As independent, single women, we get to test the waters in what seems like the never-ending dating pool. Fortunately, guys come in all shapes and sizes, occupations and personalities.
We enjoy the spice of life, I should say.
The more time we spend around someone, the more we tend to become like him or her. We may even take an interest in the same hobbies or music.
Almost every one of the men you seriously dated might have left a little piece of themselves behind. Past experiences, both positive and negative, tend to mold us into our current selves, including shaping our likes and dislikes.
In a way, we should thank our past boyfriends, dates and lovers.
If you’re like me, you might have dated any or all of these guys. Each was vastly different in his own way, but you took the best parts with you.
Sports Fanatic
Oh, you didn’t know you liked the Chicago Cubs? You do now.
This particular string of men lives and breathes sports. His apartment is covered in autographs, basketballs and posters of every MLB ballpark in the country.
Your dates mostly consist of a foot-long hot dogs (not complaining) and any sporting event. If it involves balls or bats, your man is in.
Before you know it, your closet suddenly has a jersey in it. The jersey then leads to the cute Victoria’s Secret tank with some sexy sports message on it. This shows you’re a hot chick who digs sports, right?
After a while you stop groveling over your man's one true love -- sports -- and bow out gracefully.
Who You Became: A girl who is willing to give a little to watch the Superbowl without complaints. Sure, during this time you might have learned the name of every player on the SF Giants, but you did it out of love. You learned how to compromise. High five.
How This Affects You Now: Sports talk? Bring it on. You’ve got this. Gone are the days when you think, “Play the sport, win the points.”
The Christian Grey
Dark. Handsome. Suave. Just the thought of him makes your heart beat a little faster.
You may have met this guy, know of him or even dated a Mr. Grey.
This gentleman tends to be career-obsessed, showing passion in almost everything he does. His dominance and confidence are like an aphrodisiac to you. More often than not, words don’t even have to be exchanged for you two to jump each other's bones.
Eventually, this will lead to the bedroom. You’ll discover a new side of yourself you never knew existed.
Although this guy will never be emotionally available for you, you get to experience the wining and dining without the complicated messiness that can often ensue after a breakup.
Who You Became: A sex goddess who got to explore her inner curiosities.
How This Affects You Now: You know what you like behind closed doors, and aren’t afraid to ask for it.
The Free Spirit
"Relax, babe, go with the flow. Life is an adventure." If you frequently hear these words, you might be dating free-spirit guy.
Man bun or not, this guy seems to have the world as his oyster. His nomad tendencies let him move from place to place, solely because he can.
You admire his curiosity and ability to adapt to change in the blink of an eye, while you can’t even get yourself to try a new brand of shampoo.
You never took this one too seriously. Spending time together was always a fun retreat from your everyday life. These days, he’ll pop into your life every now and again for a dinner or a casual romp in the sack.
Who You Became: His fun-loving attitude and light-hearted nature ignited the spontaneous woman inside of you.
How This Affects You Now: You learned to ride the waves life brings -- both the good and bad. If you find yourself in the dark, search for the light.
The Gym Rat
Sometimes, you can’t stop staring at this one. He's the guy who replaces dinner with protein shakes or accidentally reaches over and rips his jeans.
I’m talking about the gym rat, here.
Usually found at the squat rack or bench press, this visually-scrumptious man lives and breathes the gym. Besides that, there isn’t much else happening. This combination of fun and lust makes him a good fit for you on days you want it.
So, why are you dating him? If that isn’t obvious, it’s because he looks so damn good without clothes on.
Maybe you started visiting the gym together. It might have been to get healthier; it might have been to post an Instagram, but whatever it was, you went with him a time or two.
Who You Became: A women who started to pay more attention to her workouts, daily eating patterns and lifestyle choices. Maybe you even substituted your classic piña colada for a gin and tonic, simply for the calories. That counts as paleo, right?
How This Affects You Now: You might be more health conscious and give extra points to a guy who takes care of his body. Plus, everyone knows couples who work out together, stay together.
The Trial Run
Time to go way back to the dark ages. Your memories of him might be vintage or aged like fine wine.
This guy may have been your first kiss, your first boyfriend or your first love.
Occasionally, dorky memories might get brought up in conversation or a song might come on the radio that makes your mouth curve into a smile.
After going through a hellish, maybe even heart-wrenching breakup, it took you a while to finally get over this guy.
Eventually, when you picked up the pieces, you took it as a learning experience. Think of it as learning the A-B-Cs of dating.
Both young and naive, you two explored the "firsts" of what it means to be in a relationship.
Who You Became: As a first timer, you were up for anything. You fell hard and fast for this guy and tended to put your independent self on the shelf.
How This Affects You Now: No longer a rookie, you learn to do things because you want to do them, not because you feel like you’ll lose your man if you don’t.
