Are You Barney or Ted?

I recently ended a short lived relationship. It got me thinking introspectively on how I approach dating and life challenges in general. I always thought of myself like Barney in “How I Met Your Mother.” After my recent experiences, I have realized I might fit a different mold completely.

Barney Stinson – Legen…dary

If you had the good fortune of hanging out with me at the Financial Bloggers Conference or a night out on the town, you know how I like to roll. I want to be epic, fun, and dance with as many beautiful girls as possible.

I try to dress sharp. Not quite to the “suit up” rule from Barney, but I sport the sport coat most nights. I have always been the one to concoct adventures and crazy nights with my friends. I have stories about raves in Budapest, nightclubs in London, crazy taxi rides through Brooklyn (and contrary to what you might have read on Twitter, the check in at the police station was a joke), road trips to White Castle, and many more crazy ideas that might have gotten us injured or in trouble had we been unlucky.

I even went through a recent phase where I dated a whole lot of girls over two years. Seriously, a lot. Some close friends call it my “man whore” phase. I just thought of it as being fun and kind of badass. Kind of Barney like, right?

Wake Up Call

Over time, I realized that while I love to go out and have fun and travel the world and create memories and suit up, that is not what I want to do forever. I have longer term goals that have nothing to do with dating as many beautiful women as possible over short periods of time.

I realized that I am okay with the idea of having a girlfriend. I am okay with moving out of the dating scene. However, I still want to make amazing memories and suit up from time to time. I still want to be legen…dary.

Am I A Ted?

When that relationship ended, I realized two things. 1) I needed a drink. 2) I like being in a relationship.

No, I don’t mean I am just looking to run out and find a girlfriend for the sake of being not-single. I really enjoy being single. I like the freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want without worrying about someone else. I like being able to flirt and hit on girls at bars. I like hitting on girls anywhere, really.

But maybe a part of me is coming out that I had been suppressing for a long time. Maybe I am growing up? Maybe I am getting *shudder* mature?

Maybe I do have a bit of the hopeless romantic gene in me? A close friend recently revealed to me, much to my dismay, that I am not, in fact, a Barney. I am a Ted.

Introspection – Who Are You?

Are you a Barney or a Ted? Have you ever gone through a paradigm shift in how you look at yourself? Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments.

Image by brennuskrux