If you’ve been single for a while, getting back into the dating world can be scary as hell. You want to meet a great guy, but the amount of bad dates you’ll probably have to go through before you find one can be daunting. When you do come across a potential Mr. Right, having these 8 qualities will give your relationship the best chance:
- Strong and consistent communication. You should be completely comfortable talking to the person that you’re dating, and it shouldn’t ever feel forced or stunted. The communication between you and your partner should be fluid and natural. If it’s not, then he’s probably isn’t right for you.
- Complete and total honesty from the start. If you’re not honest from the start, then it’s going to come back to haunt you and someone will eventually get hurt. It’s important to be upfront about what you want to find out if your lifestyles and goals match up. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in that weird limbo phase of, “What are we?”
- Patience throughout the process. One of the hardest things when you start dating someone again is avoiding anxiety. Developing a strong and stable relationship is a process and doesn’t happen overnight. You should be willing to take things slow and not try to rush through those important formative stages.
- Taking everything one step at a time. A strong relationship requires two people who really know each other intimately, but learning about someone is an investment and something that takes time and effort. The worst thing that can happen is failing to live in and enjoy the moment.
- Being emotionally ready for a potential relationship. If you’re not emotionally ready to handle the ups and downs of being in a relationship, then don’t get ahead of yourself and start one when you’re still broken inside. You’ll end up either cutting the relationship off too soon or taking your problems out on the other person, and that’s totally unfair.
- Being emotionally ready in case it doesn’t work out. At the end of the day, you still have to protect your heart. Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket before they hatch. Be prepared for anything to happen. Getting hurt is always a very real possibility, so just make sure that you’re aware of that and prepared for it.
- Not having any loose ties. Dragging in baggage from a previous relationship or being “halfway done” with the person prior to the current person you’re dating will just end in disaster. Make sure you don’t have any loose ties when you start dating someone new. You don’t want to screw things up due to unfinished business with another person.
- No wandering eyes. If you are looking for something real, then don’t play games with the person you’re dating. Focus on one person at a time so that you can put your energy into making this a relationship that can actually work. If you’re serious about this person, then call off the booty calls and don’t respond to people who may still be trying to “hang out.”
