Are You Numb from the Head Down?

Tried of walking all over your men?
I got an email the other day from a gal who thought she was the only one in the world with this problem. She isn’t. If this reflects any of your experience, there is hope for you!

“Jill” (not her real name) said she can’t seem to find and maintain any long term relationships because after a while she just gets, in her own words, “bitchy” with her “boyfriend’s” every move. Further, Jill is in the habit of just picking up random guys at bars, clubs or wherever they lurk and sleeping with them, even on first dates sometimes and she says she never really feels bad about it afterwards. She concluded with “I know this is not normal… is something wrong with me?”

Here’s an excerpt of my reply:

Bitchy usually means you choose men you don’t respect.

Are you slipping into accidental relationships with men you subconsciously think you deserve but really don’t want because you don’t have high self esteem? When we haven’t faced our past or our hurts we go for whatever is NORMAL to us (from our childhood), even if normal is painful, rather than what we want.

All you describe is not new to me. I have coached women who find they are acting in similar ways. What is really going on is that you are numbing yourself from feelings to avoid facing something in your past. There is real pain that you haven’t wanted to deal with. The reason you don’t feel bad after one night stands is because you stopped allowing yourself to feel a long time ago. Why? Maybe you have a fear that if you allowed yourself to feel true emotions you just might begin to cry a flood of tears that will not stop. Or maybe you just don’t believe feelings can bring anything but pain.

Please know that NO man can fulfill your every need. Every human will in some way disappoint you because we are all just human. The only ONE who can satisfy the void, that emptiness inside you, is God and he truly cares about you. For more information on how to begin a relationship with God, if this is a new concept to you, go to this special link on my website: http://finderskeepersclub.com/divineintervention.html.

Also, one way to begin to see why we do the things we do is to journal about your life. Here is a guide, “The Journey to Who You Are,” which you’ll find in the addendum in my upcoming book The Automatic Second Date. Grab a pen, pull out your journal and get started with your autobiography.

THE JOURNEY TO WHO YOU ARE GUIDE
It’s easier to recall your past when you look back on small age spans. You can choose to go in chronological order or skip around, as long as you eventually answer all the questions for each age span. To get started on your autobiography, begin with any age span listed below and answer each question to the best of your ability: ages 0-5; grades 1-4; grades 5 and 6; junior high school; high school; ages 18-21/college years; your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond.

Some Guidelines
Don’t edit yourself as you go. Don’t over think. Just start writing the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to that age and ask yourself each question listed. When you are finished, you’re ready to put it all in chronological order and write the story of your life, with all the new insights and lessons you’ve discovered in this journey to your identity and self-worth.
Some very painful memories may come up. Don’t be surprised if the hurt feelings come back while you’re writing. Just feel the pain and keep going. It’s important to recall and write down how you made it through those times and what you learned along the way, so you can understand how you became who you are today.

Your Questions
1. What do you remember most, good or bad, about your life through each age group?
2. What did you do?
3. Where did you live?
4. Who were your friends and enemies?
5. What highs did you experience?
6. What lows did you experience?
7. How did you view God and what role did you see God playing in your life at that time?
8. What are some of your life’s blessings, joys, and victories?
9. What are your biggest disappointments, hurts, and storms?
10. What dreams were planted in your heart early on?
11. Did you pursue those dreams? If not, who or what stopped you?
12. If you have already met God, when did you meet Him and what led up to your inviting Him into your life?

May you enjoy your journey to the real you!

Victorya Rogers

Nooooo, Not Another Wedding Invitation!

It's wedding season--hurray. Or is it a drag for you? If you get anxiety when those wedding invitations show up, there is no need to fear. It's all in perspective! Weddings aren’t just about the bride and groom anymore. Now it’s a perfect place to meet your mate. Here's are my tips for single gals going to weddings:

DON’T TAKE A DATE to a wedding unless you are in an exclusive relationship because weddings are a great place to meet someone new.

Why is it a great pick up place? Because the guy or gal can be “vouched for” by the bride or groom. It’s far better than picking up a stranger in a bar or on the internet. You can find out scoop about them

Who goes to weddings?
Close friends, relatives, friends, long lost friends and distant relatives plus coworkers. It’s a great place to reconnect with people and also a great place to meet someone new.

Why it’s great to meet someone at a wedding?
Everyone puts their best foot forward and we all usually look great at weddings.
You automatically have something to talk about—the bride and the groom
Weddings are a great pick up place because the folks are vouched. What you find at weddings are family, close friends and co-workers
You will have someone in common. It is easy to start up a conversation—all you have to ask is “do you know the bride or groom?” And let it go from there.
It’s a no pressure, fun way to meet someone new. They’re already there to have a great time. So the pressure is off.


Where is the best place to mingle? The line for food and drinks line of course.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE WEDDING.
Try to find out any scoop on singles BEFORE the big day when the bride and groom aren’t so preoccupied with their moment. People LOVE to get involved in others love lives so let them know you’d be open to meeting someone. So find out from the bride or groom (whom ever you are friends with) who is invited that is single and if there is someone that may be a good match for you and ask to be placed near them at the reception—perhaps even have a word or two slipped to the potential match up so they will be thinking about the hook up.

If it’s a buffet
Scope out ahead of time where to sit and just happen to be by that table.

If it’s a sit down dinner:
Try to have that worked out with the bride or groom so you get placed at a good table.

And if you’re in the wedding party, even better, because you have several chances to get to know the rest of the wedding party and if one just happens to be single and handsome…

So next time you stress about an invitation in the mail, say yes, and go stag….your “Man Worth Keeping” just may be waiting near the aisle.

Victorya Rogers
www.finderskeepersclub.com

Are You Insane?

Within one hour I got three emails from ladies that compelled me to just shake my head in frustration. Girlfriends, you’ve got to snap out of it. As Benjamin Franklin said, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. If you are constantly disappointed by guys and have found yourself today convinced there are no good ones out there, it could just be that you are doing the same thing over and over again. You know what I’m talking about, just hanging out, going to clubs, living your life and when someone notices you or catches your eye, bingo it’s love at first sight, that is until he rips your heart out.

I’m not saying you mean to continue to be attracted to the bad boys. It just keeps happening. So how do you change your dating life? You start today, this very moment! Find out about you. Grab a notebook and spend some time by yourself writing out the history of your love life. Who knows it may be a movie someday since people love to hear about other’s misery. But that is not your motive today. Your reason for writing it out is for you to search for a pattern. What do each of your exes have in common? They may not look alike, but I promise they will have several qualities (and not necessarily good qualities) in common.

After you see what you’ve been getting, write out what you REALLY want in a man. Write out this wish list by putting the “must have” qualities at the top and the “would be nice to have” qualities at the bottom. This is just the beginning of the new you, but what a great new love life you are about to encounter, because you can now begin to separate the good from the bad because you now know what you are AND what you are NOT looking for!

Best Place to Meet Single Dads?

According to a brand new survey , the best place to meet single dads these days seems to be online. This interesting article found on the online dating site True.com included data from interviews with over 5000 single dads asking them why they were choosing to date on line and what the perks were for them as opposed to traditional dating. Check it out. It's always intriguing to hear men's perspective.

Go Ahead Make His Day

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all are enjoying a day with friends and family to relax and eat All American favorite like Hamburgers and Hot Dogs. We are so thrilled to get a day off that too often we forget to pay attention to what each holiday means, especially this one.

Now if you are like most women, we just have this THING for men in uniforms. I mean they look so handsome and brave and protective… Yet, seldom do we stop and think that men in the military really do put their very lives on the line for us. They (and their families) sacrifice for us so we can continue living in this country with the freedom, comfort, and lifestyle we so take for granted.

I heard an amazing statistic yesterday. In the history of United States, during times of war, 43 million Americans have put on their uniform to defend our freedom. 2.79% of those 43 million gave their lives while doing so.

If you see a man (or woman) in uniform, especially today, walk over to them and say “Thank You”. If you know someone who spent time or currently is in the military tell them you appreciate what they do. If you see someone at a restaurant wearing a ball-cap or t-shirt revealing they were in the armed services, go out of your way to say Thank You.

I was at a luncheon last year and heard a man tell his story of how God has miraculously saved his life during a fierce and bloody tour of Vietnam. Many of his friends died in front of him, yet he made it home with a bullet hole and a limp. By the end of his talk he broke down in tears. Alive but wounded, he did not come home to parades of thanks. Rather Vietnam Vets were treated at best by being ignored, at worse by being ridiculed by fellow Americans against that particular war. The reason for his tears today? He was eating breakfast in a small café that very morning and had been wearing his favorite hat that said Vietnam Vet. A lady came over to his table and said “Thank you for serving our country!” That is all she said and walked away. Sobs began to drench his table at that small café. You see he had been home from war 35 years and this was the VERY FIRST American who had thanked him for putting his life on the line for her!

I don’t care if you are for the War on Terror or against it today, whether you were for Vietnam or against Vietnam, or any other war where Americans defended our freedom. Make our veterans and active military’s day by thanking them! Honor them for what they gave up for you even though they don’t know you! It only takes two words uttered from your mouth to honor those who protect us. Make their day—say THANK YOU--today and every day you pass one who served!

Lastly for you who have family members serving our country—thank you for the sacrifices you make each and every day while they are in harms way.

Happy Memorial Day. We honor you!

Jordan vs Blake--Is Winning Everything?

Jordan Sparks was my choice from very early in the season, so I was very pleased to see her crowned American Idol on last night's season finale.(http://www.americanidol.com/videos/view/?vid=776).

Jordan is young, talented and if top songwriters choose her (as they did Carrie Underwood http://www.carrieunderwoodofficial.com/) to record their next big hits, she'll have a long career.

Do you have to win it all to win? Are you a failure if you get into the top 2 like
Blake Lewis and stop short of the prize? Not on American Idol and not in the dating world either, because sometimes losing the top prize offers you more freedom so you can pursue exactly the life you want.

