My Only Wish

I enjoy hypothetical situation games.  Here is one of my favorites that I’ve pondered for years…

If I had a magic lamp, and a genie could grant me three wishes, what would I wish for? 

Over the years I’ve come up with many different answers.  Answers ranging from world peace to the perfect lover, to a new lego set.  What would you wish for?

Here is my latest answer, and it’s been my answer for the last couple years.  I would only have one wish.  I wish for a deeper acceptance of what is.  That’s it.  No Ferrari, no unshakable confidence, no love for all mankind.

Why?  Why with all of the things I could wish for would I choose something so… so… seemingly not different than what I currently have?  I finally figured out what makes me happy.  The more deeply I accept what is and who I really am, the happier I become.  The less I fight reality, the more I embrace life with love and happiness.  We’ve seen it time and time again, people with more things and more awesome skills aren’t necessarily happier.  We see it, yet we forget it every day. What if you were so in love with yourself that every day of your life was pure bliss and joy?  Would you need anything outside of yourself to achieve that?  Is there anything in the world a genie could give you that would match the kind of intense happiness someone feels when they are totally and fully in love with themselves?  Let me clarify what I mean by “in love with yourself”.  Love is not passionate affection, personal attachment or adoration, it is uncompromising acceptance.  When you are in love with yourself you are in total acceptance of who, what, where, when, how and why you are.  The strange bump on your nose?  Accept it.  Your less than ideal childhood?  Accept it.  You are five foot nothing?  Accept it.  Your physical disability?  Accept it.  You were raised by alcoholic parents?  Accept it.  The love of your life dumped you?  Accept it.  Uncompromising acceptance.

If it’s true that all you need to do to be happy is accept yourself, how then can we achieve that? How do we become happy? I find that to be a misleading question.  If we are to become happy, then we currently are not.  Happiness is like the sun, it stays put while weather around it changes to create emotions.  If we want to find the sun, we simply need to look for evidence that it exists.  Sometimes we can look up into the sky, sometimes we see it shine through clouds off in the distance, sometimes at night there is no sun at all.  We may not always see the sun, but the evidence of the sun is all around us.  Look at all the life the sun has created.  To find what we seek, we only need to gather evidence.  What do you want to become in your life?  What do you want more of?  Are you waiting to see it in the future or are you looking for evidence that it already exists?  We never know what the future will reveal to us, but we can look for evidence today of the things we want in our life.  If you want to be happier, look for the happiness in your life right now.  If you want to be more confident, look at the things in your life that confidence has created.  If you want to be more loved, look at the ways in which you are already more loved than you could ever imagine.  You may not see it, but the evidence is there.

Write down three things in your life you want to become.  Instead of stressing about how to get those qualities, why not look for evidence they already exist?  Instead of looking for it in the world, look for it in yourself.

Right now, as you read this, relax your body and feel the warmth radiating from you.

Feel the heat on your skin.

Pause.

Feel the warmth that has always been inside you.

Pause.

Maybe right now you are not in the sun, but can you feel it?

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If You Have a Problem With Men, You Are the Problem: Tough Love Advice for Women

Being a part of dudepanel.com has been an honor.  Every day I get to help women around the world understand men and learn how to create the love lives they want.  This is an article on the 3 biggest pieces of wisdom that women don’t want to hear.  When I say they don’t want to hear it, I mean the advice in this article causes a lot of anger.  No one is responsible for you love life but you, and when you really get that, it will set you free.

1.    If you have a problem with men, you are the problem.

This is the least popular of the three pieces of wisdom, and it’s also the most simple.  Men are not your problem, they never have been.  The only problems you have with men are your stories about them.  Your stories make you a victim, and they have you believing the lie that you are not in control of your experience of life.  You are.  The only time you have a problem with men is when you tell a story about what happened where you make men wrong.  The same goes for men.  If men ever think that a woman is his problem, he is the problem.  The moment I think my mother, sister, ex-girlfriend or wife is the problem is the moment I have a problem, and it’s time to look in the mirror.  The same goes for you.  Your father, brother, abusive uncle, jerk ex-boyfriend, guy who dumped you in high school is never the problem, and the moment you have a problem with them is the moment you have become the problem.  What I’m not saying is “men are perfect”, this isn’t about men at all, it’s about YOU.  You are 100% responsible for your life and how you choose to live is totally up to you.  If a man abuses you, you can make them wrong or you can deal with the reality of it.  The reality will always be less painful than the story about you being a victim.

