Dating can be a wonderful, blissful, and rewarding experience or it can be a complete disaster and leave you heart broken. When you first meet someone, you always put your best forward, why do we stop doing that? We must be high off of each other because the come-down of reality will eventually set in and then you have to get to know the real person. Your spokesperson sells the product (you), once you get them to commit, they don't really know what they have gotten themselves into after feelings get involved and before you know it, hearts get broken. Here are a couple tips I've learned from my years on the playing field to keep you from getting hurt:

1. Don't act FAKE. People have to match; if you're a pot head, date another pot head, if you're into sports, date someone who is also into sports, and if you say you're a fan, you better know some stats before you look like a groupie. If you don't know a lot about a certain topic, don't fake the funk! If you know a lot about something, don't go on and on unless it's something you're both into. Whatever you do, don't borrow or make up stories, your date will pick up on it as you go on and on and you start messing up, because you WILL. Try not to lie to each-other because you will BOTH look stupid.

2. Dating MYTHS and Fairy-tales. There have been reports of love at first sight, the myth of meeting your soul mate in line at Starbucks or somewhere else, and you always hear about the couple who knew they were meant for each other as soon as they made eye contact. None of these are meant for real people, this is more of the backdrop to a Hollywood love scene or something out of a romance novel. In real life, its nothing like that at all. Sometimes you meet somewhere unexpected like the gym, work, school or through friends, you may meet online, or perhaps at a bar. There's no way to find out what will materialize until you have done some time together. Everyone gets butterflies in the beginning, it's because you're nervous!

3. Relationship vs Sex buddy. If all you seem to be doing is having sex, this might not end in matrimony. If you spend more time in bed then out on the town exploring life and learning about each other, then you are a sex buddy. Now, in the event that you are going out and not having sex, a relationship may be a brewing. To really get a relationship going, hold off on sex, I know it will be hard but there are a lot of remedies to take care of that! When the person you're dating is trying to get to know you and do things with you that don't involve sex, then you're well on your way. When you're on the date, talk about things other then sex, avoid being too flirty and try not to associate sex as you definition of a relationship.

4. Avoid talking on the phone, text messages and emails. I know women love to chat on the phone, but it is annoying sometimes. Focus your chat time on planning your next date with the 3 W's: Where, When, and What is the dress code. Text messages are OK, only to confirm, cancel, or let the other person know you are running late for the date. Emails, the communication that has no personality, keep them short and brief and only about the next date. Save all the emotional stuff to discuss on your date, how was your day? What happened? etc. You want to have things to talk about while you're actually on the date, don't you? People tend to read too much into things, since there is no tone or facial expression in electronic comunication, you might make yourself look like a jerk when you don't mean to. Women are the worst when it comes to language, we are always wondering: What does it mean? What is he saying? And we always seem to ask our friends to give us their opinion to read between the lines with us, which only causes further confusion.

5. No tears, No revealing personal information, and DON'T talk about your EX. There is nothing worse then an emotional roller coaster ride on a date date! If you're sad, mad, or in a crappy mood, RESCHEDULE! Don't give up too much information on your date, like I was raped, I was molested, my parents left me, etc. It may be too much to handle the first few dates. Wait to establish a strong connection before you spill your guts on the table in the restaurant over appetizers. NEVER talk about your Ex's or promiscuous escapades! No one wants to know what a whore-bag you were, or hear you complain about your ex and why it didn't work out. Don't be negative about anyone or anything, it is a total turn off! Try to put a positive spin on things, like: "It didn't work out but it was a great learning experience." That will always make you look like the bigger person, not the clingy psycho-stalker type.

6. Avoid arguing at all costs! On the first several dates, you shouldn't be fighting about anything, and you shouldn't care about who's right and who is wrong. A good relationship is one with few disagreements and hardly any fights, especially within the fist nine months. If you find yourself in mid argument, before you say something you don't mean, ask yourself: A. Is this worth fighting for? B. What is the point of the argument? C. What will I gain/lose if I win? Never hit below the belt! Above all, avoid fighting in public or in front of family or friends. The people around you will think, "What a jerk, why is she with him?" OR, "What a bitch, why is he with her?" The last thing you want is for your family and friends to know your business, so don't fight in front of them or tell them about your squabbles unless you can't hold it in and it's a deal breaker. Another thing to keep in mind is that you don't want to embarrass each other! The best solution is to address the situation at the right time and place, so put on your happy face and wait until you're both alone to discuss it. Once you have addressed it, bury it, and don't dig it up later or you will be fighting about the same issues forever.

