Online dating should be fun and simple – but it doesn’t always work out that way! If you’re struggling with meeting someone online or aren’t sure where to start or what to do, we put together a free online dating ebook you can download to help explain everything and get you started in the right direction. Yes, it really is 100% FREE!

Here are some of the things covered in the book:

*Choosing a dating site out of the thousands out there

*Tips for writing a profile that gets others to contact you

*How to get  good photographs for your profile

* What to write in an email to someone you are interested in

* 10 First Date Ideas for Meeting Someone Online (The best one costs less than a few dollars!)

* Making Relationships Last (Good suggestions for anyone in a new relationship!)

* Dating safety tips and how to protect your privacy

* A list of all the best online dating resources

It’s hard to believe we were able to pack so much information in just 19 pages! Taking just 5-10 minutes to read it today could do wonders in making dating online easier – not to mention save you a lot of time and money wasted on bad dates. Even if you’re not single you might find some great ideas for cheap dates and tips for making new relationships work – and of course you can always share it with someone you may know who would benefit from the tips inside this book.

To sign up for the ebook, all you have to do is enter your email address in the box below. You’ll immediately be sent an email asking you to confirm with the link to the ebook.

As a subscriber you’ll also be notified when we post our latest relationship articles and dating tips, as well as be the first to know about any future subscriber-only upcoming freebies and goodies. If you already are a subscriber, you should see the link for our current offers for subscribers at the bottom of this article.

Have any questions? Comments? Suggestions for any other freebies you would like to see? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

I get a lot of emails asking me about what people should do. Usually they come from people who can’t decide whether to stay or go when it comes to their relationship. Sometimes cheating and trust issues are a factor, other times they feel like they are just drifting apart.

While I typically try to respond to most of the emails I get each and everyday, I don’t always give you the type of answer you were probably hoping for. I don’t know you or the person you’re with, your circumstances, your personal history, or any of that. I might be able to recommend a couple of good ending relationship quotes, but I can’t make the decision for you. Even though I can’t tell you, there are some guidelines you can use to help you decide if it is better to end a relationship or if it is worth salvaging.

You should end a relationship if:

-You don’t feel like you can trust your partner.
-Your partner is not telling you the truth or lying to you.
-You feel like you’d rather be alone than with the person.
-Your partner says mean things to you, is abusive, or acts rudely towards you. (You deserve better!)
-You don’t see any future together.

All relationships are salvageable to a degree, but it takes commitment and determination from both of you. If you think it is worth everything to try and keep it together and the above issues aren’t a huge factor in why you are considering breaking up, then there could be hope (and that’s where Save Your Relationship books come into play. But, not all relationships are worth saving. There are millions of people on this planet, and it is possible to find one that treats you right. You don’t deserve to be miserable – you deserve to be happy! It’s not worth being with someone who makes you unhappy more than happy! (Though I should mention it’s very important to remember ultimately no one else can make you happy – that’s up to you!) Some relationships naturally have good times and bad times – but if it seems like you’re stuck in bad times all the time, you owe it to yourself to figure out why and decide what you can do to either fix the relationship or get out of it. You have that ability to choose!

Letting go isn’t always easy. Maybe it helps you drown yourself in listening to break up songs, since that can help sometimes make things feel more “official” and give you some grieving time. Others might find there are some really good ideas on things to do to help you get your life back together with my tips on mending a broken heart.

But, ultimately, if you don’t want to get back together, then the next best thing you can do is let go. In fact, letting go is probably the most important thing you do. There’s three main things involved to let go of that relationship that’s holding you back:

1. Acceptance: Sometimes breakups happen when you know they might be inevitable – other times they come out of nowhere. All in all, however, you have to accept it. You and the other person are not together anymore. It’s not the end of the world, but things are going to be different now. You have to accept that. If you’re still thinking about the good times you had together or are in denial that you’re not together anymore it can be very, very difficult to move on. Say to yourself “We’re not together anymore” out loud. Write your thoughts about the whole thing in a journal. Write a poem about breaking up. Whatever you have to do to accept it is fine.

2. Find Yourself Again: When you’re with someone, you tend to think in terms of “we” instead of “I”. It’s time to find “I” again. Look for hobbies, interests, and make lists of things you really enjoy or believe firmly about. Declare your favorites. Take up a class in something you’ve always been curious about. Once you take some much needed time to find out who you are again, the rest comes much easier.

3. Take the Dating Scene Slow: There’s nothing wrong about being single, I promise. Many people tend to date someone new much too soon. Stop worrying about finding someone or meeting someone else. You can exist by yourself perfectly happily – and when you’re ready and you meet the right person, you’ll know.

It’s not easy letting go, but sometimes it’s the best thing you can do. Instead of thinking about what you’ve lost, think about what there is to gain – and ultimately how it will eventually help you become a stronger and better person for the next time you fall in love.

