Things are going really good and then all of the sudden you don’t feel good for a day or two and you just get into a rut. Get a little lazy. Get into a funk.

How do you snap out of your funk? I know when I get into a funk, I always ask myself, “Why am I in a funk? What is bothering me right now?” I try to dig a little deeper instead of looking at the surface things. Because usually when you’re in a rut, it’s usually something that is deeper than what you think it is. Maybe something’s bothering you a day ago or two days ago. Maybe you got a lingering whatever. So the next time you get into a rut ask yourself, “Why do I feel this way today? Did anything happen to me over the last couple of days that just caused me to feel funky?”

Dating Ruts

And once you pinpoint it, and figure out what really made you feel funky, you then go right back to being your cheery self, going right back to doing all the great things that you were doing before that. And it’s okay.

We all get in ruts every once in a while. It’s okay to have an off day, an off hour, an off minute. Nobody’s on 24/7. Nobody has it together all of the time. So, just accept that part of life, and the ruts won’t bother you as much either.

I’m about to give you six easy things you can (and should) do to impress a woman on a date. As you will see, none of these six things involve picking out the right food or the right restaurant.

1.What Do You Know About Her?: So what do you know about this woman you want to impress? What are her likes and dislikes? In order to plan a great date, it has to be something that really interests her. A lot of guys do the standard “take her out to dinner” thing and just hope for the best. In reality, though, that’s just not the right way to do it. You need to think outside the dinner box, and think about something that will show her you thought about her when you planned this date. Picking something that relates to something she likes or in which she’s interested goes a long way.

2.Have A Plan: There’s nothing that turns a woman off more than when you call her and ask her what she wants to do on a date. It’s called listening. It’s about knowing what she likes. If you like her, you will do things that resonate with her, and you will know what (at least some) of those things are because you’ve been listening to what she’s had to say when you’ve talked to her. Also, women like strong, confident men. Women like men who have a plan.

3.Activity Dates Are Great: When you plan your date, do something where you can challenge each other and have fun. Go bowling. Play miniature golf. Go to one of those pottery places where you can paint a mug. Take your dogs for a walk. Go get some ice cream. Instead of just having dinner, take a walk around a lake. Do something that’s casual, fun and no pressure. The problem with going to dinner on a date is that is can feel very high pressure. You are sitting across from each other with nothing to do but watch each other chew and resume swap. Do something more fun than that, and the more child-like the activity the better. Plus activity dates give you lots of easy conversation topics.

4.Have No Expectations: Even though you are so excited to be out with this woman, you really don’t know who she is yet so why have expectations? When you have expectations, you have pressure to make things work. By remaining present on the date and by not thinking ahead to other dates, you’ll actually have more fun (which will give the date a much better chance of being successful). The reason why so many dates go south is because you’re thinking ahead during the date. In reality, though, all a woman wants is the real you. She wants you being present and being engaged in the moment with her. She wants the real you, not the “playing it safe” version of you.

5.Don’t Worry About The Goodnight Kiss: If you both have a good time on a date, then don’t worry about the goodnight kiss. So many times, guys feel like they have to “seal it with a kiss.” So many times, guys will start thinking about the goodnight kiss the entire last part of the date. It’s like it’s the 4th quarter of a football game and they’re planning their comeback, when what they should be doing is just enjoying the play-by-play. When you walk her to her car, just give her a hug or a little kiss on the lips. Don’t worry about the full-blown makeout session. Women love foreplay, and they love to be left wondering about that passionate kiss they will have with you.

6.Follow Up With A Second Date: If you had a good time and she had a good time, then why leave her in suspended animation? Ask her out for a second at the end of the first date, and ask her to do something you both talked about enjoying on the first date. That way, when she goes home and does the play-by-play with her friends, she’s going to say that you’re one of the few guys who didn’t leave her wondering what she did right or wrong on that first date. You will stand out among all the “other guys” she’s met.

As a man, you want to be a leader. You need to remember that women love romantic comedies. They are always looking for that serendipitous moment where a man just knows things about her and takes her to her favorite coffee shop without even having to ask her which one that is. You want to be the leader, not the follower. You want to lead her on a romantic journey. So taking her to a restaurant and watching each other chew just isn’t going to cut it. It’s time to get creative.