Looking for The One? Dating expert Matthew Hussey explains why now’s the time to get a head start on your New Year’s Resolutions when it comes to your love life
Dating can be a battlefield. From bad dates to no dates, creepy first dates to what-was-I-thinking third dates, finding a relationship nowadays can be a journey of flirt faux pas and emotional ups and downs.
If every New Year’s Eve, you find yourself making the same promises to yourself to put more effort into your love life, from going on more dates to perhaps going on less of the wrong ones (we’ve all been there), then now could be the time to put in the groundwork to ensure you increase your chances of success in the New Year.
“With New Year’s Resolutions, you always want to set yourself up to win. One of the easiest ways to do this is to give yourself a head start and begin good habits now that you can just carry on through into January,” says dating expert Matthew Hussey of Get The Guy . “Where most people go wrong is letting their entire life crumble apart around November and December, so much so that they now have to begin a heroic climb in January to iron out a ton of bad habits. For example, they blow off work, consume way too much junk food and alcohol, stop taking care of their social life and stop meeting new guys.”
Here are his words of wisdom for getting a head start on your New Year’s Resolutions , to ensure that 2015 is your luckiest year in love yet.
Tip 1: Don’t go into ‘holiday hibernation mode’
You are not a bear. There’s no need to begin hibernating just because the cold season is around the corner. I like to treat the last few months of the year instead like a ‘final furlong’, where I get a few extra months to try to meet the goals I set myself at the beginning of the year. It’s one big push where I can make massive progress instead of letting things fall apart and having to struggle in January.
That way, I get to walk into the New Year feeling re-invigorated and already set to hit the ground running. Also, your confidence will be soaring around December and New Year, during which you’re likely to be going out a lot and attending lots of social events.
Tip 2: Say ‘yes’ to every social opportunity (especially those from outside your normal social circle)
When summer is winding down people tend to become introverted and stay home a little too much. Do not succumb to this temptation.
The easiest way to expand your love life is to expand your social circle and meet more new guys. So start saying ‘yes’ to social opportunities wherever you find them. Aim to be out of the house and somewhere fun at least three nights of the week.
Tip 3: Have more fun interactions with strangers
No, not the creepy kind of strangers, but those strangers you see in your everyday life who you never speak to. Talk to baristas, ask security guards how their day is going, speak to a guy next to you at the bar and ask him to recommend a cocktail.
The ultimate technique is to be more playful and have lots of short, small interactions. The kind of people who get into conversations a lot tend to get a lot more dates, just because they give guys more of an opportunity to ask them out.
When you meet more guys on a regular basis, by the time New Year rolls around you won’t be short of options for who to go out with!
Tip 4: Become a ‘social hub’
Start becoming the person in your social group who brings people together. Every 1-2 weeks, start having your own personal ‘happy hour’ where you invite a bunch of friends (and tell them to bring friends too!).
When you start this habit going into the New Year you become the social hub where people congregate. That means you’ll have an excellent way to meet new guys on a regular basis who will in turn introduce you to their friends as well!
Tip 5: Have an inspiration list for next year
Don’t just make your New Year’s resolutions things that seem like a lot of work and make you feel pain.
Start an ‘inspiration list’ for things you can do, places you can travel to, movies or books you want to see and read and hobbies you want to take up (e.g. sports, a new language, some new work side-project) that will INSPIRE you and rev you up to take action.
This way you go into the New Year feeling like a different person and ready to take on the world. A woman with excitement and passion is always sexy to a guy!