Most of the worst possible dating scenarios are the type where you have been set up by someone or it’s a blind date of some type. And usually, though awful at the time, they tend to be pretty funny to other people, especially as time goes on.

I can’t think of any terrible dates, though there were plenty of guys trying to pick me up who never made it to that point. And it occurred to me that maybe, just maybe, I could profile the typical bad dating experiences and share some helpful advice on how to avoid a bad date.

The Put Yourself in a Bad Situation Date: Most of the time I hear a bad date story, it seems like there is always a few bad dating mistakes made in the first place that automatically put you at risk for something to go wrong. For example, you should NEVER on a first date go to the other person’s house or have them come to yours. You should also not ride in a car together. Before you go on another single date, please read my Dating Safety Tips ebook. It’s free and you can download it instantly. If you do the things in the book, not only will you be safer, but you can probably eliminate about 75% of all miserable dating experiences.

The Egotistical Date: Anytime someone starts saying they’re better than everybody else or starts talking endlessly about themselves or just one interest non stop, it can get pretty boring for the other person. So remember when on a date to avoid talking only about yourself – and if you’re stuck with someone like that try changing the subject or politely tell them that you’d rather talk about something else rather than letting them go on, and on, and on.

The Hygiene Nightmare Date: When you go on a date, there are certain expectations that you would try to look and act your best. If you show up in ratty clothes or in need of a shower, it’s a good chance this isn’t going to impress the person you are seeing. This has little to do with appearances and everything to do with just showing a little effort. If you’re not putting in effort to even try to look nice, it’s going to make the person think you don’t put any effort into anything else. At the very least, take a shower, wear clean clothes, and shave/brush your hair. If your date shows up in need of some hygiene, consider doing an activity like going to the perfume aisle at a local department store or changing activities.

The Critical/Insulting Date: Nobody likes being criticized all the time, but being insulted is just down right terrible. A lot of people complain that their date seemed to put down everything they did or said or even came right out and said insulting things. Granted, it can be hard to know if you said something (or will say something) offensive or not, but at the very least, if your date seems upset about it apologize for your mistake. And if your date says something insulting to you, don’t immediately take it the wrong way because there’s a chance he or she has no idea – just politely explain that it is insensitive. And if it continues, there’s no shame in just picking up and leaving. You came for a date – not to be insulted.

The Blind Date Blind dates can be terrifying, whether you’ve met the person online or are being set up by friends. Here’s the problem with blind dates: you’re forcing yourself into a situation with too many expectations with someone you don’t even know. The word “date” immediately puts a ton of pressure on people almost instantly. Why not at least meet somebody casually first and then decide if a date is a good idea? This helps prevent you having any surprises in meeting someone and there’s no pressure. Good examples: I’ll be volunteering at the library next week, why don’t you come by? It’s not a date, and you’ll know within about 5 minutes whether it’s someone you want to get to know better – and without even worrying about the cost of dinner.

Dating horror stories can be tough to avoid, but some of these tips will definitely help to make it so you have a fun and safe experience more often than a terrifying or uncomfortable situation.

Have any dating horror stories you want to share? Tell us about it in the comments below and help others know what not to do on a date

Rather reply the same answer to the question of “Can High School Relationships Survive College?” several times individually, and since it is the beginning of the semester for many university students, I decided it would be better instead to dedicate a whole post to it, because obviously it is not a decision that I or anyone else for that matter can make for you.

It’s a big transition to make for couples when going to a new school and sadly it’s likely a lot of relationships will be in jeopardy, especially those living far apart from each other and going to different colleges. While it may seem it would only be difficult for those accepted at different schools, even those who attend the same school together may find themselves unexpectedly struggling to make the relationship work.

There are three main reasons why relationships tend to fail during college. Part of it has to do with learning your true identity, the other factor is trust, and the last one is jealousy. All of these are major things that can contribute to the success or the failure of a relationship.

Going to college for many people is a period of discovery for themselves. Maybe it is the first time you’ve ever lived on your own, or maybe you’re ready to put everything in high school that happened completely behind you. For whatever reason, most people change during college. It’s not intentional or something bad – for most of us, it is a part of growing up and becoming our true adult identity. When we change as people this has an effect on our relationships as well, since we do not always change the same way or at the same time as our partner does. This can cause a lot of stress and tension and you may even find yourself thinking or saying “I don’t even know you anymore.”

The two other big problems are trust and jealousy. While they are two different problems, they often come with one another. For example, if you will be living in a coed college dorm, you will likely have others of the opposite sex walking around half naked or in their pajamas some of the time. This can be terribly tempting for some, especially if you get to know each other pretty well. Your partner will always be jealous of these people – and they will also worry whether or not they can trust you to make new friends of the opposite sex.

When it comes to developing as a person and building trust and overcoming jealousy issues, there are no easy answers or solutions that will come automatically.

