Review: Date Like a Pro
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 20, 2012
I bought Stephen Williams' "Dating Tips" with the intention of gifting it to my little brother. He's in his late teens and he's shy and awkward around the ladies, and I've loved Williams' other instructional books, so I thought this book would be perfect for my brother. I am ashamed to say that, almost a week later, I am still holding onto this book! I started reading through it, just to see what kind of stuff it had to offer that could help my baby brother, and I just could not put it down! Williams is funny and approachable and completely sympathetic to the plight of the single and seeking. He puts everything into perspective and gives you exactly what you need in order to step up and step into the world of dating.From the very first paragraph, Williams does a wonderful job of getting the reader to trust him. It is clear from the start that Williams has had firsthand experience with both the feeling of futility involved in trying to find "the One" and the feeling of absolute joy when you finally DO find "the One." Williams' obvious real-life experience with his subject matter ingratiates him to the reader and gives him an instant air of credibility he might not otherwise have. After all, who wants to take dating advice from someone who's never actually gone through the lows and (especially) the highs of dating? Williams doesn't talk down to you like someone who's judging you for not being able to land a date, but neither does he coddle you by sugarcoating everything. Like Williams' other books, he tells it like it is: getting out there and pushing yourself to date when maybe you'd rather not is scary and hard, there's no doubt about that. But Williams' point is that, though it's hard and maybe sometimes uncomfortable to put yourself out there, finding the person who makes you truly happy is WORTH IT.The thing I love the most about Williams' advice on dating is his stance that there isn't some secret sequence of mystical, magical steps that will unlock a relationship with whomever you'd like to date. Williams writes that the key to a fulfilling love-life is confidence, which is genius in its simplicity. The constant fear and worrying about whether or not you're "doing everything right" or whether or not you're "hot enough" or "good enough" is pointless and the surest way to end up alone. Williams understands that first you have to be at peace with yourself and who you are in order to find the person you're meant to be with. Although this is a book about dating and finding "the One," it is, at its core, a book about becoming the person who is ready for and worthy of BEING "the One" for someone else.