• “So… are you guys, like, together?”
• “Are you exclusive?”
• “Have you made it official?”

What do you do?

Well, if you’re like most people, you start to freak out.

You worry.

You wonder, “What if I’m not the only one they’re seeing? What if I’m getting played? What if they don’t feel as strongly as I do? Am I ready for this kind of commitment? Are they ready for this kind of commitment? Am I setting myself up for disaster and heartbreak?”

Stop it!

Seriously. Stop it. Now.

Don’t do that worry thing. It’s so lame, and it does you no good.

Take a deep breath… there you go…

So, if you you find yourself in this crappy limbo phase between “more-than-friends” and a committed relationship, here are some things I’ve found helpful to calm the nerves and set yourself up for some hard-core relationship success.

Lower Your Expectations

The following might seem like a really callous way to describe dating, but it makes my point:

Dating is like car shopping. You have to test drive the car you want to buy before you buy it (and no, I’m not referring to sex right now).

I mean, if the Mazda 3 got all huffy and upset, and refused to accelerate past 35 mph until you gave it an explanation describing why you drove the Volkswagon GTI a few days after you drove the Mazda… well… you’d pick the GTI.

(And yes, this goes for both guys and girls.)

Sometimes dating works. Sometimes it doesn’t.  Keep your expectations for yourself high, and your expectations for the other person low. You’ll soon realize that everyone is just trying to make the best decision for themselves just like you’re trying to make the best decisions for yourself.

This more realistic approach also makes it much easier to be honest with one another. (Just thought I’d throw that in there for good measure.)

Stop Telling Everyone About Your Dating Life

Have you ever heard of Metcalfe’s Law? (Probably not.)

The basic principle is that the more people involved in a network (or in this case, a relationship) the more complex it gets, and the more people talk about it.

Drama starts when your mom, your roommates, your cousins, and everyone following you on Facebook has direct insight into your dating life. Everyone has an opinion. Everyone has advice. And everyone is wrong.

What works for them will very likely not work for you. It will just cause problems.

If you want a simple, non-dramatic relationship, keep it between 2 people… you and the person you’re dating. If you practice privacy in your private life, you’ll be much better off.

Imagine that.

(I mean, it’s none of their business who you’re kissing on the mouth anyway, is it?)

Never Say “We Need To Talk”

Stop expecting commitment. There is no official moment that signifies commitment. That’s the scary thing about a relationship… it requires you to trust another individual.

Three dates does not equal a commitment.

A kiss on the mouth does not always equal commitment… at least not long term.

Instead of worrying about being committed, worry more about enjoying being with that other person.  As you learn to enjoy each other, you’ll notice that the commitment naturally develops (the way it should), and before you know it, you’ll be enjoying each other so much that you’ll naturally develop into an exclusive couple… or you won’t.

And yes, I know that sucks. But, that’s life… and when it works, it’s beautiful. Way more beautiful than the dreaded “We need to talk” moments.

In Conclusion

Cool your jets. Have fun. Enjoy each other.

When it’s meant to happen, it will happen. Just keep being real, being patient, and being you. The world has a way of ironing out the wrinkles.

Have you ever had a friend tell you, “You could do better?”

Have you noticed that beautiful people tend to date beautiful people, and that less beautiful tend to date less beautiful people?

Ever wondered why?

Watch this video. It will give you a new insight into how we decide who to date and marry, and why. It really is amazing…

Dan Ariely: Adaptive Responses from PopTech on Vimeo.

Thanks to everyone who shared this bit of genius!

My roommate was giving some sound advice to another roommate of ours as I laid in bed eavesdropping on their conversation. (Don’t hate, you know you have done it before.) It was a worthy eavesdrop, for I heard a few things that, well, made a lot of sense!

Without his consent, for I doubt he will ever read this, and my cunning expertise in changing his name to Bob, I will recount his words.

Bob said he has been dating a girl halfheartedly for the past couple years. Since the girl was never quite fully over her ex, and she could never fully commit either. This unhealthy back and forth commitment, underlined with genuine concern for the other led them to confused hearts and an even more confusing relationship.

Facebook coined this term for us: “It’s complicated.” And I would confidently place my bets that most of us know exactly what they are going through. You know…being in a relationship where you or the other person isn’t giving it their all for whatever reason.