The first question you should ask yourself honestly and objectively is whether you want the relationship to continue – and why you want it to continue. You also need to ask yourself if it really is in the best interest for you both.

Many times I have met people who were so concerned about their boyfriend or girlfriend or old high school friends that they never took the time to really fully enjoy the college experience – barely even getting to know the others on the same floor of their residence hall. These couples struggled for years trying to make it through only to end up breaking up and then wondering if the relationship caused them missed opportunities in life.

While the above example has been the majority of everyone I’ve ever known that has gone to college, of course occasionally you’ll hear the love story of high school sweethearts who survived the college years and ended up married. If you are both deeply in love and in a healthy relationship and have what it takes to make it work then your chances of success increase exponentially. If you’re questionable about the status of your relationship, constantly worrying about trust or jealousy, or feel like you don’t really know what you want to do – then it may be better to consider cutting losses early before they get worse.

To help you decide whether to keep a relationship through college, here are some considerations to think about:

How do you feel about each other?

Have you discussed future plans with each other?

How committed to one another are you?

Are you only together because you’re afraid of being alone?

Is is possible for you to keep the relationship together through college? What things will you do to ensure this?

How do you currently handle trust and jealousy issues?

Has a breakup seemed inevitable or a possibility before?

Is stressing over the relationship going to affect your grades?

If you continue the relationship, what will your expectations for each other be?

Answering these questions won’t be easy, but doing so will help you decide in your heart if it really is the best thing to do to try and make it work – or if you might both be better off to go your separate ways now and maybe catch back up later.

Do you have any thoughts or experiences about making relationships last through college? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

To make matters worse, your friends might talk to you about who they are dating or how things are going in their relationship and instead of being happy for them if things are going well, you find yourself either not caring or being bitter about it.

Being singled out is one of those things that can happen at any age – it’s not just a young person who’s friends have all started dating and getting married. Those who are getting over a divorce might find themselves back in the single scene while they are nearing retirement age – making it even more difficult in some cases.

It’s hard to say why friendships seem to be one of the most difficult things to maintain when one of the friends starts dating or gets married, especially if it’s been a long time friendship such as two friends who have known each other since kindergarten. Part of it might be that we often fall in the quest to find true love that we forget about the other people in our life – the other part may stem in the fact that suddenly the things you used to do with your friend are now replaced by the new love interest of theirs. I don’t think it is intentional or fueled by emotion – it happens simply because there are only 24 hours a day and while we’d like to talk to everybody it’s just not always possible.

So What’s A Single Guy or Girl To Do?

If you’re stuck feeling like you’re the only one who’s still single or without a date, here’s some tips to help you deal with it:

1. Don’t Feel Sorry For Yourself: It’s easy to get caught up in the whole “woe is me, nobody wants to hang out with me” kind of thinking. Once you get into the self pity party it’s hard to get back out and go enjoy yourself. If you start feeling like you’re a hopeless loser, (and  know it’s totally natural to feel that way) – remember just because that’s the way you feel doesn’t make it true.

2. Immerse Yourself in Activities: It doesn’t matter what kind of activity you decide to be interested in – one of the best ways to deal with being single is to keep yourself occupied doing things you genuinely enjoy doing. Take up salsa dancing classes or do things you’d never considered before. Not only will you have fun, but you’ll likely meet some new people to interact with as well.

3. Make the Effort if the Friendship is Important to You: If the friendship is important to you, then you will need to be the one to make the effort to keep the friendship going. A lot of times when friends get married and start having kids it’s not that they don’t want to hang out with you or see you – in fact it could be the opposite, they just haven’t had the time to call. They might not call you not because they suddenly stopped liking you, but maybe are afraid now that they’ve settled down and have the boring life you wouldn’t be interested in them anymore.

4. Don’t Go On Dates Out of Desperation: To make up with your single-hood-ness, you could go on multiple dates on that quest to find true love. There’s thousands of online dating sites to try and meeting up with someone takes no little more than a few clicks of a mouse. But there’s a big difference between dating someone out of desperation and dating someone because they genuinely interest you. When you’re in desperation mode, you might find yourself settling for less than you really deserve or tricking yourself into thinking you like someone when really maybe the chemistry is not even there. Make a Rule: You’ll only date someone because they genuinely interest you and have similiar interests and passions – not just because they are a date.

5. If All Else Fails, Remember This: All friendships and relationships on earth come to an end eventually. While this might not seem like uplifting advice, if you think of it that some people may only be meant to be in our lives for a little while, you can look back being thankful for what you had and move forward to enjoy each and every day from this point forward. Nothing lasts forever, which is why its important to enjoy every single day you have – whether you’re with your old friends or meeting and making new ones.

Do you have any thoughts about being singled out when all your friends are in relationships except for you? We’d love to hear your comments below.