I'm sure Blake is encouraged by 2006 4th runner up Chris Daughtry's chart topping debut album with 2 number one hits and already selling 2 million copies (http://www.daughtryofficial.com/). Especially since clearly the chosen single for this year's winner would not have reached the charts if he was singing it—it wasn't his style. Same thing happened two years ago with Bo Bice http://bobice.com/—the song just wasn't appropriate for his voice—kinda uncool, but that is how life is sometimes.

So what does being runner up have to do with love? Are you a failure if you are runner up at love (you know the guy you thought was the end all be all chooses someone else. It doesn't have to mean that you failed at all. Let time be the revealer. I was "runner up" with at least 4 ex boyfriends and oh my, did that rip my heart out each time! BUT I moved on, kept faith there was someone out there for me, and thank God for unanswered prayers! All 4 of those guys ended up being far from the right one for me (10 to 20 years later all 4 of them have had real relationship drama. One of them finally got it together and at least seems to have a good 2nd marriage, the other 4 are rumored to be a mess. I have been happily married to my keeper for going on ten years.

I'm so thrilled I was merely runner up at least 4 times in my life! How about you?

Wanna Get Him Back?

Want to know how to get him back after you're (temporarily) rejected? Take it from Bevin—the rejected runner-up on this year's The Bachelor (http://abc.go.com/primetime/bachelor/). Last night on the "After the Rose" episode she handled herself so well I just wanted to hug her. She did not attack Lt. Andy, she had not grown bitter. She simply wished him the best, let him know how she felt and gave him permission to move on. What good does that do? Wonders! Trust me. It leaves him doubting his decision to leave. You see when you let him go when he's gone already, you are just accepting what's already done rather than fighting what can't be changed in the immediate here and now. What you GAIN is that your man leaves thinking "Wow, I thought she'd hate me and she's okay with this? Wow, maybe I was wrong…" No matter how painful letting go is for you, force yourself to be classy in the face of rejection. You leave the door open for him to come back at some point in the future—that might be a week or a year. Either way, when it happens the ball will be in YOUR court. You see, you are a magnetic woman who faces your own pain, mourns your loss, then moves on with your life. So when your ex comes back you may or may not want him back depending on where you are in your life at that point. What a great place to be! Believe me that has happened to me on several occasions and you know what? I didn't want them back when they came back because I was able to see them for who they really were—and they weren't men worth keeping!

To read more tips on love:

blog.myspace.com/victoryarogers

victoryarogers.blogspot.com

She Darted in the Middle of Heavy Traffic!

I was driving home this morning from dropping my daughter off at school. There was a lady pulled over trying to call over a well-groomed (surely much-loved), collar-wearing, wayward dog running happily and carelessly off toward a busy, crazy intersection. I gasped and held my breath. Whew, she stopped at the light and looked around, seeming to wise up to the danger.

The other driver and eye pulled into traffic and stopped at the light, hopelessly yearning for the puppy to come our way and find safety. Suddenly, she darted into heavy traffic as I covered my eyes to the screeching traffic around me. She made it across, this time. Other cars pulled off the road and attempted to pursue and call the dog to safety, yet she just kept trotting happily away, "100 miles an hour in the wrong direction". I doubt that dog will live through the day, not to mention the hour.

It made me think about many of the ladies I counsel and see doing the same thing in their relationship choices. Most are much loved woman with family and friends wishing nothing but the best for them. They are prayed for, and often given wise counsel—from multiple people—about their dilemmas and choices about who to pursue and who to leave, and yet they trot happily away, 100 miles an hour in the wrong direction down the road to heartbreak and devastating consequences. You see, just like that puppy, the decision is still up to you. We can tell you want to do, beg you heed the warning signs, shout out when danger is right in front of you, yet still YOU have to make the choice for safety. You are in control!

Are you like that puppy today? Are your addictions to the wrong men or willful blindness to blaring red flags putting you in harms way? My prayer for you is that you will begin to love yourself enough to stop running in the wrong direction, start paying attention to the danger signs, and begin heeding the counsel of those who want nothing but happiness for you. It's your future at stake. Will you survive?

Ugh, My TV Broke and I Really Loved It

First off, sorry about the last blog being just a photo of me. I was trying to upload my new headshot and instead it went out as a blog. I'll figure it out soon and it will replace the old one you see here.


Here's my words for the day: Our flat screen TV broke last week while still under warranty since we’ve only had it 6 months. We really loved that TV—it fit perfectly in the wall space carved out for a large screen TV. We loved the picture and we’d invested so much to acquire it, but it just broke. So we called Best Buy and they said we can come in and just pick a replacement since they don’t carry that one anymore. Cool right? We tried one—the top rated brand at that—and it just wasn’t the same. We whined and mourned and shopped and shopped until we finally made our choice and replaced our old one.

Why am I rambling on about my TV dilemma? Thanks to several emails from Myspace friends complaining about disappointment in old and new boyfriends during the same 3 day process of looking for my new TV, I couldn’t help but compare a perfectly fitting TV to searching for a perfectly fitting man.

Have you ever caught yourself yearning for an old love and comparing him to every new one that comes along, even though he was broken and definitely not good for you? The problem with that is when time has passed from a broken relationship we forget all the bad stuff and simply idealize the fantasy of the good.

Sure your ex had good qualities or you would have never seen him in the first place, right? BUT, did his bad outweigh his good? I mean my TV was broken and not able to be fixed, I had to move on or I wouldn’t be watching TV. Was your relationship so broken that you weren’t relating anymore? Was he too different from you or did he treat you badly? Was he abusive? Did he lack the important qualities on you crave for your ideal mate? If that was so, no matter how much you liked him or how addicted you still feel to him you have to move on if you want to find true love.

Feel the hurt. Mourn, whine, even sulk. But choose a time period for that (a few days, weeks or months) then let go and continue living your life so you can be free to fully love the right guy when he appears.

It’s just not fair to compare every new guy to a fantasy (the unrealistic memory of a fallen relationship). Yes, ABSOLUTELY you need to keep to the standard of the GOOD qualities the ex had that are on your must-have list for your ideal mate!

But remember that every man, including your ex, has faults. I’m definitely not telling you to settle for less than the best. I just want you to pay attention to exactly what you are getting—the good and the bad—and determine at that point if the man in front of you right now is one to keep or one to replace. Every relationship comes as a whole package—the good, the bad and the ugly. (Hey, we’re far from perfect as well). The only person to change someone is the person himself. So don’t choose your mate because he has potential, choose him for what he is today. If your relationship is not fixable, walk away while you’re still under warranty (before the wedding). As hard as it is to say goodbye while dating, it is no comparison to splitting up after you’ve married!

To all the Single Moms out There!

I hope you had an extra special Mother’s Day this year. I have a special place in my heart for Single Moms because aside from rarely, if ever, getting a break or “me” time, Single Moms also frequently get overlooked on Mother’s Day when their children are young because there’s not a Dad to remember to help the kids do something special for Mom. If your little ones forgot to pamper you yesterday, just know that it had nothing to do with any lack of love for their Mom. You are special and appreciated more than you know. Thank you for all that you do—all the hard work, the extra doses of love you pour into your kids when you'd rather sit down and relax, and each and every sacrifice you make. You will be rewarded one day. As the good book says: What you sow you reap; what you put out will come back to you. It may not be overnight, but it will be in due season. You will reap the harvest as you see your precious little one grow up.

Victorya Rogers
www.finderskeepersclub.com

I'm Sooooo Glad It's Over

I had an appointment today to meet a new photographer for the back cover of my new book “The Automatic Second Date”. We’ve had several phone conversations and each time we talked (or he left a voice message) I got this very bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. The guy talked down to me and was confrontational over little things (I mean this was a business relationship for photos mind you. What could be confrontational about that?). After he shamed me at length for needing directions to his office, I got to his place and was quickly told off for ringing the doorbell instead of knocking (Okay, who knew?). The guy looked just like an old boyfriend—a verbally abusive boyfriend at that. What are the odds?

Long story short, I ended up leaving within 5 minutes of getting there because it went downhill from there and life is just too short. I called my husband while I drove the hour back home and told him how THRILLED I was that I had the strength to get out of that previous relationship. Thank you Jesus, for rescuing me from that! I have not been around someone so degrading and abusive in over ten years until today and it all came back to me in a flash with this photographer.

Here’s what I want YOU to know—this photographer’s work was good, I mean he was great at his craft--gorgeous picture after gorgeous picture filled his portfolio. My back cover would have really impressed you. Bummer, right? Then I thought about the ex-boyfriend. He was a very hot, well known model. It was great for my ego to be seen with him. But who cares?!?

Life is too short to let your ego keep you in bad situations. So I would have looked good publicly while living in misery if I stayed with the ex boyfriend. And I would have had great new pictures if I would suffer through a photo shoot with a guy who put me down for the 4 hours or however long it took…It is just not worth it! There are other fish in the sea.

There are other guys to date and there are other great photographers. I’ve found both! My husband is every bit as good looking, but more important that that—especially more important than that, he is good to me, actually LIKES me for me, and is secure enough in himself that he doesn’t have to talk down to me to feel good about himself.

My take home for YOU is to PLEASE love yourself enough to walk away quickly from any guy who has to chip at your self-esteem to make himself feel strong. There is no where to go in a relationship like that but down—and by that I mean your self-esteem will be crushed day after day after day until you’ve got no dignity left. Don’t believe the lie—you are worth more than that—so much more.

Victorya Michaels Rogers
www.victoryarogers.com
www.finderskeepersclub.com
www.makeitinmedia.com

Rah Rah Sisterhood

Your Girlfriends were made to get through a lifetime

Gals, we all need cheerleaders—be it one, five or ten! You owe it to yourself to collect a group of girlfriends, preferably three or more, with whom you can share your life. It takes the pressure off you and gives you an unbiased opinion of your life traumas. Plus it keeps you from freaking out on your man during the ups and downs of dating and relating.