2.    You have no idea what men are thinking.

Women spend hours and hours trying to break down, guess, dissect and theorize about what men are thinking.  It’s an incredible waste of time.  What those women don’t realize is that they will never know what men are thinking.  Not sometimes, not ever.  It doesn’t matter if you get the best love advice from Dr. Man who wrote “what men think”, you will never really know.  Why do I say this?  If you never actually know, you will always have a choice on how to interpret what he says.  If a man doesn’t call you for three days you could interpret it as “he doesn’t love me” or “he’s out making an impact in the world”.  If a man says “I don’t want you to meet my family yet” you can interpret it as “he doesn’t want to be with me” or “he really sees meeting his parents as a big step and he’s nervous about introducing me”.  Your interpretation of what happens is exactly that—YOUR  interpretation.  It’s not the truth!  Why?  You will never know the truth.  Ever.  Most of us don’t even know the truth about what we are thinking, never mind someone else, and especially someone of the opposite sex.  Stop wasting your time.  Choose to live your life from love.  I love the question “what would love do”.  Sure it’s a bit cheesy, but what if you actually did that?  You have a choice every moment, to be in love with your life or not, and how you interpret the world will determine how in love with life you are.  Always.

3.    Prince Charming is not waiting for you.

Is Prince Charming out there?  Yes he is, but he’s not waiting for you, he’s out dating the woman you want to be.  Many women think that if they hope enough, pray enough, manifest enough, vision board enough, that the man of their dreams will come sweep them off their feet.  He won’t.  Will he show up at your door someday?  Yes, he will, but only if you become the woman he wants to date.  Prince Charming is not interested in joining you in your life where you trash men, sulk 24/7 at your job and don’t take care of your body.  Why would he?  Why would he want to join your in your misery?  When you are totally in love with your life, there will be Prince Charmings lined up out your door, and you will be beating them off with a stick, because every man wants a woman who loves herself.  To attract a confident, assertive man who loves his family, cares about the world and treats you like a goddess but doesn’t put you on a pedestal, you need to work, baby work.  Why?  You better believe that Prince Charming is busting his ass being the best man he can be.  If you can’t say the same about yourself, you have just discovered the reason you’re not attracting the man you dream about.  Dating isn’t about selection, it’s about resonation.  For better or worse, we date ourselves, not the person we hope for.  To date the man that women want, you must become the woman that men want.

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4 Ways to See Rejection as Awesome

What could you accomplish in your life if you never made any meaning out of hearing the word “no”? What if you had no fear in asking out beautiful women? What if the word “no” was simply information? What if you actually enjoyed hearing “no”? Here are four of my favorite ways to look at rejection and smile.

1. Thank the person for taking care of themselves.

(This is inspired by my friend & amazing sex educator Reid Mihalko) Whether it’s asking out a girl or getting a new job, the truth is you don’t want to be in a relationship that is not a win-win. If someone doesn’t want to be with you, you don’t want to be with them! What if they wanted to say no but said yes out of fear? You would be stuck with someone who doesn’t actually want to be with you, what a waste of your time! When someone says no to me, I’m glad, because it would be a miserable waste of my time to be with them if they don’t want to be with me.

2. Notice how ridiculous your brain is.

Here is an exercise that will help you understand how ridiculous your brain is when it comes to getting rejected by a woman.

Have you ever reached out to pet a dog that’s shy and cowers away from you? No matter what you do, this dog wants nothing to do with you. You move on, realizing there is no chance of you petting this dog. How do you feel? You don’t feel rejected right? After all, it’s only a dog.

Wait, you do? Do you see how insane this is? Your mind decided that because this dog is shy, that you are unworthy of love and attention. It’s the same thing with women. Rejection is inevitable, taking it personally is your choice.

