There are three common mistakes that both men and women make that often ruin their first dates before they even start. Be sure to avoid these mistakes if you want to make the most out of meeting and going out with the new people you meet and have a realistic chance of making a meaningful connection:
Mistake #1: Being Late For A Date And Not Apologizing
Even though being punctual is an attractive quality, it’s not a big deal if you are few minutes late for your date. Many people, or even most people, often are. However, you must handle it correctly or otherwise it can start your date on the wrong food. And the only right way to handle being late to say “I am sorry for being late” and then briefly explain why you are late just as soon as you arrive. This is regardless of whether you texted your date that you will be late earlier. Once you apologize upon arrival, you can safely move on to do whatever and talk about whatever on your date. However, if you show up late and act like you didn’t do anything wrong, this immediately creates a negative impression of you, making you appear clueless about basics etiquette and self-centered. Regardless of whether your date confronts you on this or not, chances are that it will not be a good start of your date. This is especially true if your date rushed to meet you in order to be on time and he / she had to wait for you. So, be sure to quickly apologize when you show up late. It really is a matter of most basic courtesy.
Mistake #2: Making It Known That You Are Squeezing Your Date Into Your Schedule
When you let the other person know in so many ways that you squeeze your date right after your work and between going to a gym, class, meeting friends, etc… let’s just say it doesn’t make your date feel special or even feel like they are going on a date with you. Inevitably, the expectations from that date will be lower, because …. it’s not really a date if you are rushing to be there from some place else and you are also on your way somewhere shortly after. You are much better off having setting that date a day or two later or even the following week, if necessary, when you are not in a rush than meeting that person sooner and being on the clock. This means that when you are setting a date or when you are showing up on a date, you should not be saying anything that suggests that it was a struggle for you to make the time for the date on that day.
Mistake #3: Being Under-dressed
When you show up to your date and look like you really don’t care about the impression you make on your date, this means that the date is not important to you. And if it’s not important to you, why should it be important to your date? If you set a date, be sure you present yourself in a way that show that you put some effort into your appearance. It does’t mean that you have to wear your best suite or some other fancy attire, but it does mean that you should make a statement with your appearance that meeting that person is important to you. This is especially true if you are a woman. It’s not exactly exciting for a woman when the guy she is meeting shows up in old snickers and worn out t-shirt; but it looks much worse when a woman does the same.
Not making the above mistakes is as easy as it is important, and there is no reason why you can’t avoid them.
