Get out there, Smart Girls.
Hey Smart Girls, and welcome back. This month is about getting yourself out there. From June 17 to July 17, you will embark on the 10 Date Challenge: 10 dates in 30 days.
The dates don’t have to be with 10 different guys (or girls), but they can be. Hell, if you can go out on numerous dates with the same guy and actually enjoy yourself, be my guest. That’s about a date every other day. Talk about tiring, right? Who has the time, energy, or money to get ready, have drinks and introduce yourself, again? I know, I know, it’s easier to sit around at home after work eating tacos and watching a Netflix documentary, but I have news for you, ladies: the love of your life isn’t just going to land on your lap. You have to go out there and find him. Oh, and look cute while doing it. It’s work.
Another plus about the 10-Date Challenge: if you make yourself go out on 10 dates, you’re giving love a chance. It’s so easy to immediately cancel a guy after a date or two, but if you know you have to schedule 10 whole dates this month, you might give a guy you never thought you’d actually like a solid shot.
PERSONAL STORY ALERT: Come on, Smart Girls. Do you really think I’d make you do this if I didn’t know that it worked? Here’s proof.
Last year, I went to lunch with one of my best friends from high school, Matilda, let’s call her. She was complaining about being single and asking me for advice. That’s when I told her about the 10-Date Challenge. Unenthusiastically, she said she’d try it.
Matilda made her roommate promise to force her to go on 10 dates that month, even if she really really didn’t feel like it. Of course, a cozy Friday evening came around, and it started to rain. Matilda was on the couch watching a show, probably eating tacos, when Anna walked into the house. That night, Matilda had planned to meet a guy named Gabe she met on Bumble at Pete’s Tavern near Gramercy Park, but there was a 0% chance she had the energy to go.
“Don’t you have a date tonight?” Matilda’s roommate asked her.
“I’m not going,” Matilda said.
“Get up. Don’t make me physically force you. You said you were doing this 10 Date thing, and now it’s my responsibility to make sure you do.”
Sluggishly, Matilda got up, got dressed, and got ready for her 10th date that month. TENTH. She had already gone on 9 dates, and had suffered through each of them.
Yes, you know the rest of story. Matilda walked into the bar, saw Gabe, a cute blonde guy sitting at a corner table, and ended up having the best date of her life. Guess what? Yup. They’re getting married in Positano next August.
Moral of the story: If you sit at home on the couch alone, you’ll never find love. Get out there. Try the 10-Date Challenge. You’ll thank me.
Let me know how it goes. You can message me directly or post your progress on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #10datechallenge
Who knows, you just might find the love of your life.