Look, we all have needs and that is okay. We’re human. What’s not okay is to burden a brand new love, expecting him to meet those needs. And ladies, we tend to over analyze everything. Do your analysis with your girlfriends, but don't freak out on your new man.

It's always best to have more than one girlfriend to call so you can dwell on the same saga for hours by just finishing with one phone call and going to the next. Not that everyone has to do that, it just worked for me during my heartaches. I spent "normal" phone time with girlfriends when life was good. During my dating life I had my mom, sister, sister-in-law, co-worker, and seven (yes SEVEN) girls in my small group Bible study that I got to individually bore with each of my traumas. It was bliss to get to go on and on without losing a friend because there were enough of them to turn to without wearing out my welcome! Believe me at least once I was told, "Vic, I have to go, but call so & so and see what she thinks to see if I'm right."

Maybe I’m sounding extreme for your personality or circle of friends. Perhaps you live in a small town where it seems impossible to find a bunch of friends. And no, you don't have to bore your friends for hours. Thankfully not every crisis merits that. And remember a friendship is two-ways. You'll need to return the favor when your friends are in need.

What if you’ve been stabbed in the back by gossip, jealousy or betrayal by former girlfriends? Yes, there will be friends who hurt you. At those times, evaluate if they were speaking truth that was hard to hear or if they were just being mean. If they were being malicious then they weren't really your friend. If they were speaking truth, be thankful they loved you enough to tell you the truth rather than letting you live in denial. Either way pull up your boot straps, determine to choose your confidant wisely, and go out and try again! Because girlfriend, we were made for relationships! I chose to risk and build a support team of girlfriends for my own sanity and to keep me from scaring dates away by being too needy. We all need cheerleaders—be it one, five or ten!

Give me this: Begin to consider the possibility that you’ll open your life to females around you and build a group of girlfriends to usher you through tragedy and triumph and into the life you always wanted.

What If You Are Wrong?

I hear it almost every day from single women of all shapes and sizes: “All guys are creeps” or “I just want to find one man who is not a jerk” or some other version of the same story. Having been there, said that a time or two during my single years, I have a profound question for you who currently feel this way:

What if you Are Wrong?

Could it be time for a reality check? Could it just MAYBE be that your own perspective about the male population is actually wrong and yet because you have convinced yourself you are RIGHT to think boy are brats you have this Male GPS (you know an inner global positioning satellite that tracks down bad guys) seeming to prove you right? I mean, wouldn’t it really be humbling yet awesome if guys weren’t as horrible as you think they are? Wouldn’t it be nice to be wrong every once in a while? Here’s your chance to get started finding men actually worth finding.

1. Pick up a pen and paper and write down how you currently feel about men in one page or two (without pausing until you’ve let your feeling out).

2. After you get it all out, the second step is to think back and write out your first bad experience with a boy that taught you that men were creeps (or whatever you just said about them).

3. Third, I want you to write out a sentence stating the opposite of your current belief (i.e. if you thought men were creeps, write “There are some great guys who will genuinely treat me great”). Keep working on that sentence until it describes what you hope to be true about the opposite sex, though you’ve not found it yet.

4. Ponder your friends and couples around you that you admire. Is there any real life examples of the type of guy you just described? (Hint—I actually found one and have been happily married for over 9 years, really!)

5. Put this sentence inside your day-timer, notebook, bible or someplace you’ll see it everyday and see if just maybe changing your own perspective might change your reality.

Victorya Michaels Rogers, Author Finding a Man Worth Keeping
www.finderskeepersclub.com; www.victoryarogers.com

Ooh I Wish I Could Take That Back!

Has this ever happened to you? You find you have this yucky feeling in the pit of your stomach from guilt or regret over something you did in the pursuit of love? Perhaps you’ve crossed a personal boundary and went farther than you wanted and your conscience is not letting you off the hook. American Idol contestant Antonella Barba is feeling that pain this week after “friends” released compromising photos she allegedly made for her boyfriend. What is hidden in the closet most always eventually comes out.

How much easier life would be if we thought things through before we acted! Unfortunately we can’t take things back. So here’s your chance to think before you act. Spring break is here for some and soon for others. So girlfriends, PLEASE think before you act this week, especially if you find yourself at some spring break vacation spot with a ton of other students. There are people out there just looking to mess up your life and temp you to do things I promise you will regret later. Have you ever heard of the “Girls Gone Wild” videos? Spring Break is one of the seasons they tape those shows because that is when they find young, intoxicated girls looking for fun and attention. Don’t get caught off guard.

Do you Suffer the Britney Syndrome?

Cut the girl some slack. Come on now, don’t we all have a little Britney syndrome in us? My heart truly goes out to Britney Spears. Yes she’s spiraling out of control, that is clearly no secret. It’s devastating for any woman to go through a break-up. It’s exponentially harder to go through it in the pubic arena with the paparazzi capturing every moment on film. Ladies when we’ve had our heart ripped out of us we don’t always make the right choices on how to live through the pain. Unfortunately, Britney has chosen to seek revenge by partying all night, hanging with the wrong friends, adding tattoos and shaving her head. She’s become obsessed with attempting to show her ex she can live and smile without him. But you know what? She may have a pasted on a smile but she’s devastated and crying out for help on the inside.

It just breaks my heart that Britney is choosing the wrong friends to help her through. We’ve all be there, haven’t we? None of us are perfect. I remember being dumped by a boyfriend for some blonde bombshell and I ran out that next day to “show him” and cut 12 inches off my hair above my neck—and my biggest asset used to be those long locks. How dumb was that? Hello…he dumped me and I was punishing him by cutting the hair he loved. Why would he care? He already left! But that is one of those silly examples of how irrational we ladies are when we hurt.

Love Lesson: When your heart is ripped right out of your chest, feel the pain, fall on your knees, cry, pray and mourn. That is healthy to do. Then write, write and write in your journal (I write my journal to God since I know he is actually reading it as I write and cares about me even when no man gives a rip). Most important, carefully chose healthy friends to spend time with who will lift you up rather than drag you down. This is the most difficult for celebrities when trust is a precious commodity among friends, acquaintances and hanger-ons, especially when every tabloid is pursuing your friends for a story with money dangling in front of them. Here’s some reading recommendations: My favorite scriptures for getting me through heartbreak: Psalm 139 (Old Testament), Jeremiah 29:11 and the book of Proverbs and Gospel of John (4th little book of the New Testament) and Roman 5:3-5. Books: The Verbally Abusive Relationship by Patricia Evans, Seizing Your Divine Moment by Erwin Raphael McManus, Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren.

Hate the Way He Treats You?

Your new guys may be a celebrity, rock star, politician, or the hottest guy on campus. But if he's not treating you like you want to be treated is the "notch on your lipstick case" worth the heartache? Been there done that, and believe me, it's not!

So I ask you are you at a loss for why your new guy only sees you secretly and NEVER spends a dime on you? I hear about this all the time and it happened again right in front of my face girlfriends! A gal came into the life of a single friend at one of my parties. The gal was cute and sweet and met our handsome bachelor pal at a holiday party. She noticed how attractive and successful our single friend was and zeroed right in for the kill. She didn’t leave his side that evening and even made the move herself for the lip locking. Did he find her attractive? Sure, but he didn’t get a chance to even think about whether he would pursue her or not. She smothered him from the start. It’s been a few months now. I asked about the update when I heard they still see each other occasionally. She thinks they’re boyfriend and girlfriend.

His version? “She calls me all the time. I don’t know what she wants from me. I’m just not emotionally available right now.” He admits they “hook up” and talk. Interpretation: She calls, he agrees to see her when nothing else is going on; they get together at one of their homes—no romantic dates, no “wining and dining”. He’s not spending money on her. She’s not getting what any quality single woman deserves and I’m sorry to be quite frank, but it is HER fault!

Here’s the problem, if it’s not obvious enough to you by now. She is too needy, desperate and smothering. And by being that way, she is frustrated in the “relationship” because she is not getting what she wants—respect, love and attention. Is there hope for her? With this guy, only slightly, and only if she stops calling him and lets him actually have time to miss her.

Love lesson: You can’t force love! And you certainly can not fan a flame if you are smothering it. If you are only being invited over to a guys place or hooking up in secluded, non public places, you are NOT the main squeeze--you are the secret fling. Don’t you deserve better than that, no matter WHO the guy is? I would say absolutely yes, so show a little restraint please and get some self respect!

Better to be Single & Solo than Married & Miserable

Better to be Single and Solo than Married and Miserable Okay ladies, too many times we settle for our less than ideal man merely because of poor self esteem. This is a weakness of countless women regardless of age or race, social or economic status. I remember two distinct times in my dating years when I caught myself settling for far less than I deserved. One was with a handsome naval aviator…

I was just beginning to date when Top Gun was a hit movie so having my own Tom Cruise "Maverick" character was a dream come true, so I thought. But he was mean. Yes, he was cranky, withdrawn and on some of our dates he was quiet and boring, to say the least. But hey, he was hot and he liked me and wasn't I asking too much to be entertained and happy as well?

Hello! No I wasn't! We deserve to be adored and appreciated! Every woman does! The relationship (or whatever it was at that point) came to a screeching halt one particular date when he had taken me out to an exclusive “officer’s club restaurant. We were sitting at this beautiful setting with several tables around us filled with couples gazing dreamily into each others eyes. In contrast, we sat by each other in conspicuous silence. I even caught myself eavesdropping on the couples around me just to have something to do.That was my wake up call!

Did I (or do YOU) really want to spend a life being bored out of my mind? Is being with someone just because they're good looking or just because they'd ask me out for that matter, worth settling for an unhappy or unhealthy relationship? No way.

I chose to be alone at that stage in my life and wait for someone who actually wanted to talk to me. Let's be real. I was heartbroken and cried for days because he didn't seem to care I was out of his life. But I was willing to go through short term pain rather than long term misery. If a man chooses to leave you and you know he is not the IDEAL man for you, let him go.

Don't chase him, no matter how much it hurt. You deserve more.

