Dating.

Yes, it’s a zest pool full of the unknown — like a toilet bowl that swirls into the depths of the sewer filled with guys: the meatheads, student-athletes who think they are the G.O.A.T.’s (Greatest of All Time), the wicked smart guys, your nice, plain old joe’s, etc. Gosh, society’s track record of dating customs have vastly changed and yet, individuals are still disillusioned by what’s “appropriate.”

Traditionally speaking, guys should be the ones who “wear the pants” both in the relationship and in the pursuit. I believe it should be this way too, but as times change, so do people.

As a former college gymnast, my whole life had been revolved around training in the gym equivalent to a full-time job. Lots of blood, sweat, tears, extraneous bruises and torn pieces of skin. Beautiful, right? Although this came with the territory, I also learned many valuable life lessons — one of them being self-sufficient.

My coaches taught me if I truly wanted something that set my soul on fire, I needed to bust my butt and go get it myself. With that said, this can apply in the dating world. I’m not saying that this will guarantee you meeting the “love of your life” right on the first try, trust me, but I’m only proposing another way of spicing up your dating game. It’s like cooking — sometimes, it takes many bad attempts to get the right one.

Reading other magazines or social media posts, such as Odyssey, Facebook, Cosmo, and even Buzzfeed, some guys admitted that girls who asked them out impressed them! It shows not only how confident you are, but also how you are a go-getter and not going to take anyone’s crap.

Yes, there will be butterflies.

Yes, the toilet bowl swirl may cloud your mind but don’t let it take you down!

The very first time I asked a guy out, I was a pile of word vomit — my heart raced a bazillion times a minute and my brain felt like I was on another planet. It probably didn’t help that I spoke wicked fast too, but I couldn’t help it: New Englanders are constantly on the go. Adding nerves into the picture, I spoke a million miles a minute.

After I asked him out, I felt a huge sense of relief but at the same time, I felt extremely stupid. He was definitely out of my league, but I thought I might as well try. And you know what? He said yes.

So ladies, try going out of your comfort zone and see what happens! You never know what could happen! And if you don’t feel comfortable doing this, that’s totally OK, too! Letting guys come to you is also a good thing and takes the legwork off of you.