7. Try not to NAG. I'm not just talking to the ladies, because guys do it too! If you are a nag, try to suck it up and shut up! I dated a guy that was such a pain, he would nag me about every little thing, like you're brushing your teeth wrong or why do you ____ like that? I finally got tired of it and cut him loose! I've listened to my girlfriends complain about their men, when they go on and on nagging away, I tell them that they sound like a real pain. I know it sounds cold, but sometimes you have to keep it real! ALWAYS thank him for paying for dinner, the movie, etc. and offer to pay every once in a while; it lets him know you're not a gold-digger and you're not using him for anything. If your man is a few minutes late and doesn't call, get used to it, it may not be the first or the last time he does that, especially if he is always picking you up. If he watches sports all day, get used to it, he's into sports so you should use that time to do what you like to do then get together later. If he's into video games, let him play! Wouldn't you rather have his hands busy playing games at home then up some other girl's skirt? Again, use that time to do the things that you enjoy. Also, don't talk bad about your family or friends to him , save that for your friends, when you do that you look like a jerk and it is totally unattractive. Complaining is an ugly trait, and if you do it too much, they will get tired of you running your mouth and they will look for someone else who knows when to shut up.

8. The "too good to be true" syndrome. Once you start thinking that this guy/girl is too good to be true you will subconsciously look for things to sabotage your relationship. If you dig deep enough, you will find something and get hurt. We are all guilty of this, and we put the other person on a pedal stool and start to think that we are lucky to have them... until they disappoint us and mess up! Just enjoy the ride, don't kill the dream. It will only end in disaster because you will start to think you don't deserve to be with them, and when the you-know-what hits the fan, you will feel even worse! We are ONLY human.

9. Respect each other's privacy. Do not dig into your man or woman's emails, text messages, phone book, papers, drawers, cars, pockets, wallets, purses, boxes, under their bed or in their medicine cabinet... unless you're a complete psycho! The truth of the matter is, you might find something and get hurt. When he/she finds out, you look crazy for going through their things and it shows your lack of respect for their privacy, as well as the fact that you might have some trust issues. Either way, its dysfunctional and inappropriate.

10. Baggage and drama. If you're dealing with ex husbands/wives and children, previous addictions or rehab, cheating and relationships without closure, you will undoubtedly have some issues to deal with and you may not be aware of it right away. If you are the one with the baggage, be understanding about what your new man/woman is going through as they try to deal with it all. Some may run, while others may choose to stick it out with you because they care about you. Before you get into a new relationship, tie up as many loose ends as possible! Instead of being separated, be divorced, instead of fighting over your kid(s) settle your child support and custody issues, if you had a drinking or drug problem reveal it before getting too close or prior to living together, and if you have been around on the dating scene for awhile, make sure all parties involved know that you're moving on. This works both ways. I dated this guy that I thought was so amazing, and I ended up getting phone calls, text messages, weird emails and Myspace messages from random girls and it was a drag! I confronted him and told him: "Look, we're not serious and it's cool if you're dating other women, but I do have a problem when your girls are contacting me because I want to be drama free." Besides, if it were the other way around he wouldn't like it. It didn't last too long after that because I moved on to someone else who was less dramatic.

11. Stay LOW maintenance. I don't mean you have to look like a bum, but get ready with enough time so that no one has to wait around for you. Even if you are a super star, your fans won't always wait forever for you. I had a model friend that always took 3-4 hours to get ready, everyday, even to go to work at Walgreen's with me as a cashier. I bumped into her ex-boyfriend one time and I asked how she was doing and he said, "We broke up, she's cute but she's too high maintenance for me." You see, even the pretty girls get dumped! Gut yourself together before you get involved with anyone else, if you don't have a car, don't depend on your new sweetheart to chaufer you around. If you don't have a job, get one, before you turn into the co-dependant loser that doesn't contribute financially to the relationship.

12. Keep up the mystery. You don't have to tell your new honey your whole life story, the less they know the better! The more private information you give, the more likely it will get thrown in your face later, so proceed with caution. I hate when I confide my feelings to someone only to have it thrown in my face later. Everyone seeks to have a partner they can trust, respect and feel equal to, and throwing the past into some-one's face is hurtful and wrong. They will start to shut down and close themselves off to you, only to end something that could have been special. If you're the one throwing dirt, remember; KARMA, it will come back to you! If you're the one with the mud on your face, RUN! Because the mud-pitcher will probably start to degrade you and make you feel like crap.

13. Avoid the cycle! We all have them, men and women alike. We get involved with someone clingy, needy, controlling, the alcoholic, drug addict or cheater, one right after the other until we start to blame ourselves. When you keep dating people that have the same issues, you have found yourself stuck in the rut of the evil dating cycle. The only way to get out of it is to date outside your norm and give someone different a chance... you never know, it could be what lands you the perfect catch.

Hopefully you will all use this information wisely and keep yourself from being dumped. Use your best judgement to weed out the individuals that could be a waste of your time and pursue the ones that have potential to be your partner in life. There is no telling what can happen until you put yourself out there. No one is too good for you and you are not too good for anyone else, people are people, so treat one another with respect. Good luck out there!