If you’re newly partner-free, or if you’ve been spending the past few weeks, months, or years seeking for The One, you might be harboring a certain degree of resentment toward Valentine’s Day. After all, who wants to buy into all that over-hyped, consumerist junk? Valentine’s Day is a non-holiday, which corporate America invented in order to shove chocolates, cards, and other overpriced, useless things down our throat! Right? Not entirely. Being a single man for Valentine’s Day might not qualify as the best place to be at, but it doesn’t necessarily have to equal dating hell either. So, if you’re down and out on your luck and have just about given up hope to score, come this Saint Val’s, we’ve got some news for you. Not all is lost—and not by a long-shot.
- Mingle in the Right Places
Your excuse for a single’s Halloween might be that you don’t know anyone to ask out. And while it might be true that single ladies aren’t exactly swarming at your office or on your block, that doesn’t mean they’re not out there. Go have a drink at the local dive bar on a Thursday. Check out dancing or crafting classes in your area. Hit the gym. Single women really do exist, you just might not be looking in the right places.
- Are You Looking Your Best?
And since we’re speaking of the gym—how out of shape are you? Winter is also known as that time of the year where we make excuses for our enlarged gut by saying that we need to stock up on body fat to brave the cold. Fallacious arguments aside, while you may get away with a bit of flab, an outdated collection of t-shirts and facial hair in dire need of some trimming are basically inexcusable. Primp yourself before stepping out on any evening, not just for Valentine’s Day, and you will exponentially increase your odds at success.
- Brave up and Cheer up
True wisdom is simple – just as simple as the argument that lack of self-confidence is a major put-off, says the Art of Charm dating tips website. If you’re cowering in a corner, or thinking up dozens of lines to approach a woman you like, yet end up using none, then chances are it’s self-confidence you need to be working on. That and a few other essentials that make up this elusive trait, such as being sociable, approachable, and a good listener. Learn a few good conversation openers and you’ll be on your way to feel better in your own skin, just in time for Val’s Day.
- Put Your Eggs in Online Dating Baskets
A lot of consistently single men blame their busy, active schedules when it comes to reasons for which they’re not dating. Newsflash: in 2013, everyone’s busy, including the women you might like to date. Thank Heavens for technology, though, which is making it easier than ever to find someone you might really enjoy spending time with. From friend requesting a talented amateur photographer on Instagram to following some witty babes on Twitter to signing up to free websites such as OKCupid, there is virtually no limit to the possibilities for flirting that the online world has in store for you.
- Buy This Girl a Drink
Approaching a woman can be tough stuff. Yet if Saint Val’s rolls around and you find yourself sitting in a bar with a couple of your buddies and spot a girl you like having a similarly good time with some girl friends, feel free to politely offer her a drink. Chances are, she’s just as dateless as you are, and will appreciate the gesture. And who knows where it may all lead from there…