It is better to be single and solo rather than married and miserable.

How to ENJOY a DATELESS Valentine's Night

I have spent more dateless Valentine’s evenings in my life than I care to count. Have I ever dreaded the approaching evening? Absolutely, in the same way I’ve dreaded being the only dateless adult on Family Christmas Eve parties. But overtime, I learned to actually make the best of and even enjoy the romantic event when no man was in sight. Here are some great ways to spend a dateless Valentines that can actually put you on the path to ultimately find your man worth keeping!

1. Grab a friend or boldly go solo to the movies. If you dare see a romantic comedy, check out Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore and Huge Grant (opening today). If you just want to enjoy a film, sans the romance, see Dream Girls, The Queen, Bridge to Terabithia, or Night At The Museum. Valentine’s is the perfect night for escapism.

2. Okay, you have permission to do something to spoil yourself today. Don’t go crazy. Just give yourself one treat. Carve out time during your day, even if it has to be on your lunch hour, to pamper yourself. Here are some options:
a. French manicure
b. new hairstyle, color or cut
c. indulge in a massage or facial
d. buy yourself an clothes, shoes, purse….something at the mall that you have been dying to buy but holding back.

How ever you choose to indulge yourself, don’t mess up your entire budget. You want to pamper yourself, not punish yourself.

3. This is NOT the night to go out to eat—too many couples gazing dreamily across the table at each other. Instead, order your favorite take out or skip dinner and have a huge portion of your favorite dessert. While you’re enjoying your meal, pull out your journal a design your ideal man. Dream big. Write every character trait and every quality you hope he will possess. Where will you live? How tall will he be? What will his career be? How will he propose? What will the two of you do in your free time? How many children will you have? Just go for it and dream your entire future with this man you are creating.What better evening to do so than when Cupid is flying around? My personal list included that my man would believe I was the best thing to ever coming into his life! I had an entire list including his height and weight. Certainly there will be things on your list you can live without, just put the most important qualities at the top of your list and the negotiables toward the bottom. Finish off you evening with your dessert and a polished version of your Man Worth Keeping. Now keep this list with you at all time, be it in your wallet or daytimer, so you’ll recognize him when he appears.

4. Another idea for the evening is to plan a girls night. Invite over your single gals for dinner and your favorite chick flicks or better yet, reminisce with a purpose. Have each of your girlfriends write out one page on all their previous relationships including the good and bad qualities of each man. Cross out any character trait that is not repeated and circle the ones that are. THEN each girlfriend writes out a personal WANT AD based solely on the circled character traits. Be creative in your writing and have fun with this process. Have each girl read aloud the Want Ad they’ve subconsciously been putting out there to attrack the men they’ve had thus far in their lives, you’ll laugh and cry at the same time.

Save Your Relationship--Don't OutGive that Man!

Okay gals, don't blow your relationship by outgiving your man tomorrow! If you have found yourself lucky enough to have a date scheduled for tomorrow's big day—Valentine's Day 2007—here are some last minute gift giving tips to ensure that you keep the romance alive with your man.

Valentine's is the time for your guy to pamper you and win you over, not the reverse. You can be assured he is actively pursuing you if you feel slightly indebted to him. You just don't want him to think he owes you. Keep that in mind as you shop for the perfect Valentine's card and gift for your lucky guy. Whatever you do, don't buy him expensive gifts or try to match or better what you think he will give you.

Creativity and thoughtfulness is what you need an abundance of, not money. And pay close attention to your man's personal taste, interests and hobbies.

Gift ideas for new love:Your mission during the early stages of a relationship is to inspire your man to continue seeing you while you decide if he's a keeper. So take it slowly and refrain from advertising your feelings before he is ready to reveal his. Don't use your first Valentine's together to be your opportunity to reveal your undying love. Let HIM make that move. So ladies, if you give anything at all, think creativity and free or very inexpensive, making sure it's personalized to his taste.

1. Make a Valentine's Day card that is also a special invitation for a home cooked dinner by you. Have fun as you describe each item on the menu from appetizer to dessert. Hopefully you know him well enough to know his taste in food.
2. Make a card which includes 3 or 4 coupons for him to redeem. Include coupons for things he loves that you may be nervous to try or perhaps you disliked—be it sports, food or a hobby.
a. If he loves basketball and you don't, offer to watch an entire NBA game with him as he teaches you the rules. b. Offer to help him wash his car. c. Put in a coupon for a foot rub. d. Listen to him practice a speech for work.

3. If your guy likes coffee, give him some Starbucks or other coffee treats. They can be inexpensive and certainly will be appreciated. Have fun and be creative. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. He'll be impressed you have actually listened when you hit a bulls-eye to his personal taste! Remember you are aiming for casual and fun. You want your gift to imply, "Hey, I'd like to get to know you better," not "I love you truly, deeply, madly." Gift ideas for the ongoing or exclusive relationship:You can risk giving a small gift if you and your guy have been together a while and are exclusive, but not yet engaged. But still, don't out-give him. Even if you think he may propose to you this evening, don't come prepared with lavish gifts in return. This is HIS night to shine and yours to enjoy.Gift ideas:a. If he has a favorite sports team, get him something with the mascot on it—be it a OU, USC, or Texas Longhorn hat, t-shirt, lounge pants, key chain, frame, etc.
b. Buy inexpensive, yet thoughtful accessories to his favorite hobby be it golf, hunting, football, electronic games. If he has a hobby, there are accessories.
c. Buy him downloads for his Ipod.
d. Get him a new cover for his cell phone.
e. Hopefully you know his taste well enough at this stage to pick out some cologne for him.
f. If you have great taste in fashion, buy him a new sweater or other item of clothing. If you are insecure about your fashion sense, go to the mall and ask a sales lady at a hip clothing store.
g. Create 3 or 4 coupons for you to do some favors for him that he knows you may rather not do, like help him clean is car or house, give him an hour foot or back rub, attend his favorite sporting event, etc.
h. IF he is into golf, perhaps set him up to golf at a hard to get into golf course through some of your connections.

Ever Had More than One Date on the Same Night?

I just read a report that Reno NV and cupid.com are pairing up and attempting to set the World Record for the largest simultaneous speed dating event ever in one evening. The article inspired me to share my opinion on the trend that is popular for the 32 to 59 year old crowd. Hey, I would have done speed dating in a heartbeat if it had been around when I was single. Why? Because it is the perfect setting to practice first impressions, first conversations and overall people skills. It may be uncomfortable or nerve rattling but that is okay, because if you have found yourself disappointing in love in your past, even if it was all the man’s fault, it’s time to start working on yourself and your own dating skills so you’ll be ready for a good man when he finally shows up.
Here’s the scoop in Speed Dating: The first speed dating event took place in late 1998 in Beverly Hills at Pete’s Café, the same year I got married, so I was already off the market. You can find some variation of speed dating in many large cities across the country and even internationally. Its appeal is that you have the opportunity to meet a bunch of potential hot dates in one evening.
Here’s how it works: each female participant gets to have a three to eight minute mini-date with each male participant. The length of the dates depends on the organizer and how many participants sign up. When it is time to move to your next date, the host lets everyone know by ringing a bell or something like that. You may not like one guy there, but then again, you might like them all. The good news and the bad news is that you don’t exchange numbers right then and there. At the end of the event you turn in notes on each of your mini-dates. The organizers pair up all the couples who mutually chose each other. You could end up with zero, one, or many follow-up dates, yet there is no official rejection while you are there live and in-person. If you are convinced that you had a major love connection you just have to be patient until the next day to see if you were correct. Though not a perfect meet market, it’s probably worth a try a time or two. It would definitely be a memorable event for you and your single girlfriends to do together. Whether it’s a great or horrible experience, it surely can be good for future laughs.
Speed dating is definitely a great place to practice first impressions, body language, flirting and overall social interaction skills. That alone is worth the ticket price! If you are shy, there are few other opportunities to be forced to come out of your shell multiple times in one evening. And if you do horrible on the first go round you have several other opportunities to warm up and do better. If you’re not near Reno this week, then do a search in your area and try it out.

TEEN ABUSE MAY LAST A LIFETIME

Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week kicks off Today

According to Safe Shelter, a nonprofit that provides programs and services to victims of domestic violence, abuse in your teens carries through to your adulthood. “Statistics indicate that one in three American women experiences some form of domestic violence during her lifetime, and that number holds true for teen girls in dating relationships as well,” said Teri Ebel. “When young people learn to behave abusively or accept abusive behaviors in their earliest love relationships, they’re setting a course for a future of this relationship pattern,” she said.

Dating abuse is not just physical. There is also so much verbal abuse and controlling that goes on in relationships. A great book explaining verbal abuse and how to escape it’s grip is “The Verbally Abusive Relationship” by Patricia Evans. Get it on Amazon.com. No matter what form the abuse takes, it always demoralized and diminishes self-esteem.

What is the answer? Awareness! Stop the violence in your present and especially your future by realizing and accepting that the abuse you are experiencing is NOT okay and NOT the norm and you, yes you, deserve better! I understand it’s difficult to breathe and see outside your situation when it is a parent doing the abuse. Whoever is abusing you, please know that you matter and you do not deserve to be treated like this. There is life outside of abuse and you must do whatever you can to get away from your abuser. Tell friends and people you can trust what is going on, see help from local shelters or call the domestic violence hotline number you find in your local phone book. Search the web for ways to escape abuse. Take self-defense from your local YMCA or check out videos or books on it at the library. There are people out there who want to help you!

It you want a life away from abuse you MUST choose to live in conscious awareness of what you want in your life, face your hurt, and heal from your pain. If you don’t take step to take control, sadly you will continue to be a victim of abuse your entire life. The normal pattern of abuse victims—especially when it begins in your youth or teens, is that once you leave your first abuser, you will subconsciously be drawn to another and another, even though they look different on the outside. Because even though you don’t like being abused, it feels normal to you and we always seek our “comfortable normal” regardless of what pain or lack of pain it brings. You don’t have to continue living like that.

