Now I know what you’re thinking.
Tinder.
Sexual.
But that’s not where I’m going.
It is possible that Tinder has taught me some valuable life lessons that I have strongly taken into consideration.
Let me begin by saying I have my sorority Little and my favorite roommate to blame for my current Tinder profile. After a breakup with a serious boyfriend, they thought it would be fun for me to finally create an account. Maybe it would be useful. It turned out to be more of a needed laugh for all of us included. But needless to say, I spent the rest of the night swiping, instead of studying. I understand I am more than late in the game to just now be using Tinder, but surprisingly so many people are still using it.
So here we go,
1. Be yourself.
Or be whoever you want to be. Life is about expressing yourself and finding out who you really are. Maybe you are that straightforward, "Date, with me, tonight?" type of person, or maybe you like to ease into things and go with the flow. Either way, be you and don't be afraid. Someone will appreciate what you show them.
I swiped right just because of this bio. He was hilariously himself.
2. How to deal with awkward encounters
That location distance you set is not far enough: You will run into a Tinder match IRL, and you will have to decide how you’re going to handle it. After being on Tinder for a few days, I thought every random person I saw was someone I had matched with. That was, until I truly did run into someone I had actually matched with. It was part terrifying/part confusing, but think about the fight or flight method here. Do you address the fact that you’re pretty sure you two matched each other, or absolutely ignore the person like Tinder wasn’t the first place you saw them? You'll know when it happens. And you'll deal with it accordingly.
3. Taking a chance every once in awhile!
Being the first person to message someone on Tinder is just a metaphor for being the person to leap into life and take chances! Sure, maybe you won't get a reply and maybe you'll fall from such a leap, but the fact that you were willing to go out on a limb and try means something. You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take. Unless you give yourself the chance, you'll never have a shot!
Like this, zero reply... and that's OK!
Or maybe this! A chance taken ending in success.
And finally…
4. Take a joke.
We’re all just trying to have a good time. Take the time to say something ridiculous. Maybe you'll make someone else laugh, maybe just yourself. The point is, there are hundreds of aspects in life that are too serious. Stop taking everything so seriously and just learn to play along. Learn to laugh things off and life becomes easier.
An easy pick up line, one to make you blush...
But remember, in a ridiculous situation, learn to laugh things off...
Either way, Tinder has been an eye-opening experience for me. Though many of these matches didn't work out, the messages I found between the lines are lessons I can carry on throughout my life! Be who you want to be. Express yourself without fear. Take a chance worth taking and remember to laugh at what you can. Every moment is an experience; take from it what you can.