3. Always be learning.

The first rule of self-development and something that I repeat over and over and over again with the men and women that I coach is this: The goal is to learn. That’s it. The goal isn’t to get her number, the goal isn’t to have sex, the goal isn’t to look good, the goal is to learn. If that’s true, rejection becomes a great way to accomplish your goal. If your goal was to learn everything about how a car works, would you be interested in finding out what causes it to break down? You bet you would. You would be thrilled to work on cars that have broken down because you know that would be much more valuable than working on cars that have nothing wrong with them.

4. See it as lack of information on their part.

When I approach a woman and they reject me after only meeting me for a short amount of time, I think to myself “wow, if she got to know me instead of just having a 10-20 second impression of me she would probably feel differently.” It sounds arrogant to some people but isn’t it true? How can someone really get to know you in a short conversation? Not everyone is going to have the chance to get your whole story, so for the ones that don’t, they do their best, and some of those will be a “no”.

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There is a saying by one of my favorite authors Steve Chandler. He says “yes lives in the land of no”. That means you can’t find “yes” without getting a “no” as well. If you are willing to venture into the land of “no”, there’s a gold mine of “yes” waiting for you.

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How to Pick Up Men Without Being Aggressive

Let’s say you’re at your favorite organic grocery store and out of the corner of your eye you spot the man you’ve been looking for all your life.  He’s well-dressed, clean cut but a little rough around the edges and takes his time picking out all the right vegetables.  You have to meet him, but how?  You want to approach him but you don’t want to be too aggressive, yet you don’t want to just sit and hope he comes and talks to you.

What’s a girl to do?

There is a way.  Some might consider it sneaky, and it probably involves getting out of your comfort zone.

Are you ready?

You walk up and ask for his help. 

It doesn’t matter what you ask, as long as he gets to feel like he’s helping you.  Why is this?  Men are machines built to eat, sleep and solve problems.  Whether it’s starting a company that changes the world or opening that jar of pickles, we are incredible at solving problems.

Women can solve problems too, why should they ask a man?

This is true, women can also solve problems.  In fact, I haven’t found one thing yet that men can do that women can’t.  I really mean that.  The reason you want to ask a man for help is that it gives him the gift of being useful.  When you ask a man for help and he feels appreciated it feels great!   When you give us the gift of helping you, we get so excited, because it’s what we were born to do.  Throw in a smile and it might literally be the highlight of our day.

“Highlight of our day?”  Isn’t that a little ridiculous?

It sounds ridiculous, but nothing could be truer.  Every man wants to be a hero.  In a strange way, many men literally go through the world waiting for something to go wrong so we can help.  It’s the reason you see some men carrying tools for no apparent reason, we want to be ready to help when we’re called.  Have you ever noticed how happy a dog is when it gets to do what it was born to do?   To some people it may look like “work” but to the dog it’s the happiest moment of his life.  Just like Border Collies love herding and Beagles love tracking, men love problem solving.

As a man, I can’t express enough how much I want to be a part of woman’s lives through service.  When I am invited into a woman’s life to help with something, whether it’s fixing a toaster or just a shoulder to cry on, it moves me.  I really mean that.  It’s an experience I will never forget.  I’ve never felt more like a man when I have the honor of comforting a woman as she cries on my shoulder.  I really want you to get that statement, it’s so important.

I’ve never felt more like a man when I have the honor of comforting a woman as she cries on my shoulder.

The key word there is never.  I didn’t say, “I don’t mind when it happens” or “it’s nice”, I said I’ve never felt more like a man.

There are millions of men who feel useless because women haven’t given them the gift of asking for their help.  Millions.  Everywhere there are women who want support and men who want to give it, we’re just too afraid to open up to each other.  It doesn’t matter what the relationship, father to daughter, girlfriend to boyfriend or brother to sister, we would do such a service to each other if we allowed other people into our lives to help.

How is asking for help going to make him to want to ask me out?

