What Mardi Gras Parades Have Taught Me About Dating

I had the pleasure of attending my first Mardi Gras festivities and parades in New Orleans, this year. It was as imagined, lots of people having fun and acting silly for beads and other throws from the masked men on the floats.

One thing I noticed was the lack of flashers for beads. I wondered how people were getting beads thrown at them consistently without the nudity. I watched carefully at one lady who was constantly getting beads and throws from every float. Her secret? Making direct eye contact with one of the masked men on every float. Yes, she was waving excitedly, but the key was the eye contact. Once one of the men even pointed at her repeatedly to make sure that everyone knew he was throwing to her only. She was thrilled.

So, I tried it. Waving and smiling, I made eye contact with one of the masked guys. He waved me forward and gave me a fiber-optic rose. Holy cow, it worked! I tried again. It worked again. I had more beads and throws tha
I knew what to do with. It continued to work through the rest of the parades. The trick was to make eye contact.

That got me to thinking. Why is eye contact so important? When someone can look you directly in the eyes, it shows confidence. Confidence in one's self is a highly prized trait. It is usually linked to success in life, socially and financially. We all want to embody confidence. It is not only important to be confident ourselves, but we seek it in the partners we choose.

Think back to when you've maybe caught someone's eye in a crowded room. Do you hold the contact? Or do you break it?

Try something for me: Next time you're out shopping, at a restaurant or where ever there are lots of people, see if you can hold eye contact with a stranger for at least 10 seconds. And never be the first to break it. You may be surprised by the reactions. Most people will avert their eyes quickly -- especially in the opposite sex and can be a sign of a lack of confidence. But confident people will hold your eye contact and most likely smile at you. Feel free to smile back!

A friend of mine told me a story from his life that included just this technique. He was in a bar with some friends, when he noticed a woman across the room was staring at him. He did the typical, look around himself to see if she was looking at someone else -- she was not. He looked again to her, she had never moved her eyes from him. When he smiled at her. She smiled back. He said he was so drawn to her from her bold eye contact, he just had to find out if maybe she knew him. He went over and asked her, "Do we know eachother?" Of course, she said no. He immediately extended his hand and introduced himself. They dated for over a year. Now, that's a girl with confidence.

So make eye contact, hold it and don't be the first to break it. Your confidence will bring you success.

Best wishes on Love & Life,
Melody Glatz
Founder
www.SinglesDatingConvention.com