When Tasmanian-based Dirk, 50, began speaking with a gorgeous lady in NSW on a dating site in August 2012 he had no idea the two would fall in love and embark on a new, exciting chapter of love and laughter.
Dirk shares his story of finding the love of his life
Q. Why did you join a dating website?
My motivation for joining eHarmony was simple; to meet someone to enjoy life with.
Q. How did you first make contact with Anne?
Anne and I only started talking to each other via emails at first, through the eHarmony communication, checking each other out you might say. This went on for a while until we had the courage to exchange our phone numbers.
Q. What was it like hearing her voice?
We found that talking to one another was a great step forward.
Q. When did you meet?
After a while, I plucked up a bit more courage to visit her in N.S.W. I just needed to see her face to face.
Q. Did you know it was special straight away?
This was indeed the best decision I have ever made; we immediately fell for one another.
Q. What was your first date like?
We went for a romantic dinner for two and we talked as if we had known each other all our lives. Anne moved to Tasmania to live with me in January and life couldn’t be better.
Q. Did you think it was possible to find a love like this?
I can’t imagine my life without Anne. Falling in love all over again has given me a new lease on life and Anne is the one that changed all that. Thank you for bringing Anne into my life eHarmony, without your help and assistance, I don’t believe that we would ever have found one another.
The lovely couple: Anne and Dirk, on their wedding day
What is stopping you from taking that first step to find love?
The 2016 eHarmony Relationship Study discovered that 48% of boomers are ready to share their life with someone yet only 25% said they are considering using a dating site or app
Did you know? Baby Boomers are more likely to have been single for longer than other generations in Australia:
- 24% have been single for 2-5 years
- 61% have been single for more than 5 years
- Of those looking for a long term relationship, 41% are Boomers
- Of those looking to date, 25% are Boomers
- Of those looking for casual fun, 23% are Boomers
- Of those looking for love, 22% are Boomers
- Of those looking for a life partner/ spouse, 17% are Boomers
Why are we looking for a romantic relationship?
48% are ready to share their life with someone & 48% are tired of being single!1
Ready to take that first step?
4 easy tips to get started with online dating
Of course, it isn’t all about how you look when it comes to finding true love. However, lets face it, when it comes down to it, we’re all curious as to what our matches actually look like. So, it makes sense to include a flattering, yet realistic photo.
Step 1: Make a good impression
A good impression is not just about one aspect of your profile. Remember that matches can see your name, photo, location, job and ‘About Me’ answers. If you are not getting the levels of communication you expect, and you’re happy with the photos you’ve put up, evaluate the rest of your profile.
Step 2. Does your profile communicate your wonderful personality?
Spend a fair amount of time on this, as it’s an essential part of helping your matches decide if they want to communicate with you. Make sure you’re in a good mood when you write your ‘About Me’ answers and you’ll find that’s reflected in your profile.
Step 3. Be patient
Waiting for communication from a match, or having a match closed on you can test your patience. If you are disappointed someone you liked the look of doesn’t contact you then just think about it this way, would you want to become involved with someone who wasn’t interested in getting to know someone with whom they are deeply compatible, on the basis of a few photos? Online dating can be a rollercoaster ride, as you are exposing yourself emotionally. However, it can also be incredibly rewarding.
It’s a two-way street – if you dismiss a match because you weren’t sure about their photo then you could be missing out on the opportunity to get to know someone you’ll really click with. Read their profile thoroughly, and ask your match the questions that are important to you. You’ve got nothing to lose.
Step 4: Keep an open mind
It’s important to keep an open mind when communicating with your matches, and embrace the opportunity to get to know someone whether you continue into a relationship with them or not. Over time, not only will you learn about what you want from a match, but you will also learn a lot about yourself. And with eHarmony, you are safe in the knowledge that your communication is as anonymous as you want it to be – a factor which will also promote honesty in your responses.
The message here is simple – photos are a great way to give a profile colour, but they are by no means how you should judge anyone, or be judged. You are matched on the deepest levels of compatibility, which is what sets eHarmony apart from other online dating sites. Start communicating and see what happens – you never know, your next match could be the love of your life.
1Source: eHarmony’s 2016 Relationship Study.
Have you met someone wonderful online? Join the conversation below.