*Disclaimer* These are my opinions and have pondered a lot over them for awhile. My views have changed on this subject and will continue to change.
Okay, so I know I am not that old and have a ton of experience in this area, but I still have a point of view. Lets begin with where I was five years ago. I did not believe dating was anything to get excited about. I mean yeah it's fun to have someone pay for your meal or activity, but I just didn't get the hype. Also, I had other interests than boys. Don't get me wrong I would definitely have crushes, but I kept it to myself.
I went on two dates the whole time I was in high school. One was for prom and the other was just with my friend. Once I moved away and attended a Young Single Adult ward, I knew I wanted to get into the dating scene. I literally had no idea how to flirt and also what boys were looking for in girls. I knew I didn't want to commit to anything because I was going to go on a mission. The only thing I truly knew is that I was going to be true to myself.
Now my dating time before my mission was okay. I got to know some young men who I thought were great! But nothing too interesting happened except for my first kiss on my grandparent's porch. That didn't end up the way I thought, but looking back on it I am okay with it.
So my mission happens right. And some missionaries had that special someone that I would occasionally hear about. I was not looking forward to dating AT ALL! There were all these fears that I would have nothing in common with anyone and I still felt I didn't know how to flirt. I literally forced myself to read about dating and courtships from the prophets (those were all the resources I had readily available to me). I also prayed about having a better understanding of it and a changed heart to the idea. Also getting dating advice from companions and others were some alright resources, haha.
Well I got home from my mission and actually was talking to someone. We previously talked about our relationship upon me moving to Utah. There was some anxiety to thinking I was going to jump into a relationship really fast. We also talked about that I was going to date and get to know other people so I could get a feel for things. The relationship didn't go as perfect as I thought, but no relationship is. I have no regrets or resentment from this relationship at all. I grew from it a lot. And we remain cordial to one another.
I continued to date throughout this process meeting a lot of wonderful young men. Some of them we had a lot of the same interests and others we had some good times. I don't regret any of those dates. I got to know myself a lot and meet some fine young men. But nothing where either party committed.
I will admit that I have had a lot of doubts. Not in the sense that I am never going to get married, but just that I can be happy without someone till he comes along. I had some breakdowns as well. Thankfully I have great friends, parents, and others who will hear me out and be patient with me.
So here are my point of views: 1. I will always be true to who I am. This includes my standards, the activities that happen, and my feelings. I don't just impress people willy nilly. If someone truly wants to get to know who I am, they will see my quirkiness, flaws, attitudes, and interests.
2. This is a subcategory of the first one, but COMMUNICATION is key. This is broken up into two ways. The first one is that we have to be able to carry a conversation. Look me in the eyes and talk to me. I don't know what you are thinking or what you are going to say. But take the time to get to know me and I will do the same.
Dating is so fun! And I am so glad I have many opportunities to get to know people. I don't expect perfection because I am not perfect. And honestly, I will say I do occasionally get down about dating, but I always remember that I am still learning and maturing.
I will say that right now dating is my biggest trial. But it's something I work on week by week. Eventually the right one will turn up and until than I'll keep working on myself and my goals.
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