Speaker 1: This is Johnny Depth, and I wrote one thousand first
Dates Portrait of a Palm Beach Player for you. How
do you know when it's time to walk away? Now,
let's get one thing straight. While every interaction might have
something to teach you, that doesn't mean you have to
stick around for all of it. Not every date is
worth finishing. Some are flat out miserable, some are toxic.
Some drain you so hard you wonder why you ever
left the house in the first place. And when that happens,
you're allowed to tap out. There's a difference between open
mindedness and self sacrifice, between patience and self betrayal. If
you're sitting across from someone who's rude, cruel, chronically negative,
or just clearly not aligned with your energy, you don't
owe them the rest of your night. You don't have
to sit through an appetizer, a drink, or even the
second half of the sentence they're speaking. You can simply
say this isn't a good fit, leave money for your
portion of the check, and walk out with your dignity intact.
There's nothing noble about suffering through a bad date just
to be polite, and there's no payoff at the end
of the night that's worth compromising your piece. In fact,
the longer you stay in those misaligned situations, the more
you damage your own self trust. You start second guessing
your instincts, you start convincing yourself that maybe it's not
that bad, and before long you're stuck in a pattern
of tolerating way more than you should. Walking away early
isn't rude, it's mature. It means you respect your own
time and energy. It means you don't need drama or
closure or endless justification to honor your boundaries. And it
sets a precedent because once you start leaving what doesn't
serve you, you start attracting what does. Still. How you
walk away matters whenever possible, leave gracefully. You don't need
to be cold or cutting. You can be kind and direct. Hey,
I appreciate your time, but I don't think we're a match.
That one sentence is a game change. It's clear, honest,
and respectful, and if the other person takes it badly,
that's not your problem. That's confirmation you made the right call.
Don't be afraid to block, delete and move on when needed.
Not every connection deserves follow up, not every awkward exchange
requires analysis. You're not a therapist, you're not a rehab center.
You're a man on a journey, and you get to
choose who walks alongside you. That said, don't throw everyone
away at the first sign of friction. There's a balance.
Some conversations start rocky and evolve into something meaningful. Some
people are nervous and take time to open up. But
if your two drinks in and still feel like you'd
rather be anywhere else, listen to that voice. It's your gut,
and it's usually right. The best thing about walking away
is that it gives you room to walk towards something better.
When you stop forcing dead end connections, you create space
for real ones. When you stop tolerating poor treatment, you
raise your standards. And when you walk away early, you
preserve your energy for the people and experiences that are
actually aligned. Dating is a numbers game, sure, but it's
also an energy game. You have a limited supply of
emotional fuel. Don't waste it on people who suck the
air out of the room. Invest it in connections that
give back, that energize you, that challenge you in a
good way, that feel light even when the conversations go deep.
Walking away doesn't mean you failed. It means you chose peace.
And peace in today's dating landscape is honestly the ultimate
power move. So here's the real takeaway. Respect yourself enough
to leave, value yourself enough to stop explaining, and trust
yourself enough to know when it's time time to go,
Because every time you do, you sharpen your instincts, you
reinforce your worth, and you step a little closer to
the kind of connection you actually want. You don't just
get better at dating, you get better at being. To
get my book one thousand First Dates Portrait of a
Palm Beach Player by Johnny Depth, just go over to
Palmbeach player dot com. Happy Dating,