The other day, a client called me up and said, “I just don’t get women.”
He met this woman at a supermarket. It was obvious they were both interested. They exchanged numbers and he promised to call her the following day.
It was a typical phone call. An awkward 15 minutes, not knowing each other well enough to steer the conversation.
They agreed on lunch the following week. She wasn’t sure of her schedule so he said he’d text her and she could pick the date.
He texted her the following day but she never got back to him.
Finally, a week later, when he’d already given up, she finally got back to him. Her excuse – she was busy but she’d still like to do lunch in a week or two.
When they finally went out, a month had passed. She was pretty happy when she finally saw him. He could care less. It was supposed to be just lunch.
So why was there all the back and forth?
Why is it so hard for us to take an hour out of our schedules for a simple lunch?
1. What Else Are You Doing?
Don’t you usually eat lunch at your desk?
Are you brown bagging it?
Are you going to the local restaurant just to sit there with yourself or a co-worker?
I know you have to take a lunch. Legally, your job requires you go to lunch if you working a full day. Studies show a simple way to improve your life is take time for yourself.
We’re such workaholics in America. We get to work early, work through lunch, and stay late because everything has to get done.
I commend hard work and sometimes you have to put in the time. But, you don’t have to do it every day. In fact, it’s bad for your health.
This date could add hours to your life simply by taking someone up on the offer to go to lunch. Getting out of your office helps clear your brain. You can recharge during this hour and go back to work better than you left.
Ask someone out to lunch.
2. It’s The Safest Date
Lunch is usually no more than an hour, which is really a perfect first date.
You get to sample somebody a little bit. You get to see what they’re about, and you get to decide if you want to invest more time.
The worst dates are the ones that never end. You’re trapped in a tacky restaurant or a terrible couples place. You’re bored or creeped out by your date and there’s no end in sight.
With lunch this is never a problem. The meal comes, you eat, you chat, and you leave.
It’s particularly smart to set the date on a weekday. If the date is an unsalvageable disaster you can fake an email from work and excuse yourself early.
There’s no reason not to go especially when you consider….
3. Lunch is Cheap
There are plenty of places that have lunch specials. But most of the time, we’re just eating lunch by ourselves. You can use apps like Living Social and Groupon to find local deals and discover new places close to you.
So, why do we find it so difficult to just let go and have lunch?
It really is just lunch.
It’s a perfect first date, and it’s easy to incorporate into your schedule. Make a commitment to giving somebody a chance. It’s an hour of your life. It seems so difficult nowadays to go out and get a lunch date.
We’re all dating online for the convenience of it.
But most of the time when you’re dating online, you only meet about 10% of the people because you have all these issues in your head.
There’s no bigger, better deal here.
Just because you’re attracted to someone today doesn’t mean you’re going to meet somebody that’s going to be better for you in a week on the same online dating site. Why not give the person you initially attracted to an opportunity to see if there’s something between you?
It’s just lunch. Go for it!
