Dating Out of Your League – A Tired Expression

We’ve all heard the expression about someone dating “out of their league.” Typically it means someone is considered more attractive, but it could also mean they are wealthier, smarter, more popular—any number of things. 

That tired expression has met a fiery demise. 

Now we have access to explore and experiment with others who might not socialize in the same places or have any friends in common. It gives us the chance to experience connections with new people, regardless of their backgrounds, career standing, whatever.

Before WhatsYourPrice many of us felt like we had to date within our current social circles. But now we can try dating a brunette, even if we typically go for blondes. Brainy types can look for free spirits. Back-up dancers can slip into the headliner’s DMs! You get the drift: dating out of your league is a myth. But first…

Judgy Much?

While it is true no one should judge a book by its cover, it’s really tough not to make snap judgments online when there’s so little to go on, namely a few photos and a profile. But those looking for a connection that runs deeper than just the physical have to dig deeper into the profiles and mine for personality gold. After all, finding someone who treats us well is the ultimate prize.

Perfect Ten. Or 9.5. Maybe Less? 

Let’s start with a bit of honesty, shall we? We all have something lovable, attractive, and wonderful about us. But we’re maybe not all perfect 10s. Heck, even if we were, does that mean we should only hunt for other perfect 10s to date? Consider a few possibilities: 

1. We may learn that someone’s differences are really attractive.
2. We might be just what someone else is looking for. They might be thinking they’re dating out of their league! 
3. Sometimes attractive, famous, and successful people have a tough time forming relationships because others are too intimidated to approach them. Let’s make ourselves stand out, maybe try and get a laugh, and do our best to unearth interesting tidbits others might not know.
4. And don’t forget—great people often have great friends. So even if we don’t necessarily hit it off on our date, maybe that person knows someone else who might be just perfect for us. 

Here’s another tip: Reach out to lots of people on the site. Which do you think will have a better success rate: Buying one scratch-off ticket or getting a big stack of them? Most importantly, there’s no need to make someone like you. If they can’t see our amazingness for themselves, just move along—the right person will. 

On the Personal Side, Here’s a Fun Story…

I know a thing or two about dating out of my league. 

Though I typically consider myself pretty confident, I remember thinking quite the opposite during the first date I had with someone who turned out to be perfect for me. He is a successful physician who, I soon learned, earned more money in two weeks than I did over an entire year as a writer. He had just moved into a brand new house in a posh gated community, while I had never rented a place bigger than 1,000 square feet. He cooked like a seasoned chef—and looked devastatingly handsome doing so in nothing but an apron and briefs. (I barely knew how to make a decent hard-boiled egg.) But when he sat me down across from his glossy black grand piano and serenaded me with a gorgeous sonata that was the breaking point: I decided he was out of my stratosphere. Sigh.

Then he scratched his nose. And then he put his hands behind his head and leaned back while the music still poured out of the piano. Knowing he couldn’t have been playing with his toes, I got up to see how he was working this magic and realized the piano had a feature that allowed it to play without so much as a human in the room. The two of us burst out laughing and I had an instant change of heart. 

Yes on paper he had everything I thought I wanted, making me think I would be dating out of my league, but a) he also came with baggage (mostly in the form of an ex-wife with a vendetta) and b) he needed and wanted all of what I had a lot to offer. He required someone he could trust. Check. He wanted someone who appreciated his generosity and told him so. Check. He wished for a woman who would understand his crazy work schedule, help out with his kids, and be his all-around pal and sexy sweetheart. Check, check and check. He also came from an entirely different background, belonged to an entirely different religion, and supported an entirely different political party. Guess what? During our storybook romance, none of that has even mattered.

That’s the thing about successful relationships: You can write lists of all the material and physical things you want in a partner but at the end of the day sometimes it is just about fulfilling someone’s needs. So maybe I wasn’t a stellar cook, maid, babysitter, musician, or the CEO of a corporation, and we had several obvious differences, but I was—and still remain— the yin to his yang.

Ready to Get Out There?

Remember: nobody’s perfect. Truly. (Despite how good the photos might be!) And those less than perfect parts are what make us interesting. They make us capable of growth. They make us open to compromising and bending to make our partners happy. Now that you know how to level the playing field, it’s time to play ball!

With WhatsYourPrice, you’ll have to remind yourself that you’re not dating out of your league! Step up to the plate, log into your WhatsYourPrice profile today, and swing for the fences! Ready to join? Learn more about WhatsYourPrice!