1. Don’t Be Too Subtle
Come on! We live in a world that has grown up with Sex And The City, there is no reason to play subtle games or playing hard to get in 2012. Stop being scared of looking desperate and ask out the guy you want to date, already! Flirt, talk and engage in interesting conversations with him instead of waiting for him to make the first move. Life is way too short for thinking ‘what if?’ in regards to your adult dating life.
2. Break Up With the Ex, For Good.
That ex. The one that, if you’re being really honest, still manages to have an inexplicable hold on you. The one who’ll text you out of the blue and throw your whole life in disarray. The one that you’ve been trying (unsuccessfully) to be “just friends” with for years. The one who you inevitably end up talking about to anyone who will listen, even though it’s been a long time now.
You aren’t dating. You shouldn’t waste so much mental energy on that person, and you know it. Break up for good, and move on with your life.
3. Be Nice to the Guy (or Girl!) You Know is in Love With You
Almost every woman on the planet has one: the poor sap who’s always around, always hoping that one day you’ll realize that you’ve been in love with him all along.
When friends point out that he’s totally in love with you, you brush it off and insist you’re just friends. You tell yourself you’re being nice to him. You don’t MEAN to consciously lead him on. (Note the word ‘mean.’)
But sometimes, after a particularly disappointing date or stinging heartbreak or arid dry spot, it’s nice to be able to text or email him something flirty, just to feel special and wanted again. So you keep him around.
Fine if he has other things going on, and you guys have come to a sort of mutual understanding that it’s never going to happen. But if you think there’s any chance that you’re stringing him along, or that he’s waiting for you, you’ve got to let him go.
Better for him to be the perfect boyfriend for someone else, than the occasional ego-boost for you.
4. Say “Yes” to More Dates
Okay, maybe you’re not totally feeling it because, well, sure he’s nice but his bald spot is…really bald and really pointy, and, I dunno, you’re just not instantly sexually attracted to him because he looks like a conehead.
Say yes anyway. Say yes to one date! What, you’re soooo amazing that some guys don’t even get a chance with you?
The guy with Conehead, or the haliotosis, or the weird voice, or slightly alarming number of Maxim magazines for coffee table reading might end up being the best thing that’s ever happened to you. He might! And what’s more, in 2012 you should be opening yourself up to more opportunities for love to find you than shutting the door to them. This means saying yes to more first dates. You can have coffee with anyone for half an hour — it won’t kill you.
5. Listen to Your Friends
Girls who have managed to date a guy for more than 5 consecutive dates sometimes tend to become mighty protective and defensive of their burgeoning relationship. They’ll tentatively ask their friends what they thought of their new beau, but the answer sure as hell better be “He’s great!”
But when a friend seems concerned about an aspect of your relationship, don’t immediately bristle and change the subject. He or she has seen you through relationships before, and has a good idea of what works for you, and what doesn’t, what’s alarming, and what isn’t.
Your friends want to see you happy. If they think a significant other is sort of a jerk to you, or think something is weird, don’t immediately dismiss their opinion.