Your buddy Dave has been single for three years and thinks "hey u up" is a valid strategy. Your other buddy Mike just got dumped and told you to "just be yourself."
You showed them her text. You asked them to decode the emoji. You drafted four responses and sent the screenshot to the group chat for a vote.
She's been waiting forty minutes.
Put the phone down. Stop crowdsourcing your love life. Type something that sounds like you. Hit send. Then go do literally anything else with your evening.
You've replayed it a hundred times. She stood three feet away, scrolling her phone. You had an opening. You composed the perfect line — after she was gone.
For all you know, she's married now. To some guy who said something. Anything.
Openers are cheap. Almost any sentence works when it's delivered within three seconds. The expensive part is the standing there, drafting and deleting, while the window quietly closes.
The "22 Rules" stripped out my hesitation. What to open with, how to keep it alive, and the one habit that costs guys more women than anything else: waiting for perfect.
Die Hard said:Thanx for the support and advice, typical and zekko!
EDIT: Hanging on the phone with her right now. If you're interested, I'll give you guys an update later tonight or tomorrow.
Hey Zekko - surely you wouldn't agree that the opposite of 'msytery', i,e blabbering your whole life story to a chick, is the way to go?zekko said:I've always thought the whole idea of retaining mystery is complete and utter BS. Yeah, if you're looking for a quick one night stand, then it's better to let her fill in the lines with her own imagination. That way she can pretend you're whatever fantasy she wants you to be. But if you see the girl as a potential LTR, then you're going to get to know each other anyway. You can't keep what you do for a living or whether or not you have pets from her forever.
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I'm not sure why anyone would want to do that.Zunder said:Hey Zekko - surely you wouldn't agree that the opposite of 'msytery', i,e blabbering your whole life story to a chick, is the way to go?
You made your case like a lawyer. Stable job. Good guy. Ready for something real. All true. All irrelevant.
She weighed your points, nodded along, felt nothing — then fell hard for some tattooed bartender with a motorcycle and a gambling problem.
Logic is where attraction goes to die. The "22 Rules" work a level deeper, on the subconscious switches that decide within minutes whether you register as a MAN or as part of the furniture.
Stop presenting evidence. Start flipping switches.
Agreed. But if you have enough control over the conversation you can steer it away from those questions even being asked in the first place.zekko said:I'm not sure why anyone would want to do that.
But I think the pickup idea of never answering a girl's questions - always give an evasive C&F remark instead - is just asinine.
Three seconds. That's how long it took. Your shoes. Your posture. The way you held your drink. Whether you looked at the floor or looked at her.
She already filed you away. Interesting. Boring. Safe. Bold. Before you even opened your mouth.
Everything you say after that is just her confirming what she already decided.
So stop rehearsing lines. Fix the first three seconds. Stand tall. Look up. Smile like you mean it. Walk like you belong wherever you're standing.
The words come later. The impression comes first.
And doesn't even want her to know where he lives. I'm confused.Sue Madre said:You are raving about how much you like this girl so why are you looking for excuses NOT to bring her to your place?
I'm having trouble at that. She's rapidly invading my life and my heart, which is actually connected... Allowing her to come over to my place = allowing her deeper into my life = allowing her deeper into my heart. Perhaps I'm weird, perhaps I have issues, I don't care! This is the way it works for me, period.Slickster said:Nothing wrong with getting excited about a cool chick. Consider yourself lucky for finding someone you click with. Those emotions you are feeling are great as long as you are aware and keep yourself in check.
She calls you when her car breaks down. When she needs help moving. When some guy she's actually dating treats her badly.
You're the listener. The reliable one. The guy who would treat her so much better, if she'd just open her eyes.
She won't. You trained her to see you as the low-effort option — the friend who requires zero risk and zero investment. Every favor dug the hole deeper.
The "22 Rules" break the pattern. You'll stop auditioning for a role she already cast and become the man she chases instead. It starts with Rule 1.
I was going to say that.iqqi said:The only real red flag here is coming from you: what the F is up with your living situation? I've never met a mature, grown man above the age of 24 who had an issue with bringing home a chick.
She calls you when her car breaks down. When she needs help moving. When some guy she's actually dating treats her badly.
You're the listener. The reliable one. The guy who would treat her so much better, if she'd just open her eyes.
She won't. You trained her to see you as the low-effort option — the friend who requires zero risk and zero investment. Every favor dug the hole deeper.
The "22 Rules" break the pattern. You'll stop auditioning for a role she already cast and become the man she chases instead. It starts with Rule 1.