7 Rules for a successful first date

1.    Be Open. Don’t go into the date thinking about what other people think about your date. Don’t judge the person you’re going on a date with, and go into the date completely open-minded. You will block yourself off from the person and waste your time if you don’t give the person a chance!

2.     Be yourself. This is the most important rule in my opinion. If you try to be someone you’re not to get someone to like you, it most likely will not work. They would have liked the real you better, because you’re probably not great at playing a different role. Even if this does work and they like the way you are acting, they do not like the real you. If the relationship advances, how can you have security in the relationship? How could the relationship grow and prosper when you cannot be yourself, and the person your partner has come to like is not actually you? This will lead to heartbreak and discomfort- so just be yourself! The person who will like you and come to love you will start out liking the REAL YOU! If you don’t believe me, rent a copy of “The Ugly Truth,” the movie with Katherine Heigl. That is all the support I need for this rule!

3.     Don’t be offensive- Use manners and etiquette. Being yourself goes pretty far on the first date- but in one way I would say holding back a little bit is a good thing. If you tend to curse often or make offensive comments, try to hold back as much as you can and use manners on the first date. You want to make a good first impression and be a gentleman or a kind lady. Hold the door for your partner, don’t chew with your mouth open, put the napkin on your lap while at a restaurant, etc.

4.     Ask questions, be interested. Ask your date questions, and act interested in the responses. Try to find out more about the person without being pressing. Show them that you care about what they have to say, and they will most likely share stories with you. This may make you more comfortable sharing your own stories.

5.     Don’t mention “exes” or baggage. If you had a serious ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, do not talk about memories, grudges, or anything else. First dates are not a good time to bring that up! Also, if you have any baggage that could deter a date, do not bring it up on the first date. A first date is not a time to bring up deep secrets or unearth intense grudges.

6.     Give your date a chance to speak. Make sure that you’re not going on and on talking about something and never giving your partner a turn to speak. Sometimes a moment of silence is not bad, and your date may need that moment to muster up the courage to talk back.

7.    Don’t make unwanted sexual advances. Even if you think a date is going really well, do not make a sexual advance unless the date makes it obvious that that is what he/she wants. Just because they do not make any advance, it does not mean they’re not interested in a second date. Making an unwanted advance can ruin an otherwise really good date.
Good luck!