The First Date

THE FIRST DATE

You have found the woman/man that you like, you have had long talks and finally you have mustered the courage to ask her for a date. Now is your time to leave an indelible first impression. How you come off in your first date will determine if she will want to hang out with you again. Here are steps to make sure you do not mess things up:

Prepare- Clean up: shave, get your best outfit that makes you look classy and successful. Put on some deodorant and cologne. You don't want to stink, that's a turnoff. Make sure your means of transport is reliable and not shabby. If you have a car, clean it.

Location- Location is important. You don't want to pick a place that's so loud you cannot converse. You also don't want to pick a place that's so cheap and nasty that it's disgusting. If you have money, pick a nice, classy hotel or restaurant that is quiet and romantic-reserve a table, preferably in the farthest corner away from the door. If you are not too rich pick a nice coffee shop-classy but not too expensive. You cant go wrong with a coffee shop.

Relax- Make the date as informal as possible. let conversation flow naturally. Don't rehearse what to say or what topics to delve into as this will make you nervous and stiff. Let everything flow naturally and just go with the flow. Don't panic when there is a moment of silence and try to fill the silence with gibberish or small talk. Get to know her, ask her about herself-her past, her future, her plans, her family, hobbies etc-everyone likes to talk about themselves, and she will definitely feel like you want to know more about her. Avoid focusing the conversation on yourself, you will appear self-centered and egotistical.

Honesty- If she asks you about yourself, be frank and honest. This will help you avoid contradictions in the future. Do not sugar coat anything or over-inflate the truth. Honesty at this point helps you avoid explaining things in the future. Don't say you live in an affluent neighborhood when you are middle class, or that you hold a senior position when you are middle level. Being honest lets her like you for who you are.

Pay for the date- One caveat, do not ask to split the bill! You invited her for the date, so you pay for it. Do not take her to an expensive joint if it strains your pocket because she will think you are well to do and will expect the same for the next date. Take her somewhere you can easily afford and you can maintain that kind of lifestyle throughout your dating. Do not take her to Hilton Hotel for the first date then start taking her her to your local dingy joint afterwards...if you cannot afford to maintain that lifestyle, stay away from it.

Humor- Women love a humorous, confident man. keep it light and both of you ill have fun. Pay her compliments (women love that!) especially on her looks and dress.

End of date- Walk her home or drop her home. Make sure you walk her to the door. Give her a goodnight hug and kiss her on the cheek. Don't go for the kiss on the mouth unless the night has been so good and every indication has been leading to it. The worst thing to do is leave a date with a botched kiss, spoils the whole date. Do not push her to let you come in, let her make the offer if she wants. Call her when you get home and thank her for a good time. Let her know you'd love to go out again.

Happy dating!