Here’s what happens when you go ask him for help… you create a spark of attraction.  He feels like more of a man when he helps you and you get the experience of being taken care of.  It’s beautiful, and it creates sexual attraction, which means you instantly become more attractive to him, all because you let him into your life.  You also get the chance to flirt with him, and important piece of this puzzle.  Give him some signs that you’re into him and he’ll see that it would be a good idea to ask you out.  Don’t just stand there like a statue while he gives you directions, make eye contact, touch him and open your body language so he gets that you like him.  Yes, you have to show him that you like him, otherwise he won’t know.

What’s wrong with being aggressive?

If you are simply looking to get laid as a woman, there is no better way that walking up to a guy, being aggressive and saying “hey, come with me”.  I totally encourage that, just don’t expect that guy to want anything to do with you outside the bedroom.  Why?  You aren’t treating him like a man, and he doesn’t feel like one with you, he feels like a boy.  He will call you only when he wants sex and he won’t want to introduce you to his friends.  Then you’ll get mad at him for not treating you with respect when you never respected him in the first place.  By the way, this way of being is why men refer to some women as “cougars”, it’s not just because of their age, it’s how aggressive they are.

Isn’t it too obvious when I ask for help?  Won’t he know that I’m just hitting on him?

I hope he knows you’re hitting on him, wouldn’t that be nice?  Flirting with him is required here, there’s no getting around it.  I don’t know any man that would be unhappy knowing that a woman is hitting on him.  The only thing that’s stopping you is your fear of rejection.  You’ve decided that putting yourself out there isn’t worth the potential reward of being with a partner that makes you happy.

It’s also important to understand that men are mostly unaware of social cues.  When I say unaware, I mean that even the most unaware woman could run circles around any man when it comes to this stuff.  We don’t get it.  Make it obvious!  What is the worst thing that happens?  He doesn’t ask you out?  How is that worse than not talking to him at all?  This is not an exercise in navigating your comfort zone, it’s about taking control of your life so you can have the relationship you want.

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The Secret to Having Amazing Hands

Being a great lover is all about the quality of your touch, it speaks volumes about you.  It indicates your level of presence, comfort, compassion and self-control, among many other things.  The fastest way to seduce a woman is through touch.  Hands down.  What if I could give you one tip that if you followed it would dramatically increase your ability to please a woman through touch?  Are you ready?

The secret is the more you enjoy giving, the more she will enjoy receiving.

The problem is most givers are so disconnected from their own pleasure that they end up simply trying to please their partner, which will work, but won’t get them the amazing chemistry they are hoping for.  To really connect with your partner, you must first connect with yourself.  As you touch her skin, get in touch with how it makes you feel.  Maybe you want to draw circles on her skin, gently playing like a little kid.  Maybe you just want to wrap your arms around her and squeeze tightly.  Let what you would love guide you instead of you projecting what you think she would like.  What’s the problem with guessing what she would like?  Often times your partner may not even know or be able to ask for it, so even if you do get a verbal “this is what I like” it may just be a watered down version of what she really wants.  I need to make something clear though… this is not an exercise in ignoring your partner’s desires.  I’m not saying “she doesn’t know what she wants so don’t bother asking”.  The key here is to incorporate her desires and her feedback with your own enjoyment.

One of my favorite exercises to do in workshops is one where people take turns asking for what they want and giving what they want.  It’s extremely powerful.  The exercise is done in pairs.  One person touches the other person exactly how the giver wants to (after establishing clear boundaries).  Then the receiver asks for exactly how they would like to be touched and the giver does exactly that.  What’s amazing is how much the receiver enjoys when the giver does exactly what they want.  What happens is when the giver is fully immersed in enjoying themselves the receiver feels loved and appreciated.  Isn’t that brilliant?  Underneath all the guessing and miscommunication there is a win-win for both the giver and receiver.  The receiver wants the giver to give exactly how he/she wants and the giver wants that too!  Too often we just get caught up in the loop of trying to please each other and no one gets pleased.

How would you love to touch someone?  If you had twenty minutes to simply touch your partner however you wanted, what would you do?  What if their only job was to sit and allow you to enjoy them?  How would you start the touch?  What would you do?  What would make the experience a total home run for you?  Answer those questions and you are on your way to an incredible experience.

