Well, since everyone else is sharing...
I met a girl I cared about when I was 15. I liked other girls before her, but none of them ever felt the same way about me. Even if they did, I just liked their faces. You know, just like "Hey, she's pretty. I wish I could kiss her or go to the Big School Dance with her..."
I ended up dating this girl for the next four years, 'til we left high school and moved on to college. She wasn't my first kiss, or my first date. She was my first real Girlfriend, my first sexual partner, and the first person I could honestly say I loved. It was good, bad, and everything in between. But it's not "forever and always" like everyone always says. We broke up earlier this year. Life's never been better. I'm happier than I've been in years, she was happy(ish) when we met up to get closure, it worked out for everyone this way. Life began when our relationship ended. I learned from it, so I'd definitely recommend the OP experience it someday, but don't buy into the lie that First Love is your only love.
-Your first kiss shouldn't be your only kiss, don't cling so tightly to it. You likely won't remember it like your first sexual experience.
-You should definitely experience sex before marriage, but only with someone you care about, safely, and not just to do it.
-Again, First Love is not your only love. You probably won't understand until you figure it out on your own.
-Don't ever, EVER try to last "forever". It doesn't happen. You'll make yourself crazy. You'll do "romantic" things you'll regret later. Stuff like you see in romance movies, which is actually creepy in real life. You'll beg and bend over backwards for something that isn't fun even if you get what you want, and embarrasses you if you fail.
-DO NOT STRESS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. You're no more or less of a complete person for having another. Let it happen if/when it happens, passively pursue social contact with the opposite gender. Don't play people, and don't consider yourself a player. Nobody likes a player. Just go and hang out with people you like, whoever that may be. You're most likely to meet someone you care about that way.
-Remember that there is no shame in flying solo, unless you take that shame upon yourself. Own your relationship status, and focus on cultivating your Self. You'll likely become far more attractive that way. People like others who are motivated, passionate, and well-rounded. By taking your focus off of dating and putting into Fencing or Music, whatever you're interested in, you're giving yourself personality traits that many people admire. Looks aren't the only thing that's important. Nothing is worse than taking a pretty person on a date and realizing that they have no interests, hobbies, or opinions. Again, it's one of those things you'll just have to realize on your own.
-Don't get so caught up in the philosophical questions of who you are and what your actions make of you. You're a fool. You're going to die. Half of all people will find a reason to hate you over one decision or another, and an equal number of people will respect or relate to you. Archetypes break down on an individual scale, so don't worry which one you are. An archetype will never do you justice. Just do what makes you happy, what feels right, and watch as the narrative of your life gets real interesting, real quick.
-Go make stories. Good ones, bad ones, everything in between. Go places you wouldn't normally go. Try new things, from food to activities to music. Ditch the fear that you might make a fool out of yourself. What you want are stories to tell around the campfire, stuff for any situation. Bad relationships/dates? Don't worry, other people have had them too. You can swap horror stories and it'll be a grand old time. Did something dumb? Perfect, now you have a story for when everyone gathers around and tries to trump one another. Every story has a chance of being the Best Time, and then you'll have a story for that contest as well. Life of the party, that can be you if you just take some chances and leave the house once in a while. My suggestion is to set up a regular day with some friends, and then just go do something. Big, small, it's up to you. Something New is what you're after.
Most important Tip:
Don't shame people. Live by the golden rule. Don't allow yourself to feel shame about what you have or have not done. Do what you can to experience things, and don't sweat what you don't get around to. Everyone's got a different criterion for success. Do right by yours, and you're just fine. I know it sounds generic, but that's because people have known this stuff and attempted to convey it to others for thousands of years. After a while, it becomes so much noise. Just attempt to really take these tips in. Whoever you are, you can benefit from a chill pill. You have way less agency over love and fate and such than you think. There are no real secrets to influencing things, just let it go. Doing so actually seems to have the greatest positive effect on such matters.
EDIT: Do NOT do online dating. Not because of the people on there, it's not about your experience, none of those reasons. I'm telling you I don't think it's a good idea because everything about it puts you in the wrong mindset. You're not there to meet people, you're not there to have a good time. You may think you are, but that's not where you are or what you're doing. You're at a meat market for soulmates. You're shopping for a partner. It doesn't work well that way, at least not often. Certain people of a specific personality type(s) flourish in this environment, I'd be willing to bet cash money that it's not you because the odds are in my favor. Many times, it's differing expectations. You find people on Match.com looking to have sex with you with no strings attached. You find people on Fling.com looking for soulmates. You find 10 billion people you're not interested in, and maybe a handful of people who are interesting but unavailable. Partners that are right for you are like waldo in a puzzle the size of the Chrysler building. I can't say you'll *never* find them, but you'd have better luck and a better experience just taking it easy. Instead, allow yourself to be open to other people. Go with friends, meet new friends through them, meet new people through those new friends, and so on. Talk to strangers, and be open and kind to people you don't know. It can be hard to break those barriers, but the effort is more likely to pay off. Also, pretty much every dating website takes advantage of human tendencies in order to make the whole process less efficient and more profitable. Things like free accounts, but you can only message users if you pay to upgrade. Each website has it's own form of restrictions, if there isn't a pay-gate at the outset. So you're paying the money in order to search endlessly for your prince or princess in a sea of people you couldn't care less about. And if you're anything like me, you'll obsess over every message, over every new candidate, even over the lack of messages, and you'll drive yourself into an early grave with all the stress.
