March 3rd, 2009 | by Jack Reichert

The person you meet will be a very different person from the one that you become friends with. I’m saying this from being a friend addict. Well …recovering.

I love watching the transformation of a stranger becoming a friend.

Think from your own personal experience. When you meet someone new you do not expose yourself completely. You would be crazy if you did! And if you show who you really are to everyone you meet, you probably get hurt a lot. It’s just the way people are. We protect ourselves, instinctively. When you enter into a new situation you will be cautious and the same goes for meeting new people–you will be cautious.

What this means is that when you meet someone, you are not meeting the “whole” person. You are not getting to know the “real” them.

This is important to understand, specifically when dating. There are so many people that know right off the bat, when on a date, that the person sharing a cup of coffee with them is not for them. While it is very important to trust your gut, it is also important to keep in mind that you are not really meeting the person… and they are not really meeting you.

There are telltale signs that a potential match will not work out. You might have different ideals, goals, visions of your future. While some of these things will change in any individual, you can trust your instincts when a person is not right for you based upon one of these criteria.

But if you are concerned about humor, intelligence, interests or the like, have in mind that people will hide who they really are until they get comfortable. You may be missing gems if don’t take the time to open up and care.

I suggest when on your next date that you not worry about whether that person is for you. Instead, worry about trying to have a good time with them. If you are both having a good time, then you will be more comfortable sharing who you are, and they will too.

Laugh! Play! Enjoy!

If you do this I can assure you that you are more likely to meet Mr/Ms. Right, but not only that, you will also have a good time looking for them!

Image Credit: EDubya

Tags: dating, goals, humor, instincts, Love & Dating

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Relationships. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.