your appearance?
3. Be charming.
Even if you’re not thrilled with your date, you can still have a pleasant conversation. After all, you are dating to meet a man but also to get practice at being more successful at dating. Developing the skill of how to be a good conversationalist on a date is critical. Try smiling a little more on your date and see how much more charming you can be. Learning how to make conversation while smiling is an important part of flirting… and this man is a chance for you to improve your flirting skills.
You be may thinking, “But Dr. Susan, I don’t want to give him the wrong impression! I’m not interested!’” Don’t worry, just because you are charming doesn’t mean you have to go out with him again. Won’t it be more enjoyable for both of you if you at least try to make it a pleasant experience?
Bottom line:
Want to know how to impress a man on the first date?
Appreciate what he does for you.
Be respectful and charming.
The more you practice these skills, the better you will get at them.
Not only will you get better at dating, but it will also help you to figure out what you want in a man and a relationship.
Are you going to start implementing any of these pointers? Which one is the most difficult for you to do? Please leave your comments or questions below.
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