What about meeting a girl? Is this a setup at dinner? Are you out at a club? some of these situation can make some guys feel obligated to pay. My simple answer, don’t. Before I get into why, let me lay out two possible scenarios:

• You are going out to dinner with a group of friends. They are inviting a girl they want you to ‘meet’ to come along. You sit next to her and talk a lot throughout the meal. The ticket comes and some people are paired up and some aren’t. Do you grab her tab? No, this is not a date. You did not ask her out, at least not yet. Avoid the temptation to impress by paying for her dinner.
• You are out at a club or a bar with your friends. After mingling around you cross eyes with a beauty and go up and start talking. She finishes her drink and looks at you. Do you buy her a drink? Please don’t. Again, you are not out on a date. this is not being cheap, this is being smart.

Lets assume for a minute that it is the guys responsibility to pay on a date. Neither of these situations is a date. These are meetings. First off, you can’t afford to pay for a drink for every girl that winks at you at a bar. It is not your responsibility. And if you are afraid that you will come off as too cheap for her, you probably are. Donald Trump probably is.

The point is, if a girl is actually in to you. She does not care whether you buy her a drink or not. Or even pays for her dinner during a meet up. The ones that do, are probably not the girls you want to mess with. Ask some of you female friends. I will bet most of them have taken drinks from guys they have no intention of ever seeing again.

The girl who is expecting diamonds will never be satisfied. The ones who don’t will be forever grateful.

-Kevin

Every Job I have ever gotten was through a friend. Networking is the single biggest factor in finding a new job. All too often, a small or medium size company that is looking to hire someone will look and hire from a network of friends before a stranger.

So, how do you go about establishing a network of friends? It is not always simple, and it takes time. Relationships grow over time. But, you must be ACTIVE in your pursuit. First, call some of your old friends. Have lunch or dinner with them. Make a habit of becoming social. Second, find local groups that interest you. Volunteering is a great way to meet new people. Also, look up a local Toastmasters group. This is a great organization and can help you get over some social phobias you may have. Also, consider online sources. Linkedin is a great website for this. However, don’t rule out Facebook and Myspace. You can reconnect with a lot of old friends on these sites. You would be surprised by how many people you probably already know on there.

Finally, going off of some advice my dad gave me. Never burn bridges with previous employers. Always try to leave with good feelings, whether you hated the job or not. Stay in contact with former employers and friends from former jobs. Bottom line, keep all doors open.

If you start networking and building these social interactions, opportunities will open. But, something even great will as well, you will have a ton of friends. You will develop some great relationships. Who knows, if you are single you may even find a spouse. But, at the very least you will grow as a person.

-rebel