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.
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.
Most of the guys here nailed it.Allright, just to get the lay of the land, I'm in a LTR and happened to come upon a copy of The Rational Male a few days ago and gulped it down like a cold beer after being lost in the desert.
Now, the ideas there are somewhat in line with what I've come to expect, or should I say suspect, during my life. But it still feels like a revelation to actually see it written down.
However, I have never actually acted in the way this book implies women unconsciously want, and naturally I now see things in the past in a different light.
But also, i feel like it must have affected my behaviour somehow, because today my partner texted me (from work) the following:
"There will be a dinner together with my parents tomorrow. You are going to attend."
The phrasing is a bit unusual for her, though normally I would just read this as a string of information. But now I cant help thinking there is more to it. Should I? If so, can anyone translate this for me and suggest appropriate response? (I'm a Ph.D. of sciences btw, but psychology analphabet sorry to say).
Harold
Edit: Btw, I have no problem with the actual event if anyone wonders. The food is usually awesome.
this could backfire and signal to her that this is a man who will not stay for the long haul and her sh1t tests will come hard and fast.Tell her something like "look, I don't have any preference for or against going to the dinner. However, I will not allow you to speak to me this way. I'll forgive you this time and let it slide but you wont get a second chance."
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.