There is a God who sees and hurts with you and wants to rescue you and give you the life you were created to live. Pick up your bible and read the entire chapter of Psalm 139 (right in the middle of the Bible) and Romans 5:3-5, then read the entire book of John (4th little book three fourths the way through the Bible). The fact that you are reading this is a sign that you are ready to make a change for your future. Congratulations on loving yourself enough, even when you feel worthless, to seek health. God loves you, you’re worth it, begin to stop the violence today!

Another One Bites the Dust

I just came about this headline of yet another Hollywood couple that has recently called it quits:

SPADE CONFIRMS HE'S NO LONGER DATING LOCKLEAR

I was cheering for this couple because they seemed like friends. They succombed to the same syndrome Jennifer Anniston and her own comedic boyfriend Vince Vaughn fell into--The Rebound.

LOVE LESSON: Both Jennifer Anniston and Heather Locklear had spouses who allegedly cheated and dumped them in a painful and public way (Brad Pitt with Angelina Jolie and Richie Sombora now with Denise Richards). It's all too common to run into the arms of a friend willing to let you cry on their shoulder. Could these have been great pairs for the long haul? Sure, but the odds were against them from the start for any "Till death do us part," since they got together in the midst of such pain on the actresses end. Unfortuntely the pattern will be to leave the one who carries you through the pain once you've healed.

QUICK TIP FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR LOVE: Protect your heart if you decide to run to the recently heartbroken. You may think this is the one you've been waiting for, but Heart beware, you will be their rebound and counselor. History does not show a lot of promise for you to be the one who keeps her or him after the hurt has healed.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do

Two friends had devastating break-ups in the last few weeks--one a marriage and the other an engagement. Oh how my heart hurts for these two precious friends! If you too have been through a breakup then you already know the heart wrenching pain the follows.

I remember one of my more difficult breakups happened after I got a call from a close friend who revealed to me that my boyfriend just went on a double date with her and her boyfriend (who was HIS best friend). He just assumed my friend would keep her mouth shut. She did the right thing--she was my friend not his. The betrayal was shocking. I remember just collapsing on the floor of my home and sobbing. I then had to crawl to the bathroom every 30 minutes or so through out that first night to throw up seemingly everything I ever consumed.

I never thought I would have such a physical reaction to emotional pain. It took me time to get over that break-up, but in time I did. What was great about it was that, even though I wasn't married to him, I at least got a glimpse of what some of you have gone through when betrayed in marriage and it is divesting. Another thing I realized through my various breakups over the years, before I finally found my Man-Worth-Keeping in my husband, was that breakups are an emotional rollercoaster EVEN when you think you hate the ex! When I broke up with one long term relationships that I was soooo done with and strongly disliked, I still sobbed and had plenty of moody spells. My mom just couldn't figure it out why I cried over that boy.

Separating yourself from a relationship affects every area of your life. It brings up every insecurity about your identity and your tomorrow (i.e. Will I find someone to love me? Will I be alone forever? Will I be financially secure? etc.) I could write an entire book on helping you through a break up and I may one day, but for right now, here are 10 brief tips to get you through the immediate crisis and on the road to a new life:

1. CRY: That is the most healing thing you can do (and something men don't do enough of by-the-way). Ever wonder why women live an average of seven years longer than men? It's because they are better at getting their feelings released, thus healing faster! So cry and allow yourself a short period of wallowing in your self-pity. When do we have such a luxury? But I'm limiting you to a week at the very most for wallowing in your pain and staying at home in your PJs and hopefully you won't need even one day of not getting out of bed. Yes, the tears may last longer than a day or week, but after one week you have to get out of bed and begin living again no matter how much it hurts. You deserve to live!

2. TALK TO GOD: What better time to put all your dependency on your Creator? It cracks me up with I hear people say "God is just a crutch for those hurting". Hello? What better person to go to in your pain than someone who actually cares about every detail of your life? Even if you haven't discovered a personal relationship with God yet, this is the perfect time to seek one. The "Good Book" promised that God will draw near to anyone who seeks him! So pick up your Bible. If you don't have one, even Wal-mart has them for just a few dollars and I bet a friend would be happy to give you one if you don't have one--email me if you need one--see my website. There is a book right in the middle of the Bible called PSALMS. Open to this book and read Psalm 139. (You can find more places to go in this wonderful book on my website under "Seek Divine Inspiration".)

3. GET OUT OF BED: Even though it's great to cry and I want you to allow yourself to grieve, DON'T spend an extended time alone. Get yourself out of bed and moving forward with life, even if you're numb to everything around you. I encourage you to force yourself to get out of bed, shower and dress before 9am every day! A shower will do wonders to lift your mood and help you start your day, even when your heart is not in it. Then continue to work or go to school and live your daily life--at that includes going to church, going out socially with some girlfriends, making your bed, cleaning your home, grocery shopping, etc.

4. WRITE IT DOWN: Begin a breakup journal to write all your rollercoaster feelings down every day. (If you prefer, just write it on your computer). This will help you work through the pain as well as help you spit out the emotions so you can move on with your day rather than dwell on the feelings all day. Also this is a great place to analyze what went wrong, what YOUR roll in the breakup is--no matter how small--and when you noticed something was wrong. Your goal is to grow through the pain. My motto has always been, if I'm going to hurt, something good better come from it because God promised he'd bring me good through whatever he allowed, and he allowed this to occur, so God, PLEASE show me the good! Sometimes, the "good" will be to help others in the future. Sometimes the "good" will be that you got out of a dangerous relationship. I don't know what your ultimate "good" will be from this, but if you write it all down and seek God daily, he WILL reveal the good.

5. FEEL THE ROLLERCOASTER: Understand you will go through a series of emotions (shock, sorrow, anger, grief, resignation, relief, numbness, to giddiness). At times the emotions of the day will not be what you expect to feel. Just accept that that is part of the grieving process. Your goal is to walk through the motions and do all you can do to guard yourself from bitterness (something more deadly to YOUR life than your ex's--see tip 10 below).

6. MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Give the breakup 12 weeks--especially if you are the one who DIDN'T want to break up. That is the average length of the rollercoaster ride of emotions for life changing loss before resignation sets in. If you really want the relationship back and he seems to either want nothing to do with you OR he wants to keep you AND another women at the same time, my best advice to you is to cut off in person meetings with him (unless you have to see him to share custody with children--keep those about the kids and BRIEF). Be civil yet do not engage in "friendship" bonding with him as this will only keep you hooked on him while your ex is not suffering the pain of loss because he still has you and he knows it. If you want him to miss you and run back to you, that will only happen if he has time to feel what was lost--your presence, caring and love. He can't have his cake and eat it too. AND you will never win him back if he does not miss you. If this is hard for you, the calendar method helps a lot. Just put down that you will not see him or engage in long intimate phone conversation for twelve weeks. This gives you a goal. In the meantime, you HAVE to move forward with your life and act as though you two are over forever.

7. DO SOMETHING NEW: Get involved in a new project start this very day--be it a hobby, charity group, longtime dream, anything you've wanted to do for a while but haven't gotten around to it for whatever reason. When one dream dies, fill it right away with another dream. We all have a secret dream--be it to act, sing, write, dance, fly, speak, ski, paint, you name it-- now is the time to pursue that dream. (If it's to do with Hollywood, see my website: www.makeitinmedia.com). Baby steps is fine, just move forward.

8. FIND CHEERLEADERS: Surround yourself with people that care for YOU. And avoid spending time rehashing your pain with everyone you meet. That is what your journal is for. Yes, you can tell your friends and family and get them to surround you with love and support. Just don't spend your entire 24 hours a day only dwelling on your pain or you will not be able to get out of bed and move forward.

9. DON'T JUMP INTO NEW LOVE: Heal first. DO NOT immediately fall in love with someone else. No matter what you try and convince yourself, this new love will only be a rebound and even if "he" really is all you think him to be, your new relationship will never be what it could be until and unless you first heal from your heartbreak. I recommend taking a six month break from love. Yes, you can CASUALLY date, but don't allow yourself to get serious with ANYONE until you are over the ex. If it is a divorce, I strongly recommend NO DATING until the divorce is final. Heal first, FINISH what you ended, and then move forward with new romance. This is the only way to choose healthy the next time.

10. FORGIVE: Okay, THIS is the toughest, especially when you have been seriously wronged. I'm not promising you will feel warm and fuzzy for forgiving, nor am I suggesting the "ex" deserves forgiveness. There will still be consequences for what he did--that's just the law of the universe. But your concern is not in focusing on him getting his--leave that to God--your job is to take care of you! You are forgiving him so YOU can heal. You must forgive or you will become bitter and it will ruin YOUR life, not his. He doesn't deserve that power over you. We've all heard news stories of disgruntled women who murdered their ex for what was done to them. These women ruined their own lives because of what was done to them. Don't fall into that trap. Let go of the bitterness and release the power he has over you! Here are two books to read on the topic: Forgive and Forget by Lewis Smedes and Forgive to Live: How Forgiveness Can Save Your Life by Dick Tibbits and Steve Haliday.

Feel the pain and hang in there. There is no easy way through heartache. But there is hope, you will eventually get on the other side of pain if you keep take care of you, keep moving forward and forgive (no matter how guilty he is). My prayers are with you!

No need to Panic at that Wedding Invitation

It's summertime and that means it the biggest wedding season of the year. For too long single women have dreaded those romantic wedding invitations and chosen an evening alone with a bucket of ice cream rather than celebrate with a close friend. Well it's time to snap out of that attitude and change your perspective. WEDDINGS aren’t just about the bride and groom anymore. Now it’s actually a perfect place to meet your mate!

DON’T TAKE A DATE to a wedding unless you are in an exclusive relationship because weddings are a great place to meet someone new. Why is it a great pick up place? Because the guy you meet can be “vouched for” by the bride or groom as either a good guy or bad guy. It’s far better than picking up a stranger in a bar or on the internet. You can find out scoop about them before you exchange numbers.

