Face it, dating sucks.
You’d think with all the apps, online dating sites, and a generation committed to staying single longer than their predecessors there would be a plentiful sea of fish to choose from.
Nope. It’s just as difficult as ever and here’s why.
The first issue is some people have crazy standards.
Think about it, why settle for someone who doesn’t check off every box on your ‘Must Have’ list when you can wait to meet the person who does?
With all the dating apps and online dating sites it’s easier now to weed through who you do and don’t want to meet.
And why commit when something better could come along? For all you know, Mr. Right could create his account profile tomorrow and before you know it you’re walking into the sunset in eternal bliss.
Having standards is great, but having them so unreachable that not even the Prince of Denmark would suffice is another story.
Which brings me to my next point which is a lack of commitment.
It’s like there’s something in the water.
The fear of labeling the relationship, being taken off the market, settling, or fear of the relationship failing are reasons we’ve all heard of as to why people are not committing to what they are essentially in – a committed relationship.
Since we brought it up, let’s talk about the fear of the relationship failing.
Ever tried having the ‘Where is this going?’ talk to be answered with, “My parents got a divorce so I no longer believe in marriage,” response?
Truth is the divorce rate has steadily been declining since it hit its peak in 1970.
Basically, how compatible are you to the person you agreed to marry? Not to mention, if you go into something expecting it to fail because of past examples, then yes, expect it to fail.
Other fear factors include getting hurt, trust issues from a cheating ex, and not wanting to hurt someone’s feelings.
And because people fear the relationship will fail, it’s easier to walk away than it is to get married and divorced.
Which brings me to my final reason of why dating is so difficult today. When the going gets tough, it’s easy to just walk away.
Never committing, not allowing the relationship to progress forward, or not having serious talks about the future makes the relationship easy to walk away from.
And why bother working on it when there’s a bump in the road? You have a baker’s dozen more men sending you wink faces to your online dating profile.
True, many Millennials are waiting until they are well into their thirties to settle down, and it seems to be a smart move considering it counts for some of why the divorce rate has continued to decline.
Striving for careers, more women breaking through corporate stereotypes, and other life priorities are all very valid reasons to focus on ones self over a relationship.
I’m not saying that society has to revert back to the 1950s, I’m just saying maybe dating shouldn’t be such a game.
Because after a while, the game gets pretty old.
