If you have been set up to go on a blind date, you may be feeling excited about the opportunity to meet someone new. After all, the mutual friend who has set you up likely saw something in you and your date that indicated  you two may be compatible. Some people also feel some dread about going on a date with someone unknown, and so a blind date can cause quite a bit of stress and anxiety.

Whether you have positive feelings, negative feelings, or a mix of both running through you at the prospect of going on your date, one thing is for certain. You want to give this date every possibility of going off without a hitch. If this person happens to be someone that you really click with, you absolutely want to put your best foot forward so that there are more dates to come with this new person in your life. There are some things that you can and should do if you want to help your blind date go off without a hitch:

A Great First Impression. One of the biggest things to keep in mind with a blind date is that this is the first time you are meeting this person, and so you want to do what you can to make a great first impression. From the moment you first enjoy eye to eye contact with this person, you can bet that he or she is sizing you up just like you are sizing them up. You will almost certainly have a pretty good idea about who this person is and what they are about from their appearance, and you will take in how they dress, how they have prepared for the date, and so forth. Likewise, these are things your date will notice about you.

So you absolutely will want to pay attention to the outfit you wear, and you may even want to go out and buy a new outfit for the occasion. While you want to dress sharp for the date, you don't want to over-dress or dress uncomfortably. You should choose an outfit suitable for the activity that you have planned, and the outfit should be flattering. For women, it should not be too revealing, as you don't want to give the wrong impression about who you are. You should also pay attention to the shoes you wear, as you want to be completely comfortable during your date so that you can focus on getting to know this person.

While the clothes and shoes you wear are incredibly important for making a good first impression, so is personal hygiene. Things like your hair, nails, teeth, and breath are incredibly important, and so you will want to spend a little extra time before your date to ensure that every part of your hygiene has been taken care of.

Show Off a Bit. With a blind date, how you look is important, but how you act and what you say is also important. Even if you look absolutely amazing, any initial impressions your stunning good looks made can quickly fade if you are dull and boring. A blind date is a time to really showcase who you are. You want to seem completely interesting to your date. Hopefully, the person who has set you up on the blind date has prepared you a little bit for the date and has told you a few things about who this person is and what they like. So before the date, think about a few aspects of your life such as high points in your career, places you have traveled, hobbies or interests that you have, and so forth that your date may really find fascinating.

Likewise, there are some things you should avoid talking about or at least talking too much about. These are things like past dates, exes, and others where the relationship hasn't ended well or that you may still have some emotional ties to. You also shouldn't dwell too much on any one subject or you may come off as being obsessive about that subject.

Listen With Rapt Attention. While you want to show off who you are so that your date finds you fascinating, you don't want to completely hog the conversation and appear to be self-absorbed. You certainly want your date to know how interesting you are so they want to see you again, but a date is a time when two people should get to know each other and not a time when you should talk about yourself non-stop for several hours straight.

Based on the things you already know about your date from the person who set you up, you can likely prepare ahead of time for your date. You can think about things you already know about your date and brainstorm a few questions that you want to ask him or her. These questions should be used as conversation starters for times when the conversation lags with an awkward silence, and they can also be used to turn a conversation that is decidedly one-sided with you doing all of the talking into their corner for awhile. While you want to have a few questions prepared ahead of time that you can draw from, these questions should not be fired off at will. You want to use them in a conversational way and not in a way where your date feels as though he or she is on a job interview or being interrogated.

Beyond the Kiss. The end of the date is one of the most important parts of  the date. Many people spend a lot of time focusing on if there should or should not be a kiss, but this isn't the most important aspect of the end of the date at all. Likely a kiss will come naturally. Another thing, though, may not be so natural but is entirely important. You should make an effort to make it absolutely clear how you feel about the date and about your desire to go on a second date. All too often, both people have a great time on a date, but because neither one mentioned their desire to see the other person again, a second date was never requested. The worst that can happen is that your date tells you that you just aren't what they are looking for. However, even hearing this is better than sitting around for the next week waiting for the phone to ring.bli

Make an effort to follow these tips so that you can really put your best foot forward on your upcoming blind date!