How to Act on Dates (Especially If It’s Been a While)

So it’s been a while since you’ve been on a date and you are rusty.

You feel like you lost your game since your last relationship ended. Though you are ready to embark on a new journey, you still have no idea where to start.

Fret not — we have especially prepared a guide on how to act on dates. To start with:

Keep Your Expectations Low

When you expect a lot, you’ll only end up disappointing yourself. Hence, it’s best to just go right in without getting your hopes up.

If your date somehow goes well, then great. But other than that, you shouldn’t make any assumptions about how great your date is going to be.

You just never know what will happen.

It might go well, it might not. You’ll just have to wait to see how it plays out. That’s the point of dating, isn’t it?

What’s more, having very high expectations will only ruin your experience, even if the person you’re dating was already terrible to begin with.

Be Authentically Yourself

Nothing good ever comes out of lying.

Sure, you might be good at it and it may have got you far in life. But it’ll only be a matter of time before your lies will come hurtling toward you like a landslide.

If you truly want to impress your date then be yourself, as cliché as it sounds. Make them fall for the real you, not some fake persona you created.

Plus, it’s easier to tell if you’re truly compatible with each other this way. You’ll get to know early on whether the person you are into is someone you can truly work with in the future.

Avoid Talking Badly About Anyone

Whether it’s a colleague, a family member, or even an ex, you should never talk badly about anyone you know, especially in front of the person you’re dating.

How you talk about others is a reflection of your character. You ruin their reputation, you also ruin yours.

This can also put your date in an awkward spot. They won’t have any idea of what to say to you, mainly because they don’t know the people you’re talking about.

You might have a few frustrations in life, just don’t let your date hear the end of it.

Splitting the Bill

On most dates, it’s normal to go Dutch. But there are some women who can be very particular with who pays on dates.

A lot of them still hold the belief that if a man invites a woman on a date, he should pay. But of course, not everyone has this belief. As a matter of fact, some women even offer to pay the entire bill.

You can use this dilemma to your advantage to determine if this woman is your type. Would you like her if she takes charge, or leaves you in charge, or if she offers to split 50/50?

Thank Your Date for a Wonderful Time

Your date has now come to an end and it’s time for you to bid each other goodbye.

If you have a car, you can offer to bring your date home or drop her off somewhere near her place. Just be sensitive in how you propose the offer — some women might see it as a warning sign.

If you have a feeling they’re the type to take this offer too kindly, then you’re probably right. Just don’t take their refusal to heart.

That said, I hope you have a wonderful date!

This story was originally published on Medium: Advice for Single Men Looking for Love in Other Countries