First dates are often a mixture of hope, fun, anxiety and of course nerve racking. You begin the day worrying about what you would wear, how you would look, what you would say. All this for a date set to take place ten hours away and you already began your day panicking. I have been here countless times, and I know without a doubt that if you do not get a grip soon, you would end up with bad day.
So here is what I call, a guide to having a splendid date before, during and after the date itself.
1. Enjoy Your Day: Having first dates scheduled for an evening an after work can be double nerve racking. But not if you make a conscious effort to actually enjoy your day. This is important because it has a huge influence on how your date later than evening would turn out. A stressful day, can mean you appearing at your date all cranky and moody. So make sure to actually enjoy your day.
2. Wear Something Comfortable: A wrong dress can suddenly turn a great date into a messy one. Find out the kind of place you would be going and dress appropriate for it. I know showing up at an outdoor date with a bare shouldered dress, and having him offer you his jacket can seem romantic. But you do not want him catching cold also just so he can be your prince charming. So select a dress suitable for the date and something you are also very comfortable with.
3. Put Your Gadgets Away: This is by far one of the biggest turn off for me during first dates. Having a date who can’t seem to separate him/herself from their phone is a big deal breaker. If you have outstanding things, such as a call or message to return, make sure to take care of them before the date. You do not want to come across as someone who is rude and inconsiderate on a first date. Believe me there is nothing second date worthy about such attitude.
4. Drop The Baggage: No, this is not your last first date, and make sure to never forget that. Often times a lot of us carry over the disappointments from various dates from the past into every new date. This already create biases on our minds even before we show up at the date and hence unable to truly get to know the new person. So drop the baggage, every new date is a new person and deserves a fair chance.
5. Listen More than You Talk: This is always one of the hardest advice to give, since I have found it hard to obey this myself (Chuckles). It can seem fun to talk endlessly about yourself, until you realize you have barely allowed your date to get any word out. So as you share about you, remember to listen to them tell you about themselves also.
6. Have Fun: Remember it is just a date and the first one for that matter, it is not a wedding proposal, so it’s alright to relax. Enjoy the meal, enjoy the place, enjoy your date, regardless of how it turns out, what will be oftentimes will be.
