I ran across an excellent piece of dating advice in the Huffington Post, of all places. A blogger offers several pieces of dating advice as opposed to rules for dating. They basically focus on aiming for real relationships and avoiding a lot of extraneous gizmos that tend not to get you either a hot first date or a happy relationship. Here is the dating advice.

Go up to that guy [or girl] who is cute, and say, “Hi.”

You have nothing to lose. Best-case scenario, he’s really nice, you end of chatting for hours and you exchange numbers. Worst case scenario, he’s a dick and brushes you off, which saves you the trouble of wondering what could’ve been if you had said “Hi.” You almost get a sense of relief knowing that he isn’t even an option, and you can check him off your imaginary list. Furthermore, the more you go up to people, the more comfortable this becomes, and you find yourself not over thinking things so much.

This is, in fact, wonderful advice. The large number of dating apps available claim to make dating more successful but often times tend to be ineffective or even counterproductive.  Learn to go up and just say, “Hi.” As the blogger says, you will either be successful and happy or find out quickly that he or she is not worth the effort. And the more you try this approach the easier it will be.

The All Too Quiet Coffee Shop

I remember meeting a friend in a trendy coffee shop years ago. I got there early and found myself observing the “scene” before my friend arrived. There were perhaps thirty young and attractive persons of either gender clicking away on lap top computers or sending and receiving messages on their hand held devices. And no one was talking to anyone else! I found an excuse to strike up a conversation with a young woman next to me who, after being a little confused, seemed to truly enjoy our conversation.  Just say, “Hi,” and the rest is often easy.

Hi and What Else?

Beware of using dated pickup lines when you just say, “Hi.”

What pickup lines are useful in getting a man or woman’s attention? What pickup lines result in your going out with the person? What pickup lines simply label you as a bore or fool? Just what are pickup lines and how can we use them in online dating as well as in a chance encounter. Does whistling at a passing girl qualify as a pickup line or is it better to think of something intelligent to say. And, are intelligent comments pickup lines or do they label you as an interesting person who is not interested in an intimate relationship? When planning to use pickup lines think of Goldilocks and the three bears and the porridge. There is too hot, too cold, and just right.

A useful approach after you just say, “Hi,” is to ask a simple question or simply introduce yourself or admit the obvious. If the person is at all interested in you they have the chance to help keep the conversation going. If they are really not interested you will have saved yourself a lot of time and maybe a lot of pain and suffering.