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Letter from My Unborn Son

Hi Dad.

I know this is a little premature since I haven’t been conceived yet but there are some things I want you to know. I figure my first 18 years will be so full of eating, sleeping, crying, playing outside, school and chasing girls that I may not have time to get this out, so here it goes.

First of all, I’m in no rush. Having me around is going to be really exciting for you and I’m going to be a lot of work. Your life won’t be over when I arrive, but it’s going to be harder to start that business, travel the world and live on your own terms once I arrive. I want you to live a full and complete life, and although I want you to celebrate my life, I don’t want you to have to live vicariously through me. I don’t want to hear any sadness in your voice when you tell people you can’t go to Vegas because you have a kid. Own your decisions, and make sure you’re ready for me when I come on the scene.

I’m going to demand a lot of money. I’m not just talking about the useless toys I’ll want you to buy, I’m talking about healthcare, food, clothes, and everything else I’ll need to live a normal childhood. No child wants to be a financial burden and even though I know you’ll work hard to give me everything I need, if you have to suffer to afford me, we’re both going to feel it. I don’t plan on making money and when I do I plan on keeping it. On that note, I want you to know that as much as I appreciate you raising me and being awesome parents, I’m not going to carry the belief that I owe you anything. Please no guilt trips!

I have some requests when it comes to my Mom. First let me say that I appreciate your efforts in birth control so far. This is a really important decision and I’d rather not leave it up to chance. Choosing my Mom is the most important decision of my life, remember that. If you do the work now and find an awesome woman, both of our lives will be a lot easier. I also want you to be there for me, which means don’t get a woman pregnant unless you plan on sticking around. Mothers can do an awesome job raising kids by themselves but I want a Dad too, especially since I’ll want other male influences in my life. As for Mom, I want a Mother who is kind but strong. Not strong as in she can beat up people, but strong in her heart. I know your Mom taught you the power of conviction. It’s so important. I also would love it if Mom understands that as guys, you and I are going to need some father-son time, and not just once a year on a camping trip. There are a lot of man-skills I need to learn and Mom isn’t going to be able to teach me that stuff. Sometimes you’re going to know what’s best for me, and I want her to trust you enough to make that decision as a man.

My career choice is going to be really important. I’ll start by saying I have no clue what I’ll want to do, and I want you to be okay with that. The more expectations you have for me the harder it will be for me to find out what I love to do. I know making money is important, but please don’t use that as a measure of how successful I am, because I don’t want that belief either. Encourage me to pursue my weird interests, even if everyone at school thinks it’s silly. I may even test you and Mom sometimes by saying I want to do wacky things, just to see if you’ll still accept me. That’s just my childish way of checking to see if you really love me.

The most important thing I want you to know is how capable and resourceful I am. Sure I’m going to need help changing my diaper and finishing my homework at times, but underneath all that is a boy who can change the world. Let me fail sometimes, I need to learn some lessons the hard way. I want you to be the one who always believes in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. The hardest thing to do is not step in and help your child when they are struggling but if you really believe that I am powerful, sometimes it’s going to mean letting me figure things out on my own.

I also want you to know that I love you, and when you get old, I’ll be there for you no matter what, even if you’re grouchy or wearing adult diapers. Being a Dad is a tough job, and without you, I wouldn’t have a chance.

Lots of Love,
Your Son

How to Pick a Halloween Costume Women Will Love

So many guys get this wrong.  What’s the biggest mistake?  We use our own playbook.  Take a moment and think what you love about Halloween costumes on women.  We like something that shows off their body, allows them to play up their darker side and generally something with cleavage.  The mistake we make as men is we think that’s what women want from us.   Here’s what a great Halloween costume does for men.  It shows women that he knows himself and he doesn’t take himself too seriously.  A guy who has an incredible body should wear a cape and spandex underwear, right?  Wrong.  The key is juxtaposition.

Juxtaposition: an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast.

