Anyone tired of online dating? I have heard that over 40 million people in the USA alone will log onto an online dating or matchmaking website during the course of a year. You would think with that many single people it would be like shooting ducks in a barrel.. Wrong! As a 49 year old man, with a 16 year old son, being single has been an absolute nightmare to say the least. The only thing worse than online dating is in- person dating. All joking aside, The fact of the matter is that at my age I am too old to go the bars and nightclubs filled with men and women young enough to be my children. Even if I did go out, what would be the point? Time and maturity (and wrinkles and gray hair) have made that not an appealing option. I have another problem. I am self-employed, and work out of my home which is very isolated. I don?t even have to get dressed let alone dressed up. Moreover, I am incurably shy. I was the one that made the girl ask me to dance in high school and even then tried to get out of it.
On the good side, I have diagnosed the problems pretty well. The internet craze and subsequent birth of online dating in early 1999, was like a Godsend. For me it was a no-brainer. I had nothing
to lose, except possibly $19.95 which could be refundable if I were a totally dissatisfied client. At that time I had just filed for divorce and was separated so I joined one of the leading dating sites. It was very easy to join, I simply filled out a questionnaire about my age, eye and hair color, height, weight, body type etc. At that time, I was actually truthful about my age which was 42. I also wrote a profile about my hobbies, work, interests and also the qualities I wanted in a woman. I had a fairly recent picture which I scanned and then paid the money for a 30 day trial. Literally within minutes I started receiving e-mails from women filled with compliments and interest in getting to know me better. I remember thinking that my dating worries were finally over. I was so excited I started thinking about marriage, children, white picket fence..and walking hand in hand into the sunset together. Here I was waiting for beautiful, single, sexy women to contact me without even leaving my home. It was unbelievable. That first couple of weeks were unforgettable. I was getting about ten e-mails a day from otherwise unattainable women living within just a few miles of my home. They were the most
flattering messages I had ever seen. Some wanted to talk immediately and gave their numbers, others actually wanted to meet in person that day! My divorce wasn?t even final yet!
I was overwhelmed with all the attention and adoration. I had not had this many women after me since the time I accidentally walked into the girls bathroom in grade school.
As with most of us when learning a new trade, I made many blunders along the way. For one thing, I never kept files or any sort of managed dating notes about all the conversations and e-mail exchanges. I would jot down numbers and names on pieces of scrap paper sitting next to the pile of papers on my messy desktop. I was attempting to just shoot from the hip and see how things went. Being memory challenged did not help either. I was constantly losing names, numbers, and appointments. The problem was I had too many women and not enough time. I was never the type of guy that juggled women well, and I usually got caught if I ever did anything worth getting caught over. I also have a morality streak which does not allow me to lie to a person who I know is trusting me. What I did have in my favor was some sales genes inherited from my
father, ample charm, and I cleaned up pretty good. In the beginning due to the stigma attached to ?lonely hearts clubs? I decided to keep this new thing a secret and just see if in fact I could actually find true love. If I did find love I could make a pact to fabricate a good story as to how we met and no one would be the wiser.
After coming off the pink cloud I decided that even as shy as I was, this was too good an opportunity to pass up so I started meeting people within a few weeks of joining. After talking on the phone, I made plans with a woman to meet at a nearby coffee house. I remember I had seen her photo which was quite attractive but I asked her what she would wear so I would not need to look foolish as I entered the place. As I come into the coffeehouse, I see my date out of the corner of my eye sitting there waiting for me. She was huge! She saw me right away and immediately greeted me with a hug. During our conversation she said she had just broken up with her boyfriend and put on some weight under the stress. Needless to say I was a little disappointed but decided that maybe the rest would be better. They were not.
One of the first words I learned about was
?chemistry?. This apparently, is what every single woman MUST feel in order to continue in a romantic path. In other words, if she does not feel ?chemistry? within seconds of meeting you, you are out of luck. I have heard several different definitions of the word, but generally it has nothing to do with science. Here is Webster?s definition: a strong mutual attraction, attachment, or sympathy.
About the Author: William Pritchett, through his vision, drive and innovative marketing skills, was the power behind a $200,000,000.00 a year sales force. Starting from scratch, his 20-year career as Director of Sales and Advertising, and unique insights into the dynamics of personal relationships is the brainchild for bringing his proven techniques to the new online dating craze and applying these same strategies for successful dating leading to a happy marriage. Mr. Pritchett serves on several boards, including Great Republic Life, and E.H.R.I.N.C., a nonprofit foundation for the disabled. He currently lives in Santa Barbara with his son.
Source: www.isnare.com