Who goes to weddings?
Close friends, family, long lost buddies, distant relatives plus coworkers. It’s a great place to reconnect with people and also a great place to meet someone new.

Why it’s great to meet someone at a wedding?
--Everyone puts their best foot forward and we all usually look great at weddings.
--You automatically have something to talk about—the bride and the groom
--Weddings are a great pick up place because the folks are vouched. What you find at weddings are family, close friends and co-workers
--You will have someone in common. It is easy to start up a conversation—all you have to ask is “do you know the bride or groom?” And let it go from there.
--It’s a no pressure, fun way to meet someone new. They’re already there to have a great time. So the pressure is off.


Best place to mingle? The line for food or drinks at the reception.

WHAT TO DO BEFORE THE WEDDING.
Enlist your friends—the couple
Try to find out any scoop on singles BEFORE the big day when the bride and groom aren’t so preoccupied with their moment. People LOVE to get involved in others love lives so let them know you’d be open to meeting someone. Find out from the bride or groom (whom ever you are friends with) who is invited that is single and if there is someone that may be a good match for you and ask to be placed near them at the reception—perhaps even have a word or two slipped to the potential match up so they will be thinking about the hook up.

If it’s a buffet: Scope out ahead of time where to sit and just happen to be by that table.

If it’s a sit down: Try to have that worked out with the bride or groom so you get placed at a good table.

And if you’re in the wedding party, even better, because you have several chances to get to know the rest of the wedding party and if one just happens to be single and handsome…


So next time you stress about an invitation in the mail, say yes, and go stag….your “Man Worth Keeping” just may be waiting near the aisle.

Am I Worth More?

Okay ladies, too many times we settle for our less than ideal man merely because of poor self esteem. This is a weakness of countless women regardless of age or race, social or economic status. I remember two distinct times in my dating years when I caught myself settling for far less than I deserved. One was with a handsome naval aviator. Now I was just beginning to date when Top Gun was a hit movie so having my own Tom Cruise "Maverick" character was a dream come true, so I thought. But he was mean. Yes, he was cranky, withdrawn and on some of our dates he was very quiet and boring. But hey, he was hot and he liked me and wasn't I asking too much to be entertained and happy as well? Hello! No I wasn't . We deserve to be adored and appreciated! Every woman does!

The relationship (or whatever it was at that point) came to a screaching halt one particular date when he had taken me out to a nice very exclusive restaurant. We were sitting at this beautiful setting with several tables around us filled with couples gazzing dreamily into each others eyes. In contrast we sat by each other in conspicuous silence. It was awful. I even caught myself eavesdropping on the couples around me just to have something to do. And I wondered how it must be to have someone who found me interesting enough to talk to.

That was my wake up call! Did I really want to spend a life being bored out of my mind? Is being with someone just because they're good looking or just because they'd ask me out for that matter, worth settling for an unhappy or unhealthy relationship? No way.

It is better to be single and alone than married and miserable.

I chose to be alone at that stage in my life and wait for someone who actually wanted to talk to me. Let's be real. I was heartbroken and cried days (maybe even a week or two) that he didn't seem to care I was out of his life. But I was willing to go through short term pain rather than long term misery. If a man chooses to leave you and you know he is not the IDEAL man for you, let him go. Don't chase him, no matter how much it hurt. You deserve more.

I hope you do, as well. We are all worthy of being cherished and spoken to :-)

Rah Rah Sisterhood

Your Girlfriends were made to get through a lifetime
Ladies, we all need cheerleaders—be it one, five or ten! You owe it to yourself to collect a group of girlfriends, preferably three or more, with whom you can share your life. It takes the pressure off you and gives you an unbiased opinion of your life traumas. Plus it keeps you from freaking out on your man during the ups and downs of dating and relating.

Look, we all have needs and that is okay. We’re human. What’s not okay is to burden a brand new love, expecting him to meet those needs. And ladies, we tend to over analyze everything. Do your analysis with your girlfriends, but don't freak out on your new man.

It's always best to have more than one girlfriend to call so you can dwell on the same saga for hours by just finishing with one phone call and going to the next. Not that everyone has to do that, it just worked for me during my heartaches. I spent "normal" phone time with girlfriennds when life was good. During my dating life I had my mom, sister, sister-in-law, co-worker, and seven (yes SEVEN) girls in my small group Bible study that I got to individually bore with each of my traumas. It was bliss to get to go on and on without losing a friend because there were enough of them to turn to without wearing out my welcome! Believe me at least once I was told, "Vic, I have to go, but call so & so and see what they think to see if I'm right."

Maybe I’m sounding extreme for your personality or circle of friends. Perhaps you live in a small town where it seems impossible to find a bunch of friends. And no, you don't have to bore your friends for hours. Thankfully not every crisis merits that. And remember a friendship is two-ways. You'll need to return the favor when your friends are in need.

What if you’ve been stabbed in the back by gossip, jealousy or betrayal by former girlfriends? Yes, there will be friends who hurt you. At those times, evaluate if they were speaking truth that was hard to hear or if they were being malicious. If they were being malicious then they weren't really your friend. If they were speaking truth, be thankful they loved you enough to tell you the truth rather than letting you live in denial. Either way pull up your boot straps, determine to choose your confidant wisely, and go out and try again! Because girlfriend, we were made for relationships! I chose to risk and build a support team of girlfriends for my own sanity and to keep me from scaring dates away by being too needy. We all need cheerleaders—be it one, five or ten!

Give me this: Begin to consider the possibility that you’ll open your life to ladies around you and build a group of girlfriends to usher you through tragedy and triumph and into the life you always wanted.

5 Top Things to Attract a Man to Keep

Have you found yourself either without any dates or far too few to keep you content? Follow these tips and any woman can find themselves suddently attracting men. In fact, if you do these top five things, you can attract not just any man, but a date to keep! Those five things are:

Stand out from the crowd
Become a flirt
Show you are intriguing
Behave like a great date
Ask your friends to set you up


Stand Out from the Crowd
You would be amazed how simple it is to stand out from the crowd, in a good way, if you just take the time to care about yourself and how you come across to others. If you take the time daily to be clean, smile and stand tall, you will find you are attracting more and more potential keepers.

A no-brainer should be to pursue cleanliness and skip sloppiness. A daily splash of water and dab of deodorant can do wonders to your appeal to men. You can by-pass negative first impressions right now by simply starting your day with a shower. Turn offs to most any person are dirty fingernails, dirty hair, dirty teeth; messy car, messy home, messy clothes, dirty or messy anything.

After you have started your day with a sprinkle-a-day, light up the room with your smile! This is a great way to stand out from the crowd and it takes no preparation. It can be done at any time of day or night. We are not talking just any smile. Not a smirk or a halfhearted grin. Rather a fully engaged, eye-brightening, cheek-raising, lip-curving, teeth-exposing smile. A genuine smile can literally light up the room. Your smile is the warmest, friendliest part of your physical appearance. That expression tells others you are interested in them.

Remember those words your Mama used to tell you? Stand straight, Shoulders back, stomach in, chest out. Well Mama had it right. Your attractiveness is immediately increased when you sit, stand or walk with good posture. You transform both your confidence and your first impression by focusing on the way you carry yourself. Begin observing the women you admire the ones who seem to breathe confidence just by entering a room and begin mimicking the way they stand and walk. Notice the change in how others respond to you. It could be fun.

Be reassured that you do not have to feel confident before exuding confidence. Walking tall creates that confidence. Fake it till you make it definitely works when it comes to self esteem! Stand tall and you will come across as self assured (not pompous) and thus attractive, Even if your hands are sweating and your legs are shaking. People will want to either be with you or want to be like you.

Become a Flirt
A fun, non-direct way of attracting a great guy, without risking rejection of a more direct approach, is to become a flirt. Combine your new confident posture and charming smile, with appropriate, inviting eye contact and you have just become a flirt. Maintain eye contact for three seconds (five at the most so you do not freak him out) then casually look away. You can flirt your way right into the arms of the one you want. Plus if you stand with your arms uncrossed, you will send the message that you are open to meeting people. Practice this and you will reveal your interest in a safe-non-confronting manner. And if he does not come over and get your number, you do not have to feel rejected because you did not exchange words.

Show you are Intriguing. Everyone can be intriguing if they just go out and get-a-life rather than obsess on finding a mate. Author Rick Warren says We were made to have meaning [The Purpose Driven Life Rick Warren, Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2002, page 30]. Pursue your personal purpose, search for your meaning and you will become intriguing! What are your dreams, aspirations, hobbies? Pursue this life while you are searching for your keeper and you will inevitably become intriguing. Focus on these things in your life during the early stages of love, rather than on hardship, bitterness, or wrongs suffered and your date will be calling you again.

Behave like a Great Date. The ultimate dating secret for attracting a keeper was revealed more than two thousand years ago, and though found in the Good Book, it is seldom heeded. So follow it and you will attract a keeper! That secret is: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. [James 1:19] In other words, especially on the first three dates be quick to listen to his stories, slow to bombard him with wordy details of your stories and careful not to spew anger over past traumas or present insecurities.

How do you do that? Make the first three dates all about him! Start the date with small talk then steer the conversation toward your date and his interests. Actually listen to the answers before you respond.

The skills for charming a date are no different than establishing rapport with world leaders and famous people. Barbara Walters, who has done both, advises

"Do not talk excessively about yourself at all in the beginning. Even if you;re an older woman and unmarried, it does not require an explanation.Take it easy on the personal confessions. It will come out as time goes by, when the relationship is well enough established that the skeletons in the closet will be considered amusing dicor. " [Barbara Walters, How to Talk with Practically Anybody about Practically Anything (Garden City, NY, Dell, 1970) page 191-182]

Sure you can interject information about yourself during the night, but do so briefly merely to show the things you have in common. Keeping your date in the spotlight keeps him invested in the evening--Bingo, your goal while you find out if he meets your list as a keeper--very important information to find out early on, before your heart gets way too involved.

