What Can Be Learned Through Dating?*

Short answer? A lot. Long answer? Well, that’s this post! Let me explain. It takes time to learn what to do and what not to do as we date and enjoy life as a whole and grow as people. Every relationship leaves its mark on us, whether that be positive or negative, and through those marks we become different people, wiser people, better people (hopefully, anyway!). Even if we’re seeking an unconventional relationship, be it one with a sugar daddy to keep our bank accounts afloat, or perhaps a poly group where we love a few people rather than just one, dating is one of those things that helps shape us as we progress through life.

Priorities and How to Set Them

We all want a partner, but sometimes it just isn’t the right time. You may have to focus on something else for now, be it your studies or a career or so on, and that has to come first before dates and spending time with someone. That’s your future as much as a relationship is, so ensuring that you spend your time well is vital. If someone doesn’t value you looking after you, then you need to reconsider your standing with them at that time. If someone is happy to wait until you’ve got the time to be with them, however, that may just be a keeper. Patience is a virtue seen less and less these days, so hold onto it when you can!

Knowing Just What You’re Worth

Following on from the prior point, if someone is not valuing you and what you’re bringing to a relationship, then step back from it. You don’t have to break up right away, but knowing that you are worth so much more than the stress a relationship may be giving you could be helpful. After all, sometimes you can find you’ve sacrificed everything while they’ve not given up a lot, or vice versa, and this can cause a divide in even the most devoted individuals. Do not put up with being treated badly by a partner, and understand that you deserve better. At the end of the day, a relationship of any kind is meant to be beneficial. Be it monetary for the sugar relations, or emotionally otherwise, if you’re not seeing the benefits outweigh any negatives it is probably time to break it off.

Trust Your Gut And Keep An Open Mind

And once more, to follow on from that, listen to that instinct. If something seems wrong, bring it up. That, or get out of there, depending on what your gut is telling you. It can vary of course, but even so you should keep yourself safe above all else. On the flip side, if someone tells you something you may not be familiar with, try to keep an open mind. It could be a way into something new and exciting, something that could change the way the world looks for you, how relationships work for you, and so on. You never know what that door may open. Weigh things out, use your head, and all should be fine in the end.

These are some examples of things you can learn as you date. Of course, these are general. Everyone learns different things from this experience, be they intimate and personal likes, dislikes, tricks to spot strange behavior, to make people happy, to look after yourself…the list is endless, truth be told. And so are you. Your experiences are individual and unique, and so while this may be a small part of what you could learn, the potential is limitless for what else can happen. Bad or good, it’s worth giving a go and seeing what happens. Fingers crossed for more good, though!