Gymless. Free.

This is easily the most difficult part of online dating. You need to piece together a snapshot of “you” that creates enough interest in the opposite sex for them to either (a) message you or (b) respond to your message. Here’s how:

Your picture is the first thing the people browsing you see. (1) Choose one that really shows you off. Ideally, you’ll be smiling. You’ll need more than one, so pick another that shows you doing something you love. Passion is a universal attractor. Guys, no shirtless pics. Girls, no bikini pics. No pics with an ex.

Continuing along with picture advice, (2) upload at least one picture that shows your full body. I don’t like to date girls that don’t take care of their body, and I know I’m not alone on this front. In the online dating world, there are few things worse than feeling you have a quality connection with someone that doesn’t look anything like his or her pictures. On that note, all pics should be CURRENT. I can’t stress this enough.

Hopefully at this point in life, you’ve realized that you’re not perfect. I’ve seen a lot of profiles written heavy on arrogant; your shit does stink. (3) Acknowledge this, because you can guaran-damn-tee that the man or woman reading it will. We’re not perfect, and most people playing the dating game understand this. That being said, don’t be afraid to highlight your imperfections. Self-deprecation is a solid form of humor. If you know how to use it, please do. If not, learn.

Avoid the cookie cutter, “I’m a very determined individual. I’m passionate, devoted, and loyal.” This is boring. I skip right past profiles filled with this nonsense. It’s not interesting or fun to read, and more importantly, it’s impersonal. (4) Share experiences. Tell me a clif-notes version of a story that illustrates your passion, devotion, or loyalty. People don’t relate to the word ‘loyalty’; they relate to that one time you pushed your best friend out of the way at the bar and took the hit instead. This is something you can send or receive a message about.

This sounds like common sense, but (5) be honest. Assuming you’re serious about meeting people, you will eventually end up with a date. He or she is going to verify your profile. If you tell a lie on your profile, you’re either going to have to fess up when the question surfaces on a date or keep lying. Save face now and just don’t do it.

(6) Don’t give your life story. If the first few dates go well, your date will have plenty of time to learn all the little details later. Pick and choose important and interesting bits of your life to share. People don’t want to read a ridiculously long profile, and you want to retain at least some mystery.

5) I really, really enjoy beer. I’ve tasted well over 100 in the last year. I guess it’s not a huge number, but considering that a year ago I hated beer with a passion (and couldn’t even tell you what a craft beer was), I’m pretty proud of this.

6) Spending time in the outdoors has enriched my life in ways that I can’t even begin to describe. I won’t dare try to convert to words what the outdoors has done for me, but needless to say it’s been wonderful. I’m calmer, happier, and more adventurous than ever.

7) Your network, the people that support you, is invaluable.

8) Meeting friends in a new city, without the help of school, is pretty rough.

9) I’m sure there are tons more, but these are the ones that immediately come to mind.

2011 was a big year for me. I graduated from college (sans walk), moved 1,000 miles away from the where I grew up, and finally started on my journey towards building a functioning business. I’ve certainly learned a lot, but mostly I’ve just realized stuff I already knew.

And here we go…

1) As predicted, I really am MUCH happier in New Mexico. Despite not knowing many people and occasionally struggling with money, I’m loving it here.

2) As nice as being single is, relationships are nice, too. I’ve not actually been in a relationship in something like two years; I went through a bit of an anti-committment (or anti-evilbitchwomen) phase. After moving to Albuquerque, however, I did start dating again. Online, as usual. I’ve met some older women, some women who make way more money than I do, a woman who didn’t look anything like her profile picture, and a younger woman who I’m now in a relationship with. Despite the majority only lasting a few dates, it’s always interesting to meet and spend time with different women. As this point in my life, I’m absolutely positive that I’m not the kind of guy who needs a woman. But, I can’t continue to argue that relationships aren’t worth it. Consider the white flag waved.

3) People suck. This is one of those things that’s simply been reinforced; I’m not just now learning that people suck. I’m not quite that naive. However, I will admit that it always amazes me how terrible people can be. From October through most of December I dealt with one of the most disrespectful people I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing. Power hungry, manipulative, rude. I despise people like this, but if they’re forthright about it it’s somewhat tolerable. This bitch wasn’t, and that makes me hate her even more.

4) Swimming is actually pretty enjoyable.

Over the last couple years I’ve seen these things on and off. They seemed neat, but a little out of my price range at the time. I’m also a pretty careful buyer, and even more wary of the multitude of “fad” fitness items floating around out there.

But, I cracked. And I now own a TRX.

I gotta say, this thing is absolutely fantastic. It’s by no means revolutionary, but offers a load of options for regressing and progressing exercises. I can use this one piece of equipment to perform the same exercise with myself and several clients, simply changing angle, grip or stance to vary the difficulty. Considering this, it’s a hell of a lot easier than owning 10 different kettlebells for a number of clients at different levels.

I’m still learning the moves, and more importantly how to cue them, but I’m definitely enjoying it. The TRX is now a staple in all of my programs, and I’m thinking it will remain that way for years to come.