Originally published at: Relevant Radio
By: John Hanretty, Guest Contributor
Recently on Trending with Timmerie, celebrity matchmaker Cristina Pineda joined the show to share her seven tips for finding the right person to date and build a relationship with. Cristina is the co-founder of Matchmakers in the City, a matchmaking service based out of Los Angeles that has helped hundreds of couples find love and eventually get married.
Go to a conference with like-minded singles. Cristina’s first tip was to attend an event like the Heart of Dating Conference or the Young Catholic Professional Conference. Matchmakers in the City is founded on the idea of ditching methods like dating apps and finding something real. Attending a conference (preferably in person) allows for you to leave your comfort zone and get something out of your experience while meeting young, professional, like-minded individuals, many of whom will be single.
Say hello and start a conversation with someone new every day. One of the main reasons many people are unable to meet someone who they would consider dating or going out with is simply because they’re not meeting a lot of people on a regular basis. By engaging in a healthy number of human interactions on a regular basis, it will become easier and easier to talk to people. And the easier it becomes to talk to people, the easier it becomes to talk to people who you find attractive.
Say yes to someone or ask someone out who might be different from your typical type. Cristina said that while this may be difficult, it will help you get acclimated to a wider variety of people and expose you to the things that you like and dislike about someone you’re considering for your future. You might realize that something that you thought would bother you doesn’t bother you all that much. Or you might realize something that you didn’t think was a big deal is extremely obnoxious to you or it rubs you the wrong way. No matter what it is, getting exposure will help you sift through your tastes in dating.
Instead of spending time at bars, clubs, and restaurants, go to events. Places like bars or restaurants, while fun, are not going to be places where you typically meet a lot of single people. While there are exceptions to this rule, those are locations where couples often go together to have fun. By limiting yourself to social arenas like that, you’re limiting your interactions. Instead, Cristina says, go to events geared toward singles. They will provide you with far more rewarding interactions.
Interact with your alumni network. Your alumni network is often a source of these worthwhile events, and you will meet professional adults, many of whom will be in your age range and many of whom will be single. Additionally, alumni networks often have a habit of reconnecting people who have fallen out of touch. That’s a great segue into meeting even more people, networking more, and expanding your database of potential love interests.
Explore your interests through events hosted for singles. Cristina mentioned that she and her husband once went to a dance class and she was stunned at the amount of young, single men that were present. There is a bevy of organizations that specifically host events like hikes, rock-climbing, and art classes for singles so that people can explore their dating lives in the context of their interests or hobbies.
Join a matchmaking service in your local area. Just as Cristina matches people in Los Angeles and works with matchmakers in the biggest U.S. cities, you can find a similar service in your local city. Matchmakers are looking to provide a private, personalized experience, not to tell you what you’re looking for, but to help you find what you already are.
John Hanretty serves as a Digital Media Producer for Relevant Radio®. He is a graduate of the Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas. Besides being passionate about writing, his hobbies include drawing and digital design. You can read more of his daily articles at relevantradio.com and on the Relevant Radio® app.
