How does one fully let go of anger/bitterness/pessimism/negativity? Thats whats holding me back in many ways. That, and sitting here,posting on the board, looking for an answer. Is it right to blame women at all?
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.
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.
ItsOnNow said:How does one fully let go of anger/bitterness/pessimism/negativity? Thats whats holding me back in many ways. That, and sitting here,posting on the board, looking for an answer. Is it right to blame women at all?
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.
forward said:No it is not right to blame women. Why? Because it is YOUR negativity. It's in YOUR head, which is under YOUR control.
Some people have suggested not replying to your posts and I'm tempted to agree. However, I used have issues with negativity in my past as well, so I'll throw you some advice.
1) First of all, realize it will take a little time to adopt an optimistic, positive outlook on things. You have negative mental habits. Key word: habits. These must gradually be replaced with positive habits.
2) Become aware of your negativity in all it's forms. Try to notice each negative thought. Important: Don't respond to your negative thoughts with more negativity!! Don't curse and scold yourself for thinking a negative thought! Instead, counteract it with a positive thought times 10.
For example:
You catch yourself thinking a negative thought: "I'm so negative."
Upon noticing this, immediately think the positive opposite: "I am a positive person."
Then, elaborate on this positive thought. Justify it: "Although I may have been negative in the past, my emotional state is under my control, and I choose to be positive. I am a positive person."
This will give your positive thoughts much more credibility than the negative ones. After time, you will get better.
3) Self-help books. Yes, many of them are cheesy. I now look at some of the stuff I read back when I was having issues and I laugh. But.... many of them work!! I read so many of the things and gradually I became a positive person. A good place to start might be with Steve Pavlina, as it's free, awesome, and unlike most self-help: non-cheesy. Steve is a really positive and smart man. I often go to his page whenever I need a fresh dose of positivity.
BE POSITIVE. Just do it. It's an action. Do it. Do it again. Keep doing it. Positive positive positive. There are so many things you can choose to focus your awareness on at any given moment, both positive and negative. Practice finding positive things. There are always some, whenever and wherever you are. Do you still have your arms and legs? How wonderful!
It's right to stop posting such nonsense for the 1000th time and go join the army to get some sense knocked into your hard head.ItsOnNow said:How does one fully let go of anger/bitterness/pessimism/negativity? Thats whats holding me back in many ways. That, and sitting here,posting on the board, looking for an answer. Is it right to blame women at all?
You paid for dinner. You drove. You said "whatever you want is fine" every single time. All the effort, no expectations.
And she left anyway — probably for a guy who makes her pick up the pizza.
Painful. Also predictable. Her mind quietly concludes that anything requiring zero effort from her is worth exactly zero. You became a free sample, and free samples get taken for granted.
The 22 Rules flip the dynamic. Small shifts that get her investing effort, money, and time in you — until SHE'S the one afraid of losing YOU.