Evescafe

For the true enthusiast and eager novice alike, there is no activity so equally thrilling and agonizing as dating.

Dates are opportunities to feature our good sides, to go out in our favorite frocks and flirt. However, this can be a nerve-rattling enterprise for even the boldest among us. What if, despite our best efforts to be fascinating, our date finds us a bore? What if he’s a nightmare and we must endure an endless dinner with a person we can’t stand?

Dating is about possibility, which is the brightest facet of the hope diamond. You could have a blast. It could lead to something more if you want it to.

Every date offers the possibility that you will connect, that you’ll meet someone you’re mad about, who digs you, who gives you that jittery “oh my god this might be my soul mate” feeling.

In order to keep dating fun, it’s important to have high hopes but low expectations. You buy a lottery ticket because you hope you win the trillion dollar jackpot – if you expected to win, you’d be positively crushed every night when no one came a-knocking with that giant cardboard check.

Likewise, dating is most enjoyable when you put your hopes aside and focus on the fun of the endeavor.

There’s nothing that affirms you’re amazing more than someone holding up a mirror to you, reflecting back your best self. You see yourself as a person worthy of rapt attention – what could be more ego-boosting?

Dating is exhilarating because you could have a close encounter with some cold fox or simply end up having a hilarious conversation with a decent fellow. Worst-case scenario you could garner some hilarious war stories to tell your grandchildren.

To minimize both radium and heart break potential, date in volume. Until you’re sure you’ve found your soul mate, date copiously. It heightens the chances that you’ll meet someone you like who likes you back, and it matter less, so you get more of the “This could be something good!” feeling and less of the “if this one doesn’t want me.

Be on the lookout for guys who have the potential to be your next date if the ones in active rotation don’t pan out. Maybe it’s that stallion, who always smiles at you when you’re picking up your morning coffee or someone you met at a party who you found intriguing but haven’t gotten around to actively pursuing.

It’s always smart to have a few guys simmering on the back burner in case your main squeezes bail. It staves off disappointment and keeps your dating momentum going.