You might very well be. The cynic, that is. Hey, we all have it in us. Some more than others. None of us, in fact, are immune to being cynical at one time or another. The important thing is we realize, sooner than later, that we’re behaving this way, then check ourselves and ask why.

Once you stop for a moment to think, you’ll likely find there’s a good reason for your cynical behavior and that it has little to do with what you’re being cynical about. Instead, being a cynic is usually more about the bigger picture, which is your attitude. In other words, if you’re being overly cynical, your attitude is probably bad.

Having a bad attitude when you’re dating will pretty much ensure that you’ll never find someone you don’t find fault with, let alone like. So I ask you: How’s your attitude?

Not sure? Let me help. Do you find dating a chore, from having to look through endless dating profiles to getting dressed to meet someone new? Are you often lamenting that there’s no one out there worth meeting and everyone you meet is cheap, boring, self-centered, or, you guessed it, a cynic?

If this sounds like you, your attitude can probably use some work. That’s not to say people aren’t worthy of being passed by or aren’t cheap, boring, self-centered, or cynics. There are those who most definitely are. But if you go into dating thinking negatively, those are precisely the people you’ll attract.

That’s because negative people attract other negative people. And even if these people aren’t overtly cynics (sometimes it takes a little while to come out), your negativity can certainly contribute to bringing out the worst in others, creating a self-fulling prophecy — everyone you date will actually be a cynic.

The sad fact is is that when you have a bad attitude, chances are you’re the one who’s behaving like a cynic. Cynics tend not to be very happy people. They also tend to wind up alone. And when they do find a relationship, those relationships tend to be unfulfilling.

To date successfully requires going in with a positive attitude. By positive attitude, I mean the following:

 ●        Living in the moment,

●        looking for the best in others,

●        keeping an open mind,

●        behaving respectfully, and

●     seeing every dating experience as an opportunity to learn, whether new information, about someone new but, most importantly, about yourself.

Not every dating encounter will lead to the relationship you want. But to date well, you do need to exercise your dating muscles — your ability to be conversational, engaging, courteous, and, yes, positive, even when the encounter doesn’t go as you hoped, planned, or well. It takes practice.

Monday, September 13, is Positive Thinking Day. In honor of the day, I’d like to urge you to take a few moments to reflect on what you’re bringing to the proverbial table when you go out on a date. Or, if you’re not even getting that far, to the table, that is, what you’re bringing to your online dating profiles, texts, emails, and phone conversations.

As the saying goes, you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. The same goes for eligible single men and women. You know, the ones looking for someone who’s nice, kind, smart, and funny. Like you. The real you.