Not attached to outcome. Dating is not a means to an end but rather a more dynamic process. Not everyone will be "the one." So many people only have this one acceptable outcome in mind and anything short of that is failure -- that's simply untrue.
Start at point A, which is meeting a new person. Maybe that person will get to point C or M but not make it all the way to Z (a long-term relationship). Try to be open to all possibilities of how someone might fit into your life versus backfilling them into some arbitrary end goal. This takes the pressure off of yourself to assess long-term compatibility immediately and recognize small wins.
Start at point A, which is meeting a new person. Maybe that person will get to point C or M but not make it all the way to Z (a long-term relationship). Try to be open to all possibilities of how someone might fit into your life versus backfilling them into some arbitrary end goal. This takes the pressure off of yourself to assess long-term compatibility immediately and recognize small wins.
"OMG I'm so nervous about this date! He seems perfect on paper! I think he's gonna be my husband!" "Make sure= you're dating NATO... the point of the first date is to go on a second... not get married!"
"They were nice but not sure if I feel romance, so I'm gonna cut it off." "No need to yet. If you date NATO, you don't need to pre-determine anything."
"They were nice but not sure if I feel romance, so I'm gonna cut it off." "No need to yet. If you date NATO, you don't need to pre-determine anything."
by ScruffyLover August 20, 2025
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