Being a ‘love-at-first-sight junkie’ is one of the most deadly ways in which we lower our ‘Love IQ.’
‘LOVE-AT-FIRST-SIGHT JUNKIES’ OFTEN LOOK FOR ALL THE WRONG QUALITIES IN A MATE AND OVERLOOK THE RIGHT QUALITIES.
WHAT IS LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT?
Just what is it that you feel when you meet someone and have that instant feeling of falling in love? If it isn’t love at first sight, what is it?
In spite of these dangers, is it possible to feel at the moment you meet someone that this is the perfect partner for you, and to be correct? What about those couples married for thirty years who say they knew they were right for one another on their first date? Wasn’t that love at first sight? I like to think that they experienced a powerful attraction and emotional connection that grew into a strong and successful relationship. They recognized something special in one another at ‘first sight,’ but the true love developed over time.
Here’s the reality about Love Myth #2:
IT TAKES JUST A MOMENT TO EXPERIENCE INFATUATION, BUT TRUE LOVE TAKES TIME.
Imagine sitting in a cabin on a cold, snowy night. You decide to build a fire to keep yourself warm. You have a choice of using newspapers for the fire, or logs. If you know anything about fire, you know the answer to this puzzle—the newspaper would create a big blaze quickly but would die out just as quickly. The logs would take longer to catch, but would burn slowly and steadily for a very long time.
I’ve seen so many people, including myself, make the mistake of looking for that instant blaze at the beginning of a relationship rather than looking for a partner with whom they can build a solid and lasting relationship. I’m not saying you can’t have both, just as you can use newspaper and logs to build a strong fire. But if you have found yourself choosing inappropriate partners over and over again, perhaps you’d be better off looking for Mr. (or Ms.) Log instead of Ms. or Mr. Flammable!
HOW I ALMOST MISSED OUT ON THE BEST RELATIONSHIP OF MY LIFE
In case you haven’t guessed by now, I was a ‘love-at-first-sight-junkie’ myself. The more infatuated I felt with someone, the more credibility I gave my feelings about him and my new relationship. I’ll share more about my own mistakes in the following chapters of this book, but first let me tell you about how my search for instant chemistry came close to ruining my chances for true romantic happiness.
About four years ago I was in the process of ending an extremely painful relationship with a man I had loved for a long time. I was fortunate enough to have two best friends, both male, named Kevin and Jeffrey. I originally met Kevin and Jeffrey through my seminar work, and they eventually became facilitators in my organization. Through their support I found the courage to admit to myself that I wasn’t getting what I wanted in my relationship, and to face the fact that I needed to leave.
During the many months over which I came to terms with my decision, Jeffrey and I became very close. We talked every day on the phone. We worked on many projects together. We joked around that we were really like brother and sister, since we look alike. I knew women really found Jeffrey attractive, although I told myself he wasn’t my ‘type,’ and he would often kid me and say if he could find a woman like me, he’d take her. I found myself making excuses to see or talk to him, but I told myself it was just because I was going through such a hard time. I noticed we were finding more reasons to hug or touch one another, but I convinced myself it was because we felt so safe together.
One evening as Kevin, Jeffrey, and I were in a meeting discussing some seminar business, Kevin looked at us and said, ‘What’s going on with the two of you?’
‘What do you mean? Nothing’s going on,’ I responded quickly.
‘Well, it’s just that when you are together, you look like you are in love,’ he answered.
‘Don’t be silly,’ said Jeffrey. ‘We are just great friends. You can’t actually believe that we would be any more than that, can you?’
‘All I know is that when I’m around you, it sure feels like more than friends,’ Kevin said with a smile. ‘Look, I’m going to leave the room now, so you can both talk about it.’ And with that, Kevin walked out.
Jeffrey and I sat across from each other on the couch in silence. For a moment we looked into each other’s eyes, and then we both started to cry, for Kevin had put something into words that we had both avoided talking about, or even admitting to ourselves: We were indeed falling in love.
Jeffrey reached out and took my hands. ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ he said. ‘We are supposed to be just friends.’
‘Maybe it is just something temporary,’ I answered in a frightened voice. ‘Maybe we just think we feel this way, but it will pass.’
And in that moment, I truly wanted to believe that my feelings for Jeffrey would fade, because I couldn’t totally accept the fact that I loved him. Dozens of questions forced their way into my mind all at once: If I loved him, why hadn’t I known about it until tonight? How could I feel so close to someone I hadn’t been attracted to initially? Since it hadn’t been love at first sight, did that mean the relationship would be passionless?
Like many ‘Love-at-First-Sight junkies,’ I didn’t trust my feelings for someone unless they hit me over the head. I looked for all the wrong signals to determine whether I was ‘in love’—drama, intensity, fear of loss or abandonment, extreme highs and lows—all signs of an unhealthy relationship. For the first time in my life I had developed an emotional connection with a man based on friendship, trust, openness, safety, consistency, and true caring, and I hadn’t even recognized it because it felt too peaceful to be love.
For several months I struggled with my emotions. One day I’d want to go ahead with the relationship, and the next day I’d decide that I was kidding myself and should break it off. There were many moments in which I questioned whether my feelings for Jeffrey were strong enough, all because the relationship had crept up on me rather than arriving all at once. I put poor Jeffrey through hell with my lack of certainty and came close to losing him for good. It took me almost a year to let go of my Love Myth about the way we should have met and the way I should have felt, and to finally appreciate the depth and the joy of how I did feel. That was four years ago, and looking back, I thank God that Jeffrey was so patient and that I didn’t throw away the best thing that ever happened to me. Instead I threw away the Love Myth that had gotten me into one dysfunctional relationship after another.
A first impression of someone is not enough to determine whether he or she will be a healthy and loving partner. You need a second, third, fourth, and fifth impression. You need time to discover