Unanswered questions create internal tension.

Let’s say you’re just about to walk out the office door, car keys in hand when your boss asks to see you after lunch. You don’t why, and a flood of possibilities infiltrate your mind.

Did you do something wrong?

Now, you’re cycling through recent actions, replaying co-worker discussions, and going over the checklist of job responsibilities to see if you made a mistake or missed something.

A constant consumer problem exists, especially around the holiday season.

Buying new things conjures momentary happiness, and companies feed on that feeling by further enticing gift searchers with the bait of a sale.

Not only is the product that you want attractively packaged, but it is also now at a lower price than you ever imagined. It’s almost like the cosmos are lining up just so that you can purchase that thing you never knew existed – now you can’t live without it.

The special offer taps into our perpetual fear of missing out. Buy it now, or live with regret forever, or at least that’s how they sell it.

When experiences are new, they capture a vibrancy that radiates in a manner that makes you want to keep engaging with them.

It is the inherent beauty of exploring new destinations, finding a style of cuisine you’ve never tried, having a different genre of music click with you, or on a simpler level, buying the shirt that makes you look the way you wish you always do.

This phenomenon doesn’t only apply to places and things, but also people. When you connect with someone initially, there’s a sort of magic that takes place. At least for a little while, that newfound relationship feels purely serendipitous, a lucky dice roll of the cosmos resulting in shared interests, free-flowing conversations, and joyful times.

How well you know someone and can interpret their actions may be a matter of perspective and circumstance. This is why the dating landscape is often difficult to navigate.

Let’s say that you meet a stranger at a bar, they seem carefree, or is that merely a byproduct of the environment? They’ve had a few drinks, which isn’t a problem because its the weekend, they’re with their friends who endorse them as a good person, all positive signs.

So what’s the problem? There isn’t a visible red flag.

However, the issue is not what you see; it’s what you don’t know.

The beginning of many relationships thrives on the unknown as couples learn more about each other. This period of discovery seems adventurous as you reach benchmarks or stages that if they go off without a hitch propel you forward. Things start off fast and hopefully stay fun as you progress at an organic rate into more serious territory.