What you want to do is compare your personality with something completely opposite.  If you are an Olympic weight lifter dress up as a fat guy holding a cinnabon and big gulp from 7-11.  If you are a skinny nerd dress up like a superhero.  If you are a hairy, masculine man, dress in drag.  If you are a shy, well mannered man, dress like the Fonz and make people laugh by acting too cool for school.

David Patrone is San Diego’s most well known Jazz singer.  He is a former Marine drill instructor and has the thickest Philly accent of anyone I know.  He also has a shaved head, tattoos and has the attitude of a drunk Frank Sinatra on stage.  We went to Burning Man in 2011 and something magical happened.  He met guys from Jazz Camp and they gave him the name “Fella Fitzgerald”.  He thought it was funny and didn’t think much of it.  Later in the year he was asked to sing at a Burning Man musical as Fella Fitzgerald and wearing a dress.  He had never dressed in drag before.  What he found was that when he put on that black dress, heels and a wig, everyone LOVED him and women went crazy for him.  Why?  He mastered juxtaposition.  Here he was a dirty-mouthed Philly-born ex-Marine crooner dressed up like a woman and singing show tunes.  We love it when people don’t take themselves seriously.

What is your personality like?  How can you create a costume that shows you can really make fun of yourself.  Do that and you will be beating women off with a stick.

Dave Booda’s 18 Principles for Success with Women

This could be an entire book (and it just might someday) but for now what I’d like to focus on are the key principles.  I’ll even pick a number.  How about… 18?  Sound good?  Here they are…

1.  Be a leader.  If death and taxes are things we can’t avoid in life, men can add one more to the list… leadership.  It’s our job, and there’s no getting out of it.  If someone in a room becomes violently ill and there is a doctor in the room, everyone expects the doctor to help.  If you are on a date with a woman and a situation calls for a leader, it’s your job.   She is more than capable of doing it, and she will if you don’t, but you probably won’t be having sex with her that night.  You are the offspring of kings, warriors and great men, you were born a leader, don’t forget it.

2.  Stop trying.  During a recent Burning Man workshop I was leading, I found myself in a packed dome surrounded by 75 sweaty burners, there was a circle with a 2 ft radius of empty space for me to move around in, and I felt cramped and nervous.  I started to notice my body language shift to reflect this onset of anxiety.  I paused.  I asked myself “how would I be standing in this dome if there were no one here?”  I relaxed my hands.  I stopped moving my feet.  I released my hips and allowed my stomach to expand out.  I breathed slowly and calmly.  Sometimes all we need to do is take away whatever stimulus is causing our anxiety and act as if, often times that stimulus is women.  Just like the guy driving the huge truck, we all unconsciously compensate for what we think we lack.  Women notice.

3.  Set the Terms.  A relationship is an agreement, and it’s your job to set the terms of that agreement.  That doesn’t mean you discard what she wants, it means you be a leader, and make the decision that’s best for the relationship.  She will look to you to make this happen, and if you leave it up to her it won’t make either one of you happy.

4.  Get naked.  Literally.  Stop being ashamed of your naked body.  Every chance you get, take off your clothes and encourage others to do it as well.  The more comfortable you are with your body the more/better sex you will have.

5.  Live with an abundance mindset.  This is the best way to stop yourself from being needy.  “What would Brad Pitt do?”  That question will clear up 99% of the hang ups men have when it comes to corresponding with women they just met.  There are literally millions of girls in this world, you only need one, and the more you fear losing her the bigger the chance you will.

6.  Stop listening to women.  If you asked 100 women “how do you want men to treat you”, compiled those responses and treated women that way, you would fail miserably.  Does this sound crazy?  Yes, and it doesn’t make any sense.  Women know what they want, but they are terrible at explaining it to men.  Instead of giving open ended questions ask her multiple choice or yes/no questions.  “Do you like it when I touch you here?”, “What room in the house turns you on the most?”, “Do you feel like Italian food or Greek food tonight?”  Women are great at feeling into the best answer, but not so good at thinking up a solution.

7.  Be a memorable kisser.  This is one of the only good things Hollywood consistently teaches men.  Follow these steps.

  1. Find a wall or immovable object.
  2. Push your women up against the wall so you hear a “thud”.
  3. Half-smile.
  4. Kiss her like you’re going off to war.

