Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Diversification in Dating: Applying Investment Techniques to Dating

One afternoon while compiling a presentation on investing and retirement, I started to think about how investing in the stock market can be very similar to investing in dating: Aren't they both investments in our future? I decided to explore this realization and came to the conclusion that if there are techniques available to curb risks while investing in the market, that I could potentially apply the same techniques to my dating life. I think this theory will bode well for those that take and apply it (stay tuned for application of theory and its effects in a later entry, this is currently being tested - heavily).

I don't think I can continue without referencing the Sex and the City episode where Carrie comes to a very similar comparison and questions: Why do we keep investing? I certainly understand her thoughts here, but I say we go further and not question why we date. We all know why we do that. Either way, it's not in question that we invest in the opposite sex. I suggest that we apply the same techniques available in order to guard against financial risks to our dating risks. I believe if we utilized a simple investment rule, that we could lessen the risk of getting hurt. And in turn, we'd potentially be less reluctant to putting ourselves out there. The idea I wish to explore today is the idea of diversification.

Diversifying in investments essentially means that you spread out your Investments to reduce risks so that a fluctuation of a single security (Investment) has a lesser impact on your portfolio. The theory allows you to minimize risks from any one Investment. I'm sure you can see where I'm headed with this one. Similarly to diversifying your stock investments, let's diversify our dating portfolio. The trick is to start dating more than one person at a time: Spread out your Investments. Date guys from different backgrounds, age groups, areas of interest and even locations. I'm not suggesting that someone in a committed relationship start dating multiple guys at a time, but I think in the beginning stages of dating it would be beneficial to date multiple people. This would prevent us from putting all of our eggs into one “Investment” basket.

I hear the same story over and over: Girl meets boy, girl likes boy, boy let’s girl down, Girl gets hurt. I think hurt is the wrong way to categorize this feeling. After self analysis of this repetitive scenario, I realized that I was just disappointed because the Investment didn’t cash in. The truth isn't that the Investment that we had three "amazing" dates with hurt us. Let's be real here, we hardly knew the Investment well enough for their absence to affect our life in any real way. The disappointment was a result of not looking for another great investment and not spreading out the risk. If I had, the fluctuation of a single Investment would have had lesser impact on my Dating Portfolio. How upset would I really be if bachelor number one didn't work out when I had bachelors numbers two through four, hell… let's make it five, to pick up their slack? I'm guessing not as much. It puts a new perspective on Bachelor number one - a minor loss. So, I've decided to diversify not only my stock portfolio, but my dating portfolio as well. Stay tuned for how things work out, this could get quite interesting.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Little Bit About Me

After careful consideration, I’ve decided to document my life: mainly my dating life. I never thought for a second that anyone would care about what I have to say about my dating and life experiences. However, I've started to realize that I need a place to let it all out, not to mention, I think my friends are tired of hearing about my escapades. So, here we go. To start, I think it would be best to tell you a little bit about myself and how I got into my current situation.

I was in a serious relationship for five years up until about a year ago with a guy that I care very deeply for. Things ended when life and circumstance took us in different directions: him to a country across the world which led me reluctantly into the dating world of Philadelphia. I tried for months to avoid the mayhem of dating in Philadelphia, but it was inevitable that I come to terms with my new path. I have officially given in.

For your reading pleasure, I've given my potential suitors aliases which describe them or my experience with them. I hope you enjoy my thoughts, learn from my experiences, or at least get a good laugh.