Introduction to the Idea

I came up with the idea to go on 36 dates at 36 years of age after listening to a podcast featuring a guest that went on 50 dates at 50 and found her person. She approached each date with curiousity and fun, never stress. I thought the idea sounded interesting. Of course, I naturally hold more stress than her because I still want children. Nonetheless, stress has not led me to success in my dating life, and as Einstein famously professed: "Insanity is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over and Expecting Different Results." Whatever I had been doing in my dating life wasn't working, and this sounded like an interesting experiment. I still have time to meet my person and potentially have a child, so I can take the stress out and approach it with an open mind. My mind had been closed at various times. For example, I had specifically searched for a man that was fun, charming, outgoing, "successful," a gentleman. As I'm learning more, it turns out that some of those qualities are to be avoided. They can be narcissicts in disguise, or insecure at heart. Quieter introverts should be given a chance because they are not charming the rest of the world and may be more loyal and committed. This experiment presents several positives: Because I have set this quota, I must meet it. This will lead me to go on dates with men that perhaps I would not have considered otherwise. I may end up meeting someone that I would not have considered had I not set this quota. Because I know that I have this quota, I can place less stress on each one date knowing that there will be more to come. I can approach each date with curiousity rather than boredom, as an opportunity to learn about things I didn't know and to practice and polish my social skills.