"The Coffee Shop Girl You Never Spoke To"

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.

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My essay

InsidiousNstinct

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Hey guys just finished up my essay for writing class. Thought i'd share it with you guys.


HELLO


What does this word mean? Hello as a greeting, such as good morning, good evening, and good afternoon. Everyone from an early age is taught this word, but as we grow older, we use it more sparingly. Who would think such a simple word could open up so many doors?

In this day and age it’s hard to open up to anyone; most people nowadays walk by strangers without even saying “hello.” Thoughts of insecurity and other negative emotions creep into your mind. You’re your own worst critic. We give ourselves too many reasons to cop out. “They look busy.” “They probably won’t even notice me, or hear me.”

On the other hand we can spend hours on our cell phones. We talk on the internet through instant messaging applications. We’d rather watch reality T.V than live in our own reality. We’d rather stay close with the people we know instead of getting out and meeting new people. You can say hello to anyone, anytime, and anywhere. You’d be surprised how many friendly hellos’s and smiles that you’ll receive.

When I graduated high school, I received an award for representing my school and for being kind to those around me. The reason I won the award was because I always said “hello.” Of course some people are not outgoing. I wasn’t at first because of my speech impediment. I put that aside and decided that I would not let anything stand in my way of bring friendly.

The reason saying hello shows that your friendly is because your communicating to the other person, "Hey I'm friendly, I won't bite." Most people that are living in this world go around with an invisible shield up, also known as "shyness." This is one way of de-activating that shield. A good example is a lunch line. How many times have you stood in the lunch line with your hands in your pocket staring into space? Next time take a few minutes and start a conversation with someone. Ask them what they're having, ask them if you can join them for lunch. Never pass up your opportunity to make a new friend or acquaintance.

You reap what you sow, and the rewards are out there for the taking. The benefits are enormous; I should know. So the next time you see someone walking down the street, send a “hi,” their way or maybe a “howdy,” depending on where you’re from. There’s a saying that goes “love, friendship, and other things are right around the corner.” This is true if you always say “hello
 

"You'll Never Feel READY to Walk Over"

Next Monday you'll feel more confident. After the gym you'll feel more confident. After one more drink you'll feel more confident. After you get a better haircut, a better jacket, a better job.

You've been "getting ready" for two years.

She's standing ten feet away right now. She'll be gone in four minutes. No amount of preparation will manufacture the courage that only comes from moving your feet.

Walk over. Stumble through the first sentence. Let it be clumsy. Let it be imperfect. You will feel more alive in those ten seconds than you have all month.

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Pfeile

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Originally posted by JBizzle
When I graduated high school, I received an award for representing my school and for being kind to those around me. The reason I won the award was because I always said “hello.” Of course some people are not outgoing. I wasn’t at first because of my speech impediment. I put that aside and decided that I would not let anything stand in my way of bring friendly.
That's pretty inspiring that you overcame such an obstacle, I like that last sentence. Well done mate. :D I have a friend who also has a speech impediment, and you can hardly understand what he is saying most of the time, because he slurs his words. But the weirdest thing is, he is one of the easiest persons to talk to. I can never be in his company without continually talking. And I admire him because he doesn't let his impediment bother him, or stop him talking to other people, he probably knows more people than me!

I can tell some people talk to him just out of sympathy, but he is a truly inspirational person like you. If you and him can talk to people and say something as simple as 'hello' then there is no reason why everyone else here who is too afraid to just say 'hi' can't. :)
 

idiot_boyfriend

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That's Week 1 of the DJ bootcamp.

I like the lunch line example. When I'm in the lunch line, I try to talk to everyone, and a lot of them are very receptive.

"C'mon people, we all know that the harder we push, the faster the line will move."

"We can take her. I'll grab her, and you take the pizzas."

Great post.
 

"I just moved here from Florida."

That sentence contains at least five follow-up questions she WANTS you to ask. Where in Florida? What brought you here? How long have you been in the area? What do you miss? How does it compare to here?

She handed them to you on a silver platter. And you said, "Oh cool. I come here every week. I love this band. Ummm... pretty crowded tonight."

She smiled politely. Nodded. And never texted you back.

I was that guy for years. Talking too much. Listening too little. Panicking about my next sentence while she was literally feeding me the answers.

Then I found 22 rules that fixed the whole thing. Rule number one: shut up and listen. She'll tell you exactly what to say.

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