Not to brag, but I go on a lot of first dates.

But this point, Im familiar with navigating all the unspoken rules of the game.

Will we split the bill, or is that too platonic?

Many of the rules of dating are at best circumstantial, and at worst, utter bullshit.

(Im looking at you, the man has to ask the woman out.)

And yet, the dating wisdom of our elders needlessly persists.

Dating apps are embarrassing.

Im always shocked to see dating profiles say something like Lets never tell anyone we met on here.

No worries, budwe wont be meeting at all.

We must move on from the belief that dating apps are a last resort.

Its unrealistic, and at the end of the day, your embarrassment is only holding you back.

Dating apps are the dominant arena for everyone playing the dating game today.

Dont stay stuck on the sidelines by acting ashamed of using an app.

You cant get better at dating.

Contrary to this misbegotten belief, dating is a skill.

Its a simple matter of enhancing certain parts of your personality to reach their most attractive potential.

And no, Im not talking about catfishing.

Its as simple as training yourself to be confident, considerate, andask your date lot of quality questions.

You should go on as many dates as possible.

Dating burnout is real.

Like muscles, our dating brains need time to rest and recover.

Think quality over quantity.

There has to be a spark right away.

Meeting up with someone from Tinder wont always bring that warm, fuzzy meet-cute feeling.

You want to feelsomesort of connection, but dont be deterred by a lack of a cinematic spark.

Some of my best flings required pushing through a little awkwardness at first.

The man pays the bill.

Leads to resentment and/or entitlement.

Opposites attract.

Those differences are cute, and give you the opportunity for fun banter.

Just be yourself!

Okay, perhaps claiming that its a myth one should just be yourself is a little harsh.

Of course you should be yourself.

However, you should be thebest version of yourself, at least for the first few dates.

If all goes well, youll be bringing your date back to your messy room in no time.