Dale Carnegie once said, "One can win the attention and time and cooperation of even the most sought-after people by becoming genuinely interested in them." [Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1936) page 59)]. So show you are genuinely interested in the other person by looking them straight in the eye, not in a freakish stare down, but in a considerate gaze of I am listening to you.

Ask Your Friends to Set You Up.
To some degree we are all shy and insecure, that is human nature, some folks just camouflage their insecurity better than others. If flirting is not your thing, try letting a friend intrude on your love life! Several celebrities met their spouses this way, such as Cindy Crawford & Rande Gerber, Christina Aguilera & Jordan Bratman , Dennis Quaid & second wife, Kim, and Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra.

Many singles feel like complete losers asking friends for help at love, but if you ask in a fun, non-demanding nor desperate way, you will be surprised at how many people jump at the chance to get involved and set you up. This can be done by making up a wish list for your ideal mate, narrow it down to about a one to three paragraphs. Then come up with a short catch-phrase that describes your ideal keeper. My request for my friends was, "I am looking for the Five Ss --Single, sexy, successful, saved and sane. Know any available men like that?" When they took the bait, I would explain further. During one 18-month period of my life I had over 100 blind-dates and set-ups by friends, acquaintances and family members who were willing to get involved and 98% of those dates asked me out for a second date because I mastered the skill of the ultimate dating secret of making the first date all about him.

If a full-on set up is too intimidating for you, try the group date approach. You can have a few friends get together and bring another single friend to introduce to the group. This is not an official set up, so its clearly non-threatening, yet many sparks have been known to fly. Celebrities who met this way include Demi Moore & new husband Ashton Kutcher, and Clint Black & longtime wife Lisa Hartman.

If you have found yourself looking for a Valentine this year, follow these top five things: Stand out, become a flirt, be intriguing, behave like a great date and enlist your friends. Next Valentine's day you just might find yourself gazing into the eyes of your very own keeper.

4 Ways to Survive a Dateless Valentine's Day

There are great ways to spend a dateless Valentines that can actually put you on the path to ultimately find your man worth keeping!

1. Okay, you have permission to do something to spoil yourself today. Don’t go crazy. Just give yourself one treat. Carve out time during your day, even if it has to be on your lunch hour, to pamper yourself. Here are some options:
a. French manicure
b. new hairstyle, color or cut
c. indulge in a massage or facial
d. buy yourself an clothes, shoes, purse….something at the mall that you have been dying to buy but holding back. Just don’t mess up your entire budget. You want to pamper yourself, not punish yourself.

2. This is NOT the night to go out to eat—too many couples gazing dreamily across the table at each other. Instead, order your favorite take out or skip dinner and have a huge portion of your favorite dessert. While you’re enjoying your meal, pull out your journal a design your ideal man. Dream big. Write every character trait and every quality you hope he will possess. Where will you live? How tall will he be? What will his career be? How will he propose? What will the two of you do in your free time? How many children will you have? Just go for it and dream your entire future with this man you are creating.

What better evening to do so than when Cupid is flying around? My personal list included that my man would believe I was the best thing to ever coming into his life! I had an entire list including his height and weight. Certainly there will be things on your list you can live without, just put the most important qualities at the top of your list and the negotiables toward the bottom. Finish off you evening with your dessert and a polished version of your Man Worth Keeping. Now keep this list with you at all time, be it in your wallet or daytimer, so you’ll recognize him when he appears.

3. Another idea for the evening is to plan a girls night. Invite over your single gals for dinner and your favorite chick flicks or better yet, reminisce with a purpose. Have each of your girlfriends write out one page on all their previous relationships including the good and bad qualities of each man. Cross out any character trait that is not repeated and circle the ones that are. THEN each girlfriend writes out a personal WANT AD based solely on the circled character traits. Be creative in your writing and have fun with this process. Have each girl read aloud the Want Ad they’ve subconsciously been putting out there to attrack the men they’ve had thus far in their lives, you’ll laugh and cry at the same time.

4. Grab a friend or boldly go solo to the movie theatre for King Kong or Narnia or Nanny McPhee or Big Mama’s House 2, or The Pink Panther. If you dare see a romantic comedy, check out Failure to Launch with Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. Certainly one of these will entertain your mood. Valentine’s is the perfect night for escapism.

Should You Give Him An Expensive Gift?

Okay ladies, if you have found yourself lucky enough to have a date scheduled this Valentine’s Day, here are some gift giving tips to ensure that you keep the romance blooming with your man, rather than wilting.

Valentine’s is the time for your guy to pamper you and win you over, not the reverse. You can be assured he is actively pursuing you if you feel slightly indebted to him. You just don’t want him to think he owes you. Keep that in mind as you shop for the perfect Valentine’s card and gift for your lucky guy. Whatever you do, don’t buy him expensive gifts or try to match or better what you think he will give you.

Creativity and thoughtfulness is what you need an abundance of, not money. And pay close attention to your man’s personal taste, interests and hobbies.
Gift ideas for new love:

Your mission during the early stages of a relationship is to inspire your man to continue seeing you while you decide if he’s a keeper. So take it slowly and refrain from advertising your feelings before he is ready to reveal his. Don’t use your first Valentine’s together to be your opportunity to reveal your undying love. Let HIM make that move. So ladies, if you give anything at all, think creativity and free or very inexpensive, making sure it’s personalized to his taste.
1. Make a Valentine’s Day card that is also a special invitation for a home cooked dinner by you. Have fun as you describe each item on the menu from appetizer to dessert. Hopefully you know him well enough to know his taste in food.
2. Make a card which includes 3 or 4 coupons for him to redeem. Include coupons for things he loves that you may be nervous to try or perhaps you disliked—be it sports, food or a hobby.
a. If he loves basketball and you don’t, offer to watch an entire NBA game
with him as he teaches you the rules.
b. Offer to help him wash his car.
c. Put in a coupon for a foot rub.
d. Listen to him practice a speech for work.
3. If your guy likes coffee, give him some Starbucks or other coffee treats. They can be inexpensive and certainly will be appreciated.

Have fun and be creative. Everyone has different likes and dislikes. He’ll be impressed you have actually listened when you hit a bulls-eye to his personal taste! Remember you are aiming for casual and fun. You want your gift to imply, “Hey, I’d like to get to know you better,” not “I love you truly, deeply, madly.”

Gift ideas for the ongoing or exclusive relationship:
You can risk giving a small gift if you and your guy have been together a while and are exclusive, but not yet engaged. But still, don’t out-give him. Even if you think he may propose to you this evening, don’t come prepared with lavish gifts in return. This is HIS night to shine and yours to enjoy.

Gift ideas:
a. If he has a favorite sports team, get him something with the mascot on it—be it a OU, USC, or Texas Longhorn hat, t-shirt, lounge pants, key chain, frame, etc.
b. Buy inexpensive, yet thoughtful accessories to his favorite hobby be it golf, hunting, football, electronic games. If he has a hobby, there are accessories.
c. Buy him downloads for his Ipod.
d. Get him a new cover for his cell phone.
e. Hopefully you know his taste well enough at this stage to pick out some cologne for him.
f. If you have great taste in fashion, buy him a new sweater or other item of clothing. If you are insecure about your fashion sense, go to the mall and ask a sales lady at a hip clothing store.
g. Create 3 or 4 coupons for you to do some favors for him that he knows you may rather not do, like help him clean is car or house, give him an hour foot or back rub, attend his favorite sporting event, etc.
h. IF he is into golf, perhaps set him up to golf at a hard to get into golf course through some of your connections.

For Married Couple:
By this stage of your relationship you have established how your man handles this holiday and what kind of gifts, if any, your man lavishes. With no fear of scaring him away with announcements of your undying love, you are free to buy into the whole commercial gushy gift giving side of Valentine’s day--from mushy cards, candy, flowers, cutesy themed underwear, t-shirts and so on.
But don’t miss out on the opportunity to revisit your feelings for one another by giving a well thought out gift tailored to your man’s personal taste

Here a few gift giving tips to rekindle the flames of a long time love:
1. Write out a letter listing 100 things you love about your man.
2. Put together a fun gift basket filled with things he’ll like, be it his favorite muchies, sports accessories or gadgets for his hobby.
3. Create the coupons mentioned in the above gift lists.
4. Buy him a hip new shirt, sweater or outfit that he would normally not wear. We are all guilty of falling into ruts in our style sometimes. Here’s your chance to help take a few years off your man.

No matter what stage of love you find yourself this Valentine’s day, make any gift the perfect memorable gift by taking the time to pay attention to his interests, using your creativity rather than pocket book, and personalizing it just for him.

7 Great Ways to Beat the Holiday Blues

If you had to pick one time of year when feeling lonely was an easy task for most any single gal, it would hands-down be Christmas and New Years—far surpassing Valentines Day (as the February holiday doesn’t deliver long-lost relatives at your front door eager to focus on your lack of a spouse).

During all many Christmas’ past that found me without a boyfriend (much less my Mr. Wonderful), I managed to actually cherish that precious time of year and you can too.

Here’s are some tips to bring single gals joy to the world:

1. Remember the reason for the season. Yes, Christmas is a time for family and friends, but more importantly it is the celebration of the greatest gift of all which is the birth of our Savior. God gave the greatest gift to the world. Focus on His gift and in turn make an extra effort to give the gift of yourself this season by focusing on OTHERS!

2. Do something Nice for someone. When we look outward we don’t dwell on our hardships. And believe me, no matter how bad we have it or how pathetic our love life feels, there is always someone worse off than us. Cheer yourself up by helping someone else! Write down a list all the people in your life (neighbors, church friends, co-workers, school friends and friends of your past). Can you think of any needs that you can easily meet with your precious time or a sacrifice of a few funds? Be on the alert and keep your ears open. It could really be anything. Just use your imagination and pay attention to the needs of those around you. Last night my husband and I just had a friend stay in our guest room while they had a lay over at the airport. It saved them at least a $100 in hotel fees. I felt great about that and it cost me nothing!

