Knowledge is Never a Waste
- Thursday, August 25 2011 @ 09:33 am
- Contributed by: Jet
- Views: 1,392
When a relationship ends or a date falls flat, it’s easy to be discouraged. You might find yourself thinking, “I have terrible taste in people,” or “That was a waste of time.” However, there’s no need to be discouraged! Just like any decision in life, you can learn something from every single date or relationship, no matter what the outcome.
A friend of mine, Katie, is a prime example. She’d always heard not to expect fireworks or love at first sight - which is entirely practical - and she decided to try dating someone for whom she felt no physical attraction, because she really liked his personality. Though there was nothing wrong with the man she dated, there was zero chemistry, and eventually they broke it off.
“It’s not that it was a terrible experience,” Katie says, “but it was that it wasted time for the both of us. I know relationships can grow, but in the future I’ll only date people for whom I at least feel the potential of attraction.”
Another friend, Steve, dated a woman who brought out the worst in him. “There was nothing wrong with her,” he said, “but she was a little clingy. And I learned that when I feel suffocated at all, I react against it and get even more cold and distant. It was a constant tug-of-war relationship.”
Steve used his newfound knowledge in his next relationship. “I learned that I really get along better with someone who’s fiercely independent,” he said. “I looked for that when I started dating again, and now I’m really happy!”
Even the most messy of breakups or boring first dates can have gems of knowledge in them. Whether you discover something about yourself, about what you want in a partner, or what you should avoid in the future, no relationship is truly a waste of time if you’ve learned something from it.
A friend of mine, Katie, is a prime example. She’d always heard not to expect fireworks or love at first sight - which is entirely practical - and she decided to try dating someone for whom she felt no physical attraction, because she really liked his personality. Though there was nothing wrong with the man she dated, there was zero chemistry, and eventually they broke it off.
“It’s not that it was a terrible experience,” Katie says, “but it was that it wasted time for the both of us. I know relationships can grow, but in the future I’ll only date people for whom I at least feel the potential of attraction.”
Another friend, Steve, dated a woman who brought out the worst in him. “There was nothing wrong with her,” he said, “but she was a little clingy. And I learned that when I feel suffocated at all, I react against it and get even more cold and distant. It was a constant tug-of-war relationship.”
Steve used his newfound knowledge in his next relationship. “I learned that I really get along better with someone who’s fiercely independent,” he said. “I looked for that when I started dating again, and now I’m really happy!”
Even the most messy of breakups or boring first dates can have gems of knowledge in them. Whether you discover something about yourself, about what you want in a partner, or what you should avoid in the future, no relationship is truly a waste of time if you’ve learned something from it.
Subscribe
