Dating in a smaller city isn’t as awful as everyone makes it seem. In fact, if you find yourself constantly complaining about your lack of suitors you might want to re-think your own attitude, ‘cause that might be why your dating life is so dismal.

Maybe it’s because you’ve already hooked up with half of the people in town, or maybe it’s cause you’re just friends with most of the decent ones, but for some reason your outlook is bleak. You can’t seem to find a lasting relationship so you blame it on the city you’re living in. Duh.

But instead of playing the blame game why don’t you look inside yourself. What do you really want from someone? What do you want from a relationship? If you want something that is gonna last, then stop throwing yourself at the first guy who gives you attention. When you do this, you’re giving off the impression that you’re only in it for the one-night stands. If you want a relationship built on respect then you need to respect yourself first, otherwise no one else is going to.

Sure, there are not a million people to choose from in a smaller city, but you should look at this as a positive thing. You don’t have to sift through hundreds of guys to find your prince charming because there’s a chance you already know him, maybe you even went to high school together? There are plenty of great guys in every small city and they’re not all off the market.

So stop hating on your location and start seeing the possibilities. The next great love of your life could be that acquaintance you run in to at the bar from time to time, or maybe the person you always see at your local coffee shop. The good thing about finding someone who shares your geography is that you’re bound to have stuff to talk about. Whether it’s friends-of-friends or your high schools’ rivalries, you’ll automatically be able to talk about stuff because you’ll share something in common right off the bat—your city!

There are plenty of perks that come with dating someone in your region, mostly the convenience and the shared roots. You won’t know this though, until you open your mind and start listening to your heart. Travel outside of your comfort zone; meet people outside of your main group of friends. Put yourself out there and you’ll realize you never needed to travel very far at all. Love is all around us, but if you’re too busy focusing on the negative; the good will pass you by. Find yourself, respect yourself, and open your eyes to what’s right in front of you.

Love is around every corner,

The Love Hawk