Fear Doesn't Keep Dates

Dating can be a difficult process for anyone. It can be difficult to figure out how to find the person that you are looking for and what standards you should have when meeting new people. However, this process doesn't have to be stressful. The point of dating is to have fun and find the person that adds to your life, so why let all of your worries and fears take hold of you?

One of the best approaches to going into this process is to first analyze whether or not you are ready to take this big step. Are you ready to share your life with someone else? Are you able to share your space? Can you compromise with another person on what activities you will do?

Sharing is a big part of being with another person. You have to be able to share your own wants and needs while paying attention to the wants and needs of another person. Though this might sound easy when you hear it, it can actually be really difficult. What if your partner doesn't do the same things that you do to relax? What if he or she doesn't eat the same kinds of foods or like the same kinds of people that you do?

You have to be able to understand where the flexibility exists in your relationship while still setting up the boundaries that you don’t want to cross. Most likely, you will not find one person that is exactly like you are, and who would want that anyway? There have to be some differences so the two of you stay interested in each other and learn to grow as a couple.

However, you also don't want to settle for someone that you are so different from that neither of you can find happiness even after compromising. So, you need to sit down and figure out which parts of your life you are willing to compromise on and which parts you aren't willing to change. Then, you need to communicate this to your partner and let him or her tell you what his or her standards are.

If you go into the situation knowing each other’s expectations and flexibility, then it might be easier to know whether or not the relationship can work. Talk about what you expect and whether you are meeting each other’s expectations. Then, do your best to compromise on the things that you want out of life so both of you get some of the things that you want.

Neither person should dictate how things should go on their own. It should be an agreement between the two of you, and though you might bend things a little to be flexible to each other’s wants and needs, no one should end up empty-handed. In fact, the flexibility that the two of you choose should benefit both people.

So, in retrospect, figuring out if you are actually willing to share and compromise is a big part of figuring out if you are ready for a relationship. If you are only concentrating on your own endeavors, then taking on a commitment with another person might not be high on your list of things to do at this time in your life. Think about it. You don't want to lead anyone on when you aren't willing to give up what you want to do and aren't willing to compromise. However, if you are happy with how your life has been going and are ready to do new things and work with another person's hopes and dreams, then taking the plunge into the dating world might be the next chapter in your book.