While riding down the highway and listening to the radio the other day, a segment came on the radio about the “hot mess of a dating scene we have going on in Atlanta.” There was a special guest whose name I don’t recall, but I believe the host referred to him as Dr. so for the sake of this post, I will call him Dr. Dating Expert. I promise I will try to find which station and his name to update this post because I like to give credit where credit is due.

Dr. Expert gave valuable advice to daters in Atlanta that can apply to anyone around the world. I can only remember 3 of the tips, so for the other tips, I’ll be sharing my own “two cents” on how to improve the dating scene for you.

1. While scrolling through Instagram and pictures on social media, Dr. Expert suggested Don’t Get Stuck on Looks. You need to dig deeper than looks and find out the person’s belief system (do they share your same beliefs, do they go to church, what type of family do they come from, etc).
2. Date with Purpose. Don’t just date to date, date to find out if this person is actually worth your time. In order to do that you must have purpose and utilize even the first date which leads us to tip #3.
3. Ask Questions. Don’t be afraid to ask real questions on the first date. Dr. Expert suggested asking employment history (to see if they can keep a job or not), current employment status because as he informed us “there’s a lot of well-dressed poor people in Atlanta” meaning they dress nice but are currently unemployed. You can’t properly date with purpose if you don’t ask important questions which will help you decide if you want a possible future with this person.

Those are the three tips I remembered from Dr. Expert. I will now add my own dating tips from my own observations.

4. Be Upfront With Your Intentions. If you’re only looking for something fun or short-term, then let the person you’re dating know this in advance either on the first date or prior to the date. Be honest. There’s someone for everyone and every desire in this dating arena, you don’t have to trick anyone into a relationship or a situation they didn’t ask for or were not interested in.
5. Get Rid of the “Grass is Greener on the Other Side” Mentality. This mentality will have you constantly searching for “the next best thing” while passing on some people that could’ve possibly been a really good fit for you. We are all flawed even you, so don’t just look for a “perfect” person, look for the perfect person for you which differs because the perfect person for you may not be “perfect” on paper. The last few years, I’ve heard so many brides and grooms confess their loved one wasn’t someone they’d typically go for (although, I don’t advise saying this on your wedding day as to not cause problems with the family of your loved one), but their bond and connection was undeniable so they went for it. With that said, rather than thinking “the grass is greener on the other side” instead think of the updated version “the grass is greener where you water it.” One more thing, please don’t interpret this as meaning to date someone you’re unattracted to. I personally believe attraction is important.
6. Prepare For Dating. Many people are entering the dating scene unprepared. They have undealt with problems and addictions. There’s already huge addictions in the world to social media, Instagram pictures, porn, Only Fans accounts, and even substance abuse. You need to handle these issues BEFORE entering the dating scene. In the same way, you wouldn’t welcome anyone into a dirty home, neither should you welcome them into an unclean life. Clean up your life and prepare yourself for dating. Dating can lead to other major moments such as marriage or children. You want to be free and clear to deal with or enjoy any new situation that may arise. However, if along the way, you meet someone while getting help for current issues and you make them aware of your current issues and they decide to enter your life anyway, then that’s a different story.

I hope these tips will greatly improve the dating scene and yield better dating results. Feel free to leave any other useful tips in the comments!