Young adulthood is a world that no amount of parental warnings, dual-enrollment classes, or "Schoolhouse Rock" VHS tapes can prepare you for. You have to take it head on and learn how to navigate it step-by-step. One of the trickier parts of adulthood is dating, but no worries! Considering the massive amount of wisdom that I've gained from all zero romantic relationships that I've been in myself, I'm more than qualified to advise you about the best possible way to go about dating.

One of the biggest mistakes that I see among romantic relationships today is that they start off with the "talking" phase. Remember when "talking" simply meant conversing with someone? Now it's an excuse to be treated exclusively without actually having to make the commitment of being exclusive.

Today's society is constantly trying to force the concept onto us that we don't have to be committed to anything. In a world of things like hair extensions, gender-changes, and open-relationships, we've been told that we don't have to be committed to our appearance, our genders, or our partners. If we don't even have to be committed to someone while we're in a relationship, what's the point of being exclusive to only one person before you're in a relationship? Commitment is scary to us because it makes us vulnerable, so we try avoiding it at all costs by doing things like "talking".

I see so many people my age that are constantly miserable and in-between relationships because they started off their relationships with "talking". My advice when it comes to pursuing someone is to just be friends first. I know that it sounds boring, but hear me out: if you're friends first, you learn how to love the person you're interested in beyond face value. You get to know someone on more than just a romantic level which gives your relationship a depth that other relationships won't have. If you focus on being friends, you have time to invest yourself in someone based off of their personality and not just the slight chance that you'll end up together.

I'm aware that this type of thinking when it comes to dating is unpopular these days, and that's okay. While some prefer talking, I prefer building. When it comes to something as crucial as finding who I want to spend my forever with, I'm content with going against the grain when it means that I end up with the best possible outcome for myself.