Important Things You Should Ask On a First Date

Let's face face it kiddo's. Dating can be a chore! Sometimes it's just down right exhausting. You meet someone, you go out and have a great time. You see them again. Slowly you start to learn things about them that completely make you think differently of them than you did on that first date. It could be anything from what kind of cold cuts do they like on their sandwich (maybe you don't like ham, ok?) to something more serious, like their plans for the future. Questions, when first meeting anyone, cause fear and/or excitement. Don't waste your or their time. Get the important things out in the open from the start. If you have specific standards you like to uphold and refuse to date anyone that doesn't meet them, be sure to air the laundry before investing yourself to the point of no return. Dig deep! Seriously...

They don't have to be Bill Gates making millions. You don't even want to ask how much money they make nor do you want to exploit your financial business on a first date. But we all know how important financial stability is. Don't judge them on how much money they make, but do they make the effort to sustain a job/career with goals in mind. It's different to be dating someone for some time and they lose their job during that period but are back on the job hunt in no time. It's whole other ball game when you go on a first date and find out this person doesn't work. Maybe they have an explanation and legitimate excuse. Or maybe they are just a plain old lazy bum. You never know! But one thing is for certain is making sure (if you plan on establishing a relationship with this person) they have some sort of work ethic, even if they don't have a job at the moment, and can flip at least half of the bill when necessary. Relationships are always a 2-way street. Right on down to financial stability. Seriously...do you really want to date someone you have to pay for all the time when they give no effort in finding a job what-so-ever? I guarantee 98% of you don't. The other 2%...well...that's their prerogative.

Some of us date to have companionship a couple night a week with no strings attached. Some of us date in hopes of falling in love and finding our soul mates. You need to be up front and out in the open with this conversation from the door, folks. Women generally look for a potential mate. Men, however, are more likely to take a girl out with more than just a few cocktails in mind. If he/she says they are not interested in anything long term or serious, but you are, don't get your panties in an uproar and storm out. Take this night and let it be what it will be! Have some fun for goodness sake! The right person will come along at the right time. On the other hand, if you are the one just looking to having a good time, don't string along the one on the receiving end by singling them sweet love serenades in hopes you'll be able to get into their pants at the end of the night. It's just wrong.

People need goals and goals are met by having determination and working hard to achieve them. The fact that someone at least has goals they'd like to meet shows integrity. You also want to make sure their dreams can somewhat accommodate your own. If you don't share similar goals it's not the end of the world. Maybe there can be an in between, a sharing of the future, making each others dreams come true. But someone things are just too different. It's great when two people get together, have similar interest and similar goals in life and the first date turns into more dates. But this definitely doesn't happen every time. Yes, we will disagree on different things like social and political issues etc. But do you want to establish a relationship with someone who is investing their life savings to move to the Arctic Circle and become an Eskimo when you're happy staying in civilization and raising a family? No matter how much you like this person, don't ever give up your dreams to satisfy someone else's!

This one hits home for me, let me tell ya! This is one of the very first things I MUST know before going any further. Most of us don't enjoy being a chauffeur. Unless you're getting paid for it. Believe it or not there are adults out there who do not have a drivers license due to laziness, poor judgement, or lack of ambition. To me it;s very important for a responsible adult to have their own means of transportation to be able to efficiently perform their daily duties. This includes getting to work everyday on time. It may be a bit different for women than for men. Women want to be picked up and taken out on a date. Most of the time they want to sit in the passengers seat while her man takes the wheel. Now, I'm not saying every person who doesn't have a license or car is a bum. There are circumstances that are part of the exception. Use your own judgement.

Maybe you've been doomed to being childless for the rest of your life or maybe you just simply don't want any. And hey, that's perfectly fine. But this is something that is very important when it comes to a long term relationship. One wants kids and the other doesn't. In fact, for most, having children is an integral part of their life visions. When that vision is challenged, it can cause the relationship/marriage to become irreparable. So be sure you are ok with what they want in this aspect of life.

• Studies also suggests that men know when they’re falling for someone as soon as three dates in. Women take longer, reporting the same feelings around date 14.
• Over half of people who report their relationship status as “single” say they haven’t been on a date in two years.
• A recent poll suggests that 40% of men say that they are “scared” when first interacting with a potential mate.
• According to Psychologists at UPenn, most people say they know within the first three seconds if they would have sex with someone or not.
• 57% of women say that their first impressions of a guy are based off of his body language and self-presentation.
• 91% of men who use the site are comfortable with a woman asking them out.
• Statistically, negativity is a huge turn off. So smile!
• Around 40% of romances start in the workplace. So ladies, make sure you wear that freakum dress next time you're standing by the watercooler!

What makes your heart sing? Who is your best friend and why? What is most important to you? If you could go back in time where would you go and would you change anything? Where do you like to spend most of your time? What do they have an undying passion for? These kinds of questions will provide clarity for your future if you decide to share it with them. It could tell you something amazing about your date which might have taken months to uncover. Or, it could tell you exactly what you needed to hear to know that a second date would in fact be a waste of time.

This gives you the opportunity to talk about family. Are they a family person or more of a selfish loner? This can give you a great idea on how he is in the family life department. Sibling relationships are what they have been dealing with their whole life so it can give you an idea of how they may be with you once you get closer. It's also great to know if they are a first, middle or youngest child. It can show personality traits like maybe they are competitive first child, the attention seeking middle child, the emotional younger child, or a spoiled rotten only child.

This is actually a pretty good way to figure out their commitment trend. Have they had a few long term relationships or many short term relationships? This can give you an idea whether or not he is able to commit to someone for the long run. Feel free to ask what ended the relationships. Maybe it can give you some incite on their relationship behaviors and if it's something you can deal with or not. Asking when the last relationship ended is pretty important in my book. Don't be their rebound!

Believe it or not, folks, this can give you a big idea about their personality. According to a recent study, after listening to a compilation of songs chosen by a single person, people can make a fairly accurate assessment of major personality traits, like whether you're an introvert or an extrovert. Who knows? Maybe you dig the same music or better yet, you're both HUGE Doors fans, and that my friends, would be awesome.

Again, a personality evaluation question. Maybe not as good as the music question but it's a great conversation starter as well. Maybe you have he same taste in movies and entertainment, maybe you don't. But everyone loves talking about their favorite movies. Another perk to asking this question is leading to a second date to the movies if all ends well!

Great way to find out their idea of fun or relaxation. Many times couples fight about having to do what he wants to do or always what she wants to do. It's actually a good thing to have some differences in a relationship. But, wouldn't it be nice to share at least SOME of the same interests? This can also get a conversation going about travel destination preferences.

A first date can be exciting. But pay attention to your instincts and gut feelings. If you're not feeling it after it's over, just be honest! Chances are the feelings are mutual. At least if you keep a positive attitude and share truthful and honest opinions, stories and details, you may have made a great friend if not a potential significant other.