Bob went on to say how he has changed his ways and is moving forward 110% in pursuit of this woman…and things are going rather well. Let’s hope they stay that way!

MORAL OF THE STORY: If we all squander in halfhearted relationships we won’t ever progress. If you are too scared or selfish to give someone a real chance at love, then you shouldn’t carry on or drag out the relationship. It isn’t fair to either of you.

What girl doesn’t want to get swept off her feet? What guy doesn’t want the girl he sweeps up to be loving and caring and into him and no other? We all want a real, meaningful and amazing relationship with someone, don’t we? I submit that we do! That’s why you are reading this! So when you find someone that has potential…give them a chance! I real chance! Not an “I will put him on the back burner just in case something better comes around” chance.

“The more you invest, the bigger the reward!” Bob said. And I have also said many times, that there are so many incredible things we can to do with our partners, including sweet date ideas, but we hold them off until we know that the person is worth it. I now say…no more holding back.

I am not saying it needs to be boyfriend/girlfriend right off the bat, or that you need to DTR (hmm, DTR, I think I will write about that in the future) after 3 dates. Just relax, enjoy the company and actually give “courting” a chance. I think this could very well be a quicker road to love…I mean; it seems to be working out for Bob…finally.

Thanks to RocketBoom for the find!

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that line. “It’s all this texting and Facebooking that’s ruining your dating life.”

Ok, I’ll give them some credit. Technology has really increased the amount of communication we have with one another while probably significantly decreasing the quality of said communication. It is now, however, the sole contributor to failing relationships.  One must take into consideration that our parents were often times shopping more for comparability than love.

If you don’t believe me, read on…

Images courtesy of Me Against Them.

Side note: Girls, guys never say, “Hey, let’s go dancing!” The only reason we go dancing is because we know you say, “Hey! Let’s go dancing!” to your friends.  It’s a necessary evil that can occasionally provide us the opportunity to stand close to you.

You know the drill. The moment your parents, roommates, coworkers, religious representatives or distant relatives find out you’re not dating someone, it becomes their personal mission in life to set you up with some socially awkward mouth breather of the opposite gender that has “so much in common with you”… like, um, the fact that they are also single.

For many singles, it’s hard to say no to a blind date because they don’t want to offend, appear shallow or eliminate any potential relationship possibilities. Blind dates are, however, rarely successful, and after a few crappy ones, it’s easy to wonder why you ever said yes.

Dearly beloved single friends, grieve no longer! At last, I have invented a solution to the stresses associated with the infamous blind date.

Never again should you respond to the offer of a blind date with a simple yes or no. It’s time to bust out the conditional phraseology, mo fo! Start refusing to go on a blind date unless the person offering to set you up is willing to pay for the date. If this tactic makes you feel guilty about taking money from a friend or family member, you can always offer to reimburse them if the date is a hit… although I’d discourage it.

The point I’m driving at is that the people setting us up need to have something at stake here!

Think about it, the people who are arranging these all-too-often awkwardly unromantic meetups have nothing to lose. If the date stinks, they haven’t wasted their time, money or patience. They can still be friends with both parties involved. Their life continues uninterrupted, and they are allowed to continue facilitating crappy dates for their lonely friends.

You, on the other hand, end up feeling even more discouraged and lonely as you check your Facebook profile in five minute increments with the hope that some new potential mate has sent you a message or commented on your new status.

This should not be happening. You deserve to be set up with an all-star, and if you ask me, it’s time for our friends to pony up. People start thinking twice about setting you up when they have something riding on the outcome. They don’t want to waste money pairing you with some hygienically challenged ignoramus. If they are willing to fork up the cash for the date, it says that they have thought this through more than once.

Blind dates don’t have to be terrible. Do what you can to make sure they’re not, especially if it means you aren’t paying.

Thanks to the UVU Review for publishing the first edition of this article!

Just when you think things are going your way, and you’re breaching the friend gap, you hear the familiar phrase, “We’re just friends…”

It sucks… and the suckiness is perfectly expressed in the following song which you can and should listen to.

It’s especially interesting to me to hear how a girl feels about the just friends issue. It’s interesting to realize that these creatures otherwise known as women have feelings and emotions…, click and have a listen… I promise you’ll enjoy it.

Just Friends – Julia Sanders

If you like the tune and want to put it up on your site, please leave a comment on this post and link back to Julia’s blog.