Unrelenting Standards in Relationships: Your Best Will Never Be Good Enough

The bane of one’s existence can very easily come in the form of being in a relationship with someone who has unrelentingly high standards. Matters are made even worse when you do, too. Many unsuspecting people out there in the world live a quiet life of repressed anger and resentment (which often turns into passive aggression in relationships) because the bottom line is, no one gets things, or does things, the way they do them – the “right way.” To these folks, the glass is always not just half-empty, but dirty, and put away in the wrong spot by somebody else. And no matter what you do, or how you do it, or even who does it, it’s just never good enough…

So what gives? Unrelenting high standards surface in three basic ways… Read the rest of this entry »

Speed Dating and Why You Should Try It

Speed dating has gotten a bad rap, and while many of you reading this may have never heard the term, it’s very popular among today’s ‘tweens, teens, and twenty-somethings. To the younger generation, speed dating is a summative term referring to dating someone for a very short period of time and cutting them loose just as quickly instead of making excuses for behaviors or waiting around, quickly moving on to the next. While this may sound like a brutal way to date, the ideology behind it is actually quite refreshing. Today’s generation realizes there’s no shortage of potential mates, and instead of sticking with someone they don’t much care for, they have enough courage to keep moving forward, with a sense of knowing that eventually they’ll find the “right one.” They’re not into wasting time!

Love at first sight, or developing intense feelings of love for another in roughly less than an hour, is something many of us believe happens only in the movies. In real life, love at first sight really does occur, though usually only to those who believe it’s possible—which accounts for approximately two-thirds of the US population. Even more amazing is the fact that over 50 percent of couples who experienced love at first sight actually got married, and over 70 percent stay married. These statistics may be surprising, or a tad suspicious, though they are derived quantifiably from Earl Naumann’s fifteen-hundred in-depth personal interviews, published in the book Love at First Sight: The Stories and Science Behind Instant Attraction. Read the rest of this entry »

Hang On to a Hero

Getting a man, so to speak, is easy. How to get a “good” man is a bit trickier. For women in today’s dating scene (or the wannabes), finding a good man can seem darn near impossible. But this is where some necessary criteria come into play…

1. You will not meet any man of any sort if you don’t get out! Studies show couples are more likely to connect – and stay connected – when they enjoy similar interests and hobbies. This means that for those in the dating pool, doing what you enjoy first is a must.

2. Being realistic and knowing who you are, what you like and what you don’t has to come before choosing the kind of guy you want to share time, space and air with. If you have few career goals or future aspirations, it’s unlikely you’re going to meet a millionaire that wants to sweep you off your feet. Or, on the personal level, if you’re by nature a messy person, you may have conflicts later if you connect with a Type A kind of guy. Family dynamics now and in the future are also important components to consider. Read the rest of this entry »