3. Help the homeless by volunteering to help serve the holiday meal at your local downtown mission or local church.

4. “Adopt a family” from Angel Tree or other local charity and buy their Christmas list. You can take this on alone or pool your resources together with several friends for one family; I’ve done it both ways over the years. I get a name from a legitimate charity, contact the mom (usually a single mom on welfare) and I’d get her kids wish list and the clothing size of the mom because I always liked to buy her something too and turtleneck sweaters are always a hit during the winter. Then I’d shop and wrap the gifts (putting the list of the gifts on a closed envelope for the mom to know what she’s giving to whom). Then I’d deliver the wrapped gifts to the mom a few days before Christmas (we’d meet at a safe place, like Denny’s restaurant or other public place). That way the MOM got to give the kids the gifts and they didn’t have to think it was charity. Oh, and I always gave a Bible with the Mom’s name printed on it as my “witness” to them as well. I can not fully express the joy this gift giving has given TO ME over the years. There’s nothing like the expression on the mom’s face when she gets a trunk load of gifts for her kids and there’s even something unexpected for her.

5. Plan a Christmas Eve “Plus One” dinner. Christmas Eve is a great excuse to have friends over. You’ll be surprised how many people in your life don’t have a place to go that evening. Just ask around. I’ve continued this tradition even now that I’m married, because each year we have at least a few single friends and family that have no plans and they are such a rich addition to our evening! I usually have a pot luck dinner, read the Christmas story and do a fun gift exchange with a limit of $10 or less. One year I squeezed in 12 people for a holiday meal at my then 400 square foot apartment and it was a blast for all--we all managed to fit and even play some games! So don’t let size of your home keep you from entertaining.

6. Invite your friends to Christmas Eve service. There are two days of the year when even the most wild and self-proclaimed sinner will attend church IF asked—Easter and Christmas. Here’s your chance to introduce them to Jesus when it’s even politically correct to do so.

7. Go to a movie. Christmas Day is a great time, evening or afternoon, to head to your local theater. I’ve been doing that since my teen years. Some of the year’s best movies come out that day. And often family festivities are over in the early afternoon so you can find plenty of friends to join you.

Bottom line, focus outward, keep busy, have a plan, focus on Jesus, and you’ll find you’ve drawn closer to God, and built precious, lasting memories, even without a spouse! You just may even catch yourself humming “Joy to the World”.

Why We Feel the Way We Do

Ever wonder why sometimes we just feel like we're in a funk? You know, those yekky "day after fun" blahs. We may have had a rip roaring blast the night before and even laughed until we cried and then we just feel the blues the next day. More importantly, perhaps, you're in a relationship with some guy that you REALLY want to keep. You REALLY want him to want you back. And yet you feel these blahs. Perhaps it is because to be with this particular guy you find yourself acting in a way that is contrary to your own personal inner moral code (be it in the humor you use, "how far you go", the places and things you do together, the way you have to act to be around him, etc.)

Are you being yourself around him? You know the person you are proud to be and not ashamed of? Do you find you have to be an imposter around him and pretend you're someone your not just so he'll remain interested?

No matter how hard you try, you just can forget your personal moral code and remain happy. Those morals that are so ingrained inside of you that you can run but you can't hide from...those are the convictions I'm talking about. Our personal moral code comes from our faith--faith and our upbringing. Even if you disagree with those morals NOW, you have to take the time to convince YOURSELF with compelling, conclusive evidence that your new view is correct before you'll have inner peace while breaking that old "rule." Let me give you an example. Perhaps you were raised being told that dancing was a sin and as you grew up you decided that rule was silly, so you began to dance regularly. You still most likely will feel the blahs the day after a "dance all night" party until you have a heart to heart with yourself and really evaluate that belief that "dancing is a sin."

Some of the beliefs of our upbringing are false and just need to be evaluated. Sometimes we don't do things just because previous generations didn't do them with no logic behind the behavior. (Have you heard the story of the young wife who cut off the best end of a roast every time she made one just because her Mom and Grandma did, only to later find that the only reason that ritual began was because the great, great grandmother didn't have a big enough over to fit the roast?) Honestly look to see if perhaps some of your inner convictions are based on illogical rules someone forced on you. If that is the case take the time to deeply look at the reason for the "rule" and then honestly decide if it is a rule to follow or not. Taking the time to free yourself of the old rule can release you to enjoy a new life, maybe even of dancing :-)

HOWEVER, I have to tell you that if you can't justify breaking a moral and still feel good "in the morning" then, wake up, you're dealing with a true, inner conviction that God has put there. Yikes. It's can't be broken AND leave you peaceful and happy the next day. No matter how hard you try to ignore the conviction pangs, somehow, it will come back to zap your joy.

SO, if you want to be happy, you'll have to go back to being true to yourself and your convictions! And that may mean giving up your current guy--you know that hottie your not being yourself around-- so you can be free to find a man that loves you for you and your convictions! But let me encourage you today. Deep inside that is exactly what you want--someone that loves YOU, not an imposter.

Pay Attentiton to What You Get

I was a guest on a fun talk show the other day ("At Home Live with Chuck & Jenni"). The hosts are just a hoot and always read your stuff before you get there. It was my fourth appearance on the show. One of the questions Chuck asked me when discussing my book was "What are some of the most obvious mistakes single women make to keep them from finding their man worth keeping.

That was such an easy question because, Ladies, we have all made so many mistakes in our past, at least me and all my girlfriends have. Today, lets just touch on one biggie--the mistake of IGNORING obvious warning signs from your current guy! Gals, the reason so many of us are NOT with a man worth keeping is because we don't pay attention to what we get from the guys we got. Perhaps fear of being alone keeps you stuck with less than you want.

Does this sound familiar? You go out with this great guy and he just makes you melt. He flatters you, pampers you and seems to be everything you ever wanted. You have found love at first sight! Wait, but then on date 3 or 4 or maybe month 3 or month 4 he suddenly changes--perhaps he criticizes you, cuts you down, picks silly fights, drinks in excess, makes you the brunt of jokes, or simply makes you feel bad. He is no longer acting like that prince charming you started out with. "WHAT HAPPENED?"

When things change, the biggest mistake single gals make is thinking the guy he was during the first phase of your relationship was his true self! Thus, gals either take the blame onto themselves for the new behavior OR make every excuse you can think of for their man--such as "he's got trouble at work" or "he's under a lot of stress", "he was just kidding," etc. etc.

WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET
Ladies, "What you see IS what you get". Not "What you saw is what you will keep getting". Pay attention to what you are getting from your guy right now! In the first few months of dating ANYONE can be anything thing want. It's called acting. Hey we all act at least a little bit in the beginning. We deliberately put our best foot forward. There's nothing wrong with that. But eventually our true self has to emerge. Learn to stay alert in your relationship and notice how your boyfriend is treating you AFTER the newness has worn off. Otherwise you will end up just like way too many heartbroken (and divorced) women who have ignored warning signs, took on the blame, stayed in the relationship, married the guy and payed dearly for their mistake.

Pay attention to what you get and one day you'll be surprised and thrilled to find a man who is truly still worth keeping after the 4th month of dating. Refuse to settle.

A Kiss to Remember

One of my dear readers wrote to me and asked that I share my thoughts on a first kiss. Since I wasn’t clear if she wanted to know about a first kiss EVER or a first kiss with each new beau, I thought I’d answer both by covering the meaning of a very first kiss ever.

Aw the first kiss…. I just LOVE the movie “Never Been Kissed,” starring Drew Barrymore and that cute guy from “Alias.” I so relate to all Drew’s character’s feelings and torment she felt during her high school years. If you’ve yet to experience that one memorable moment of a “meaningful” first kiss, or if you just want to reminisce—rent that film!

My first kiss was not exactly as special as Drew Barrymore’s. I was 12 and “in love” with the preachers kid. My girlfriend felt the same about my brother, so we did what every controlling young girl did back then, we set up a game of "Truth or Dare" amongst the four of us and had prearranged with each other what the "Dares" would be. When my guy finally chose a dare (he kept asking “truth”, ugh) he was dared to French kiss me. I was so excited. A long, now humorous, story made short, the less than perfect first French kiss left me thinking this boy and I would be in love forever. Wrong! Rude awakening came the next day as my girlfriend and I ran into my brother and that boy. The four of us decided to go to the store to buy some candy. My brother saw his gal and warmly enough greeted her, grabbed her hand, and off they strolled. With a beaming smile I walked up to my boy expecting the same. What I got instead was: “What do you want? I don’t like you and don’t expect me to hold your hand!” Ouch, my first painful rejection! My girlfriend saw the whole thing and came back to console me. We continued the candy trip on ahead of the boys and life as I knew it was never the same.

How about you? Did your first kiss go better? I learned a lot from that encounter and much of it has been reinforced over the years that followed. Three things I learned were:

First off, you can not control someone else’s feelings OR their response.

Second, getting physical DOES NOT mean the same to a guy as it does to a girl. This cliché is proven true time and time again. Just because he’ll kiss you (or more) does not mean he has feelings beyond the physical for you and there’s nothing you can do in the physical to change that!

Third, those Cloud-9 emotions you feel before, during and after a kiss are NOT a tell-tale sign of longevity of the relationship NOR a sign of your own everlasting feelings for your guy. Your feelings are realistically a chemical reaction—a wonderful, romantic, amazing reaction—but not an enduring phenomenon. That doesn't mean you have to discount your feelings. Cherish them for what they are, especially since this MAY be your man-worth-keeping. And if that turns out to be the case, that is one memory you don't every want to forget.

Your Kiss to Remember: Take a moment to remember your first kiss and write it in your journal. At the very least, it is sure to bring a smile. Then dream up an ideal first kiss, like Drew Barrymore’s character did in “Never Been Kissed” and write that in your journal. You just never know, it could bring about an encounter just as romantic as you write on the page!

I welcome your feedback.

Victorya