Does Dating Work?

An excerpt from “Dating Never Works…Until It Does” a book by Zack Oates. It features 100 lessons he learned on his 1,000-date journey to meet his wife.

Take the Challenge: Be a Popcorn Dater

In 2008, a group of friends sat me down for an intervention.

“Zack, you date like popcorn. Just bouncing around everywhere. We’re going to give you a challenge.”

They gave me a box with eight bags of Old Fashioned Natural popcorn and wrote on the box, “The possessor of this box, Zack Oates, agrees to go on eight separate dates with the same girl and on each date eat one bag of popcorn (one per date)” and made me sign it.

My roommates ate three bags without me asking over the years, so it was down to five.

Truth be told, I don’t believe in going on movie dates (a.k.a. kissing) before a third date (until I met my fiancée, that is #sorrynotsorry).

Needless to say (yet for some reason I’ll still say it anyway), I didn’t pop a single bag.

By the time I got married at the end of 2015, the five remaining bags were expired. 

BUT the principle of focusing on going on dates with one person changed my mentality and is what enabled me to get married.

Since we just talked about candy and candy + popcorn are the best couple ever to take to a movie (even if you’re the third wheel), we’re going to put this to the test.

Here is your challenge:

Think of ONE person you are dating that you like the most or figure out someone you’d like to date. Now, hang out with them and then get them on a date. And then go on at least five dates in a row before you go out with anyone else.

Here’s the thing—love, marriage, dating—they are all choices. A choice to be ready, a choice to be open and then a choice to be committed. Everyone is loved incredibly by someone. Use those five dates in a row to find out why they are loved so much.

Take the challenge and be a Popcorn Dater!