It's NOT the thought that counts....

I wrote a post around Valentine's Day about the do's, dont's and dangers of gift-giving where women are concerned. I made a point to stress about how much it is "the thought that counts". Here was the pertinent passage:

"One way or another, the key with gift giving for women is the effort and thought put into it. We all pay attention to the details about our men and want our men to do the same for us. I almost never ask for something specific for any gift giving holiday. I don't expect my man to have to either. You should know each other well enough to know what the other person enjoys doing and be able to give them something that is centered around that. It's about paying attention enough. Hence the reason no thought (or last minute thought, unless you are great at thinking on your feet) = bad gift = women thinking their men don't get them at all. And if you haven't been in your current relationship that long, You maybe do want to stick to the flowers and candy...but for god's sake please no 4ft teddy bears. Where exactly do you expect us to store that thing?"

Now I want my girlfriends who I know read this to let their boyfriends, husbands, fiance's, partners also read this because it will help him. And here's why I say this: sometimes we find ourselves trying to tell our significant others that we want or need something (physically, emotionally, mentally, or materially) and just can't seem to get them to understand what we are trying to say. They don't understand because women, by nature, think emotionally and try to be sensitive to the reaction we THINK we will receive when broaching a subject with our mate that we view as important. Men, they tend to see things in a direct logical line. So if you bring up what you want or need to him with no context involved (because we all go over it in our heads for quite some time before we actually say it out loud), he will immediately wonder what the hell you are talking about and why you're bringing it up at right that moment. Sometimes men need someone else other than us to tell them how it is in order for them to understand. This is me being your independent confirmation.

Of course, Valentine's has come and gone (although, yes guys, it WILL be back), but there are many other gift giving holidays during the year that these same rules apply. Quite a few females I know have recently been through and discussed with me an anniversary, birthday, or mother's day scenario where they have found themselves disappointed and feeling like their significant other doesn't care: the key to this is that it isn't only the THOUGHT that counts it's the FORE thought.

"...It's about paying attention enough. Hence the reason no thought (or last minute thought, unless you are great at thinking on your feet) = bad gift = women thinking their men don't get them at all. And if you haven't been in your current relationship that long, You maybe do want to stick to the flowers and candy..."

Translation (broken down into a few logical rules to the men that I only hope read this and take it as truth):

RULE #1: NEVER FORGET AN IMPORTANT DATE
Just about every holiday that a woman would expect a gift of some sort falls on the same day each year (the only exception is Mother's Day, I believe, but it's at roughly the same time each year). This means you should know when it is coming. Women expect men to pay enough attention to know when these days are because if we are with you that means we believe you to be intelligent and capable enough of being able to set reminders in the age of smart phones. Go to whatever lengths you have to to remember her birthday, your anniversary, mother's day and valentine's day. (No one ever forgets Christmas. If you do, you need a lot more help than this blog could ever HOPE to provide.) I'm sure there are at least a few men in your life who also have significant others that can help remind you as well. Point is, forgetting is almost never an excuse.

RULE #2: SAY IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT
Most men know when it's time to say the words, "I'm sorry" or "I love you". When it comes to important days of the year, if you wake up next to your woman, THIS is when to say "Happy Birthday", "Happy Anniversary", "Happy Mother's Day", or "Happy Valentine's Day".  It's best if you are the first person to tell her these things, but even if you're not, what is most important is that the entire day doesn't go by without you saying it at some point. I know it seems trivial, but it works like "I'm Sorry". The reason is because it is an indication of recognition. It is like saying, "hey. I haven't forgotten what today is."

RULE #3: TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Forethought means you thought about it BEFORE-hand. Of course, like I said, unless you're great at thinking on your feet. Just like it means so much for you to show indication of recognition, it means even more for you to have put forth an effort. If it is a holiday that usually requires a gift, when the gift is given is important, and the day of is when is the best bet. If for some reason, you will not see each other on the day of, then another day is of course acceptable. However, when having to celebrate the occasion on a different day, communication is key. If you don't talk about your gift-giving/celebration taking place on a day that is AFTER the specific holiday PRIOR to the actual day taking place, she will automatically assume you forgot. Now if you are an online shopper, sometimes you cannot help delays in shipping of gift items. Here is a great go-to solution: print out a picture of the gift and give it to her with either flowers or a heartfelt card. This shows you thought about her and didn't forget.

RULE #4: EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES
Sometimes we get so busy with the day-to-day that we do just honestly forget about days that we should pay more attention to. Or we know it's coming and then it just sneaks up on us faster than we could get time to plan something nice. It happens. Everyone is human. However, you have a couple of recovery options available depending on when it hits you that you forgot. If you happen to remember on the day of, find the nearest drug store or supermarket, buy the best card you can find, pick out the best looking flowers available, and then pretend like nothing happened and take her out on a date on the soonest available date. If it is at the point at which it is obvious you goofed, he only thing you need to know is that you MUST MAKE IT UP TO HER. You also must admit and apologize for forgetting no questions asked. And do it as quickly as possible. If you don't, all she will do is think about it and it will subconsciously sit in her brain that it doesn't matter to you. She may act like it's no big deal, but I promise it is. Just like women like getting flowers at work on valentines day so that they can show you off, they hate being asked "what did our man give you for (insert holiday here)", and having no answer to give...embarrassing. So you forget, you tell her you're sorry and that you didn't forget about her and that you will make it up to her on (insert specific date and time). Because let's face it, when the reciprocal holiday rolls around and she DOESN'T forget and does something special for YOU, you're going to feel like shit about the fact that you did forget. (of course that's assuming you do actually give a shit).

Now...With all that said...Of course not all men need directions on keeping their women romanced. If you are a man who read this and thought, "well duh" and you've never had any of these issues come up with your significant other, then SHARE THE INFO. You have an obligation to your male friends and it is your duty as a man to share what you know about how women think. Us women give men a hard enough time as it is, they don't also need it from their own friends. It's like that unwritten man code that one guy doesn't kick another guy in the balls.

It's just 3 little words

"Can we talk?"

Yeah. I said it. It's a phrase I am pretty sure scares your significant other more than the other 3-word phrase you probably thought I was talking about.

So your girlfriend calls and says the dreaded words, "I really need to talk to you about something." You immediately start to replay the last conversation you had in case you said something that could have been misinterpreted. You retrace every step of the last time you were together in case you did something that may have made the other person mad. What is it that is spawning this moment of "Can We Talk?" You start biting your nails thinking really hard. Your heart pounds like you've had too much coffee. You suddenly need a cigarette. (I mean, that's what happens to me when someone says it to me)

Calm down.

While there are many different types of girls (a blog for another time), a girl with any sense in her head will already know that this little phrase is going to incite panic, even if she is expecting it to be only minimal. So know that the timing at which the words are delivered has been carefully calculated. It is purposeful. Now if you're dating the malicