Ok it is Freshmen Orientation Weekend here at IWU and Shan and I just hosted a small group of guys and girls in our home tonight. It brought back a ton of memories for me from my freshman year and the first weekend at school. I began to especially think of how myself and all my buddies were looking for Miss Right! Come on! You were too...admit it! So, with that in mind, here is my advice to all of you 18 year old men out there hoping to meet your match.
1. Listen - If you do nothing else, learn to listen. This is will take you further than you realize with members of the opposite sex. And I find that few guys, or anyone for that matter, really listens well. I think it's because it actually takes heart. You have to WANT to listen...and really care about what you are hearing.
2. Be genuine - I know this is supposed to be a no-brainer, but it isn't. Be who you are. If you don't like something, say so. If you do like it, say so. Don't say what you think the other wants to hear.
3. Be fun - No one wants to marry a stick in the mud. Get out there this weekend and go to the Island Party. Do the limbo, even if you bow out on the first round. Hey, at least you tried. You are showing that you can mix it up, even if you aren't the best mixer.
4. Be patient - Don't try to rush anything. Whether we are talking physically, spiritually, socially, whatever...rarely does anything worthwhile happen over night. Take your time. If you don't find your wife in the first weekend, don't give up! You have another four years in college, and well, in my case, another 9 years before you get married (I married 9 years after my freshman year in college).
5. Opposites attract, and marry - 95% of the successfully married couples that I know are some degree of opposite. I know of only one couple who are pretty much the same in their personality and married. Most married couples seem to compliment each other in their personality type. If one is extroverted, then the other is introverted. On the personality scale, they may not be polar opposites, but they are different. Thus, what am I saying? Well, if you love people and meeting new people and get energy from a crowd and from working a room of strangers, then you will probably be best matched with someone that gets energy from being alone or with one or two of their closest friends. This is just the way it works...for some reason. Think about it...it even kinda makes sense. And I think to a point, maybe God made it that way.
Ok I will continue these tips later...Do you have any that I should add?
