You have everything going for you….great career, you’re in great shape and have a great social circle. You’re pretty happy with your life, but you still find yourself wondering why you haven’t found “the one”. Does this sound familiar?

Chances are you’re among the many single men and women that find themselves hoping that Ms. or Mr. Right will walk into your life. You believe “love will just happen” or “this will work itself out.”

Unfortunately, this only happens in the movies or fairy tales. If you’re wanting to find a relationship in 2013 and improve your dating life, you need to put yourself out there. Join a club or a group where you can expand your social circle, let your personal network (friends, co-workers, family) know that you’re single and looking to meet someone, attend a singles mixer or speed dating event, go out to happy hour or join a dating service. You need to turn your dating “cab light” on!

If you’re sick of waiting for love to find you and need to get back out there, give us a call at It’s Just Lunch. Whether you’re actively dating and just have problems meeting the “right” people or haven’t dated in 25 years, we’ll help introduce you to quality matches and arrange fun, first dates and turn your dating “cab light” on!

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Are you still waiting for your Prince Charming to sweep you off your feet? Dr. Michelle Callahan of Women’s Health explains how you can wake up from the fairy-tale fantasy to find real love.

This segment, featured on the TODAY show, we found gave great advice for women (and men!) who are ready to spring clean their love life.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Posted at 5:03 pm | Dating Tips | Leave a comment

Finding yourself recently single? You’re not alone. We are in the midst of a peak breakup season (January-March). We wanted to share this article from YourTango on tips for moving on from an old flame. Take some time to learn from the relationship and then jump back into the dating scene with It’s Just Lunch and let the Dating Experts help guide you into your next relationship!

Sever digital ties: Unfriend, unfollow and untag.This might seem petty, but when you’re constantly thinking about your old flame (and YourTango found that 71 percent of people do), the Internet can be your enemy. Online stalking is too big a temptation, and the last thing you want to see is that he or she is moving on without you.

Develop a new routine: Sometimes it’s not all about your ex. Sometimes it’s about the life you’re used to living with that person. When you break up with someone, you’re losing a routine, too—no more date night, no more daily phone call—it’s hard to accept change. So pick up a new routine. On nights once dubbed ‘date night’, try to start a new ‘movie night’ tradition with your friends, for example. Distractions are key.

Limit your mourning: Not only does constantly talking about your ex annoy your friends, it keeps him or her in your present, where they don’t belong. Limit your post break up conversations, and limit the time you allow yourself to cry and mourn your relationship. It’s not always easy, but force yourself to get up and do something else.

Accept that you may lose friends: Chances are, you and your ex share mutual friends. Last year, a survey found that on average, we lose eight friends after a breakup. Sometimes that can make moving on even harder—all you want is your old life and routine back. So to help yourself move on, accept that, along with your ex, some mutual friends may be lost, too. Anyway, your true pals will stick by your side. Maybe try to meet some new friends as part of developing a new routine.

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We understand that dating can be frustrating, fun, exciting and disappointing all at once. If dating were easy, there wouldn’t be magazine articles, books, online dating website and matchmaking services like It’s Just Lunch.

We take the stress out of dating so you can skip straight to the fun part…showing up at the restaurant and enjoying your date with someone picked out just for you! The trick to keep dating fun is all in the attitude one brings to the process and having some confidence.

Realistically, not every date is going to lead to a serious relationship- so keeping a positive outlook is important. The most important aspect to remember is managing your expectations with dating. If you go into the date prepping yourself that he/she will definitely be “the one” you will likely be disappointed with the reality of the date, even if the date went well. It’s important to also go into each date with a “clean slate”. This means not thinking about the bad memories of bad dates you’ve ever been on or grudges of past relationships. Remember, the purpose of a first date is to figure out if there is enough common interest and chemistry to lead to a second date.

Bookmark our blog and follow us on Twitter for more dating tips.

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Our own Dating Director, Stephanie Kluver, was featured on KTTC’s segment about finding love in the Rochester area with one of our favorite IJL couples, Adam and Angela! We introduced Adam and Angela back in 2009 and their first date was at Chester’s. They put their membership on hold for each other while they dated and the rest is history…and now a baby is on the way!


