Also, meet for coffee first. If you can't manage 20 minutes or so in each others company then theres no point going further. Also no one is put out greatly in either time or cost so its less stress for everyone. It's also a 'lower threat' setting since theres no alcohol unlike going for a drink
Probably the single best indicator for success in dating that I’ve ever seen is the ability to take “no thanks” for an answer (or say it yourself!) and quickly move along. As the saying goes, there are plenty of fish in the sea.
As a folllowup, I should say that this sounds like a pretty blithe statement but it's actually a difficult skill to master! We're social creatures, and hearing _one_ person say "nah, you're not my thing" is hard. Hearing dozens of them and not taking it to heart takes practice to put it mildly.
not a small part about why I've given up
Maybe you're just not meeting them in the right kind of places? Because you're smart and you're handsome, so unless you have the personality of an orc or a wet log, you just haven't met enough of the right person.
Oh my personality is dogshit irl, it’s why I’m killing it on bluesky
Well, at least you know your weaknesses.. 😉
I honestly believe its not unhealthy to 'give up' now and then and just do other stuff you enjoy
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