What I Discovered from Online Dating and How It Can Help You Find Love
This is my story of how I found love and some helpful tips if you are new to online dating or looking for some new ideas that could help improve your chances of finding love.
Rewinding to 2008, when I was 19, I had broken up with a guy I had been dating for about four months, he was very mysterious and interesting to me, 9 years older than I was.
Unfortunately, it was not meant to last, as he had always planned to move to London and without telling me, I was so devastated, trying to understand why he decided to leave without saying anything, so I decided it was best to break off all contact with him and move on, as I did not see any point in having a long-distance relationship.
Working as a professional chef, I worked unsociable hours, which made it very difficult to meet anyone new and one of my Aunts recommended a free dating website called plentyofish.com, so I gave it ago.
I gained quite a bit of interest from guys who were only interested in one thing “one-night stands” and that was not what I was looking for, as I wanted a serious relationship, so I blocked every guy that came across as only wanting sex.
Just as I was about to give up on dating for a while, I received a lovely message from a guy that was not much older than me, about several months difference and lived in a nearby town, he was so respectful and pleasant to chat with, so we arranged a date to meet.
From the moment we first met, we clicked instantly and spent a good few hours chatting away at a pub, that was part of a train station and then he walked with me to my bus stop, kissing me on my cheek, before traveling back home.
It was the best date I had ever experienced, it was kept simple and pleasant, compared to other dates I had been on before, meeting up somewhere for a drink and getting to know one another, was such a great way to start the first date.
“We both joined the same dating website roughly at the same time and recommended trying it out, by someone we knew, it was like fate brought us together.”
12 years later we are still together and going from strength to strength, but like all relationships, we have had our fair share of ups and downs, but we always make time to discuss things and have learned to compromise better over the years, I am really happy I chose online dating.
Here are some of my top tips, that can help you improve your chances of finding love:
- Be more open to different types, to increase your chances
- Carry out some research into the person you are meeting. Use social media and a profile about them
- Meet up somewhere public.
- Take your time and meet as many times as you want before deciding to take things to the next level
- No sex on first dates
- Don’t give too much away too soon, save it for the date
- Don’t hold back your personality, try to show it on your profile and dates
- Meet somewhere for a casual drink and get to know one another
Online dating worked well for me and it can work well for you too, keep things simple and most of all just be yourself, you will find your “Mr. Right” or he will find you.
