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.
You asked her if she wanted to grab coffee. Then you asked if the time worked. Then you asked if the place was okay. Then you asked if she'd prefer tea.
Four questions. Four chances for her to say no. Four signals that you're terrified of making a decision.
Plan it. Pick the place. Pick the time. Tell her where to meet you. She'll either show up or she won't.
Either way, you look like a man instead of a scared little boy.
Air powered car.Wiesman44 said:
YEah. "Zero emissions"? That's disingenuous; it still causes pollution.Alle_Gory said:Air powered car.
I hate these damn things. You need electricity, 50% of which is produced by coal powered generators, 19% from natural gas, and 3% by fuel oil.
http://www.eei.org/industry_issues/industry_overview_and_statistics/industry_statistics/index.htm
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.
No ****.PSYCHO said:The oil is controlled and artificial scarcity is manufactured and the price is manipulated by the oil company monopoly men.
Really? You are aware that cars (the main users of oil) make up less than 10% of global Co2 emissions.Aboleo said:Bullsh!t. Anyways, it is beside the point... burning oil is killing our planet. It really doesn't matter where it comes from. We have got to stop using it or we are going to kill ourselves.
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.
Bingo. You are one of the ones who gets it. It's simple economics really. They know demand won't decrease so big oil manipulate the supply and prices are increased. Basically they can charge almost any price they want regardless of real supply anyway and consumer will have little choice but pay it. I would wager that illegal price manipulation is going on (there are rules against price fixing etc.) but the government gave them the go ahead and won't ever prosecute.Alle_Gory said:No ****.
Heard of the laws of supply and demand?
When supply goes down and demand stays the same, prices go up. The supply is artificially controlled by the oil cartel (not monopoly).
Here is a little explanation with a chart:
http://www.mikeonads.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/supply_demand_11.JPG
When the supply goes down, the supply curve moves to the left. Notice how the equilibrium (lines crossing) point moves vertically? Results in price increase.
Artificially manipulating the supply curve means $$$$$.
Rhoto said:Really? You are aware that cars (the main users of oil) make up less than 10% of global Co2 emissions.
Want to stop killing the planet? Stop coal.
Big oil cannot just charge what they want or they will endanger their market. Oil at too high a price will cause consumers to shift away from oil in the long run. Look at what's happening now, as oil hits Cdn$1.30+ per litre, people are shifting to alternatives. If it gets way higher, the shift will become faster and eventually, an equilibrium will be achieved. The question is how much and when.ketostix said:Bingo. You are one of the ones who gets it. It's simple economics really. They know demand won't decrease so big oil manipulate the supply and prices are increased. Basically they can charge almost any price they want regardless of real supply anyway and consumer will have little choice but pay it. I would wager that illegal price manipulation is going on (there are rules against price fixing etc.) but the government gave them the go ahead and won't ever prosecute.
And besides oil, markets aren't free and fair all the time anyway. Look how the housing market was over-inflated and countless other examples of stocks. The difference there is the market may correct that. But with a commodity like oil and the cartels manipulating supply and prices, I don't think the market can really correct oil.