5 Good Reasons to Part with your Number

Dating can be a bit of a daunting experience, particularly for those who have taken an oath of singlehood (more so to avoid the complications of dating than to savor the sweetness of solitude)

Dating (or deciding to date again) can seem like a bit of a messy affair because you don’t want to deal with the rejection, disappointment or the thought of actually changing out of your pajamas for someone. But dating can actually be an exhilarating and enlightening experience if you change the way you look at it (preferably with a non-cynical eye).

The next time someone asks if they can have your number, here are a few reasons why you should say yes (assuming that you would practice good judgment and won’t be handing your number out to creepy strangers)

You couldn’t possibly have met every person in the world of the opposite sex to know that you’ve had every experience there is to be had.

Every time someone different approaches you, you are faced with the prospects of experiencing something that is completely new. This thought alone should be exciting right?

Admit it; you’re not exactly displeased with the idea of someone else finding you appealing. You’ve probably just overanalyzed the situation to a point where you’ve convinced yourself that you’re caught up with a Freddie Prinze Jr. character who wants your number as part of a bet.

Well, endearing as that may seem, you may want to go ahead and face the reality that someone sees you, thinks you’re amazing and wants to get to know you. The more you speak to someone who is interested in you the more likely you are to radiate an energy that gives people the illusion that you’re walking in mid-air or that you’ve discovered life-changing dental floss.

There is a definite magic that is found in someone being attracted to you (in a non-objectifying way). It makes you actually want to fix your hair, iron your clothes and put on shoes other than your shabby puppy dog slippers.

Dating makes you feel alive, and reminds you that you’re still in the game.

When you’re chronically single you become accustomed to a certain routine. You know when the mail arrives, you know the programming schedule of almost every channel, you check in with your friends around the same time every day and you possibly know the exact spoonful amount of ice-cream left in the tub. And you probably tell people that you prefer it that way and that having someone in your life would mess up your ‘systematic flow’. But what’s more disturbing about having your world turned upside down by someone else is not having your world turn at all. Routine is a joy-killer and it’s the variations in our existence that makes life that much more exciting.

Meeting new people is the perfect way to get yourself out of your comfort zone and expose yourself to new adventures, new ideas and new friends.

There’s a lot that learning about others can teach you about yourself. For one you’re going to learn what it is that you don’t like. And you’re probably also going to learn just how flexible your standards are.

As it is you’re possibly using your ‘high standards’ as a shield, making sure that you’re so high up in the dragon-guarded castle that a man would have to be a lonely, unyielding Prince Charming with a talking horse to get to you.

Dating more might help you to relax a bit. Don’t approach your first date as if it were an interview. Agree to meet with someone just to get to know them. You’ll be surprised at how much you can enjoy someone’s company when you’re not immediately trying to find out how much they earn and what illnesses run in their family.

Many single people complain that they just cannot find the right person, because they don’t really give people a chance.

Deciding to go on a date is not deciding to be in relationships with people you don’t want to be with, it’s simply opening yourself up to people and things that you normally wouldn’t.

In your head you may have already set every standard that your next partner will have to meet, down to which side of his head his comb-over is. But what you don’t realize is that it could be these very stringent standards that are preventing you from meeting the right person for you. You can have an idea of who you want down to a Tee, but the truth is you only know whether someone is right for you or not after you’ve actually met them.

By opening yourself up to more options, even if it means meeting all the wrong kinds of people, you open yourself up to the prospects of meeting the right kind of people.

Playing it too safe in the dating game is not the best way to have the most amazing and memorable experiences.

Just like every other aspect of your life you have to take a few risks, go on a few adventures and break a few routines to allow more of yourself to break out of you. You’d be surprised at just how much you have to offer when you swim just a little farther out into the dating ocean. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter whether every person you meet is right for you or not, it will matter that you met someone, learned something and had fun.

- The Jetstream Team