8.  Stop creating a double standard for integrity.  It’s 4pm, the CEO of a major corporation who has won leadership awards up the ying yang calls a meeting tomorrow at 10am with a new client.  Right after that he calls his wife and says he will be home by 6pm.  Which one is he more likely to be on time for?  If he rolls in at 6:10pm some people would actually think that’s pretty good, considering he was only 10 minutes late and “you know…. I had to work late”.  We have a double standard when it comes to relationships.  Our word is simply that, our word, it doesn’t matter if it’s with a billion dollar Japanese client or our 4 year old daughter.  WOMEN ALWAYS NOTICE.  Not only do they notice when we don’t do what we say, but it rocks their system.  When women don’t do what they say men react with disappointment, but generally we don’t lose attraction for the woman.  When a man is not his word, it effects every cell of a woman’s body.  She no longer trusts him, loses physical attraction for him and will begin to resent him for not being his word.  Break this rule at your own risk.

9.  Learn how to communicate through touch.  Every man that is attractive to women is comfortable with touching.  The easiest way to do this is to learn how to give a massage.  It doesn’t have to be complicated, just learn the basics and practice it on your friends and lovers.  This one skill alone will drastically change your love life with women.

10.  Look her in the eyes.  Nothing is more powerful than eye contact.  Your eyes communicate more in three seconds that you can in an entire conversation.  Train yourself to maintain eye contact with women (and men) and push through the fear.  It’s uncomfortable, but the results will astound you.

11.  Be careful how much you objectify women.  The purpose of a cup is to drink liquid.  The purpose of a couch is to sit on.  If you are finding that a woman is fulfilling a purpose in your life, you are objectifying her in some way.  Instead of seeing her as a person who is complex you see her as a simple object that serves a purpose.  No one likes being objectified and both men and women have experienced this.  Get in touch with how it feels when you feel like someone only sees you for one purpose.  The more you can avoid doing this in your relationships with women the happier you will be.

12.  Stop the habit of apologizing.  Most people have trained themselves to apologize as an impulse, rather than a choice.  When we bump into someone we say “sorry” instead of “excuse me”.  We send the message that we are ashamed of ourselves, because that’s how we were taught to act as a 6 year old kid.

13.  Reframe rejection.  There are a lot of women out there, and if you want to find one that’s a great match and not just a good match, you will have to ask and get “rejected”.  Feeling rejected is a choice, and you may choose to make whatever meaning you want.  Take a moment and come to terms with what that means for you.  For me, I think to myself “she hasn’t gotten to know me at all, too bad, but I understand since she’s only had 10-20 seconds”.  Find your own meaning.

14.  Express yourself like a black man.  Have you ever noticed the way some black men express how a beautiful woman makes them feel?  The expression of attraction is in no way what they think, it’s what they feel.  “Mmmmm, damn girl!  Your body is rocking my world right now!” (please forgive me, that’s the best impression of a black guy I can do with writing).    Most men tell a woman what they think, if they even express themselves at all.  Really check in with your body.  Your body lights up when a beautiful woman is in your presence!  Your heart beats faster, you feel warm inside, you lick your lips, you can’t help but smile, you get an erection, all these things are happening and it’s okay to acknowledge them!

15.  Be a lover AND a fighter.  Who are the two sexiest movie stars today?  Hugh Jackman and Gerard Butler.  Why?  Hugh Jackman kicked some ass as Wolverine and Gerard Butler kicked some ass in 300.  If you are a lover and you don’t kick some ass, you will never be as attractive to women as the guy who can do both.  Look at Twilight.  Why was Robert Pattinson’s character so attractive?  It’s because when he wasn’t spooning Kristen Stewart he was out kicking ass as a vampire.  Have a rough side, and if you don’t, make one.