KTTC Rochester, Austin, Mason City News, Weather and Sports

Adam and Angela didn’t meet by chance. They weren’t set up by friends. They weren’t an on-line romance. They met through It’s Just Lunch! Give us a call today or fill out the form on our blog and one of our Dating Directors will answer all of your questions so we can help you find your perfect match. 

Posted at 4:05 pm | Success Stories | Leave a comment

We came across this article on CNNLiving on the topic of dating and how online dating and social media has hurt singles with their social skills and the art with “offline dating”.

When meeting someone new and with dating, we’ve posted the importance of eye contact and flashing a smile during a date, it’s important to be aware of your body language, it can portray confidence!  Along with keeping your body language in check, it’s important to know basic conversation skills and social cues. However, body language expert, Blake Eastman says, “People have an easier time picking out an emoticon to display the emotion they are feeling rather than actually showing it on their face.”

Singles may mistake social media for being social. “We feel that we don’t need to look at people in the eyes to communicate anymore — a keystroke has replaced that look,” Eastman said. “But at the end of the day, we’re designed for human contact, not a computer screen.”  To see the rest of the article on The Loss of Offline Datingclick here.

At It’s Just Lunch, we still believe in “offline dating” and arrange quality first dates…face-to-face encounters that really work! Give our office a call today to discuss dating with us, we’d love to help you find your next Valentine!

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Watching The Super Bowl Together: Great Date or Disaster?

Watching the Super Bowl together is a bad idea for a first date, but it makes sense if you’ve been seeing each other for a while, according to our latest survey. We received over 600 responses to our latest online … Continue reading

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New Book Recommendation: Dating For Life by Craig S. Wilson

Relationship Expert Craig S. Wilson has authored the book, Dating For Life that outlines four keys to help singles, marrieds, seniors and millennials have passionate relationships. People must use the positive skills of dating every day in every way, he advises. “Don’t alter whatever … Continue reading

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Having poor eye contact and a fake smile
Confidence is key! A smile goes a long way and poor eye contact shows your date you’re not interested. If your eyes wander around the restaurant, it shows your date you’re not interested in him/her. Also, fake smiles are easy to spot, so be genuine.

Using your cell phone on date
The biggest mistake someone can make on a date is using your cell phone or placing it on the table and glancing at it every time it lights up. This shows your date you’re not interested and have something better waiting for you on the phone. Your date deserves your full attention, keep your cell in your purse or pocket.

Showing up late without a call or a text
Showing up late starts the date off on the wrong foot and might even set the tone for the entire meeting. It shows your date that he/she isn’t important and shows lack of respect.

Dressing inappropriately
Be sure to look put-together and that you put effort into your look for the date…look flirty and fun! Dress to impress and be careful to not be underdressed, overdressed, sloppy or inappropriately dressed. First impressions are huge on a date and what you wear can help or hinder that.

Being rude
When you show poor manners, it shows lack of social skills and can show your date you’re not a nice person. If you’re rude and impolite to the wait staff, it has your date wonder how you will treat him or her in a relationship. Remember the Golden Rule; treat others the way you would want to be treated.

Talking about your ex
Talking about the past is dangerous first date conversation topics and is a huge red flag to your date. Talking about an ex shows that you’re not over it and not ready to move forward and that’s not fair to the person sitting across the table from you.

Posted at 7:55 pm | Dating Tips | Leave a comment

This past week, millions of Americans were introduced to the term “catfishing”, where someone is drawn into a fake relationship. Notre Dame linebacker, Manti Te’o is the center of a juicy scandal-a hoax that involves a dead girlfriend and a fake romance. If you haven’t read the story, click here for Deadspin’s full article.

Fox News stopped by our office yesterday and interviewed Stephanie on her thoughts. “Real relationships need to be in person. You need to meet in person instead of hiding behind a computer or text messages or Twitter or Facebook”, she said. To catch Stephanie in the Fox News clip, click here.

 

Posted at 7:40 pm | Dating with Social Media | Leave a comment