16.  Stop thinking your abs matter.  Sean Stephenson is a 3-foot tall, wheel chair bound man who meets, attracts and has sex with beautiful women.  If you think looks matter, look him up, he’s not a classically handsome man.  Why do we as men think looks play such an important role in attracting women?  We’re using our own playbook.  Our playbook for feeling attraction is when we see a woman who is physically attractive, we feel attraction, end of story.  We want a woman with a  flat stomach so we assume women want the same thing in men.  We think women work the same way as men, and we’re dead wrong.  What women really care about is what our looks say about us.  If we are 50 pounds overweight it means we have no self-discipline.  If we dress like a slob it means we don’t take pride in how we show up in the world.

17.  Be assertive.  When you reach a 4-way stop at the same time as another car what happens?  Do you wave the other car on while they simultaneously wave you on until it becomes a race to see who can be less assertive?  Save everyone the trouble and just GO.  When you see a beautiful woman don’t linger around the bar for 5 minutes waiting for something to happen that will make it easier, be assertive and go talk to her.  You will be amazed at how this quality will effect the rest of your life.

18.  Remember who you are not.  We’re going to get spiritual here.  You are not the puppet, you are the puppet master.  When we complain that “our puppet” isn’t confident, we are forgetting that we are not the puppet, we are that which controls the puppet.  If you need to gather the strength to take a bold action, remember that you aren’t that which needs the strength, you are the strength.  Overcoming fear is an exercise in remembering who you are not and allowing yourself to get back into the drivers seat of your life.

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The Secret to Never Leaving Awkward Voicemails EVER AGAIN

You’re at the supermarket and you run into a beautiful woman (or charming man).  You can’t believe how awesome your conversation is, they totally get you and you totally get them, and there’s chemistry.  You exchange numbers and say “I’ll call you”.  Then the anxiety starts.  When do I call them?  What should I say?  What if… I have to leave a voicemail?!?  I’d rather text.  Oh, but that’s weak, I should call, right?

What if I told you in one sentence I could ensure you never leave another awkward voicemail in your life?  One piece of advice that will rid you of all that anxiety and self-doubt.  Are you ready?

Sing your voicemail.

You can’t sing well?  It doesn’t matter, I’m not saying impress them with your vocal chops, I’m just saying sing.  I’m also not saying you need to sing a particular song, just make up a melody and sing what you would normally talk.  Singing will get you out of your head and into your flow, the zone you get into when you’re not worried or scared about what will happen.  From that place of flow, you will be cool, calm and creative, not to mention it will probably be hilarious.

The only rule here is YOU MUST TRY THIS before you knock it.  Your head won’t explode and the singing police won’t come and haul you off to jail.  Everything will be fine, and I promise you’ll get a call back!

You Are Not Your Sports Team

This is a tough thing for me to admit, but I am not the Boston Red Sox.  Even though I grew up in the greatest sports city in America and avidly followed the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins and Celtics for most of my life, the truth is I have nothing to do with these teams.  The turning point for me was when I realized I was letting the outcome of games determine how good or bad I felt.  I had let myself become a victim.

In 2008 I watched the New England Patriots lose in a huge upset to the New York Giants in Superbowl XLII and it ruined the rest of my night.  That would have been ok but I was on the third day of a cruise with a girl who was not a Patriots fan (but rooted for them with me).  Looking back on that experience I realized I chose to sulk for an entire night on a cruise ship because a sports team that I had nothing to do with lost a game.  Something had to change.

Fast forward to January 2011.  I was in Catalina Island during the first playoff game of the season versus the Jets.  I knew this was an important game, not just because it was a playoff game but also because the Jets are the last team any Patriots fan wants to lose to.  At halftime the game wasn’t going well, and I made a decision.  I turned to the girl I was with and stated, “whatever the outcome of this game, I will not let it affect me”.  It was that moment I declared my freedom.

It turned out the Patriots lost the game and I spent the rest of the day enjoying a beautiful island with a girl I loved.  I see so many men making the same mistake I made by letting a sports team dictate their degree of happiness.  We do this because we are missing out on real action and excitement in our own life.  If this is you, know you have a choice.  You don’t have to wait for the Chicago Cubs to win a world series to die happy, you don’t have to be depressed if your team looses a big game, and you don’t have to let the outcome of a sports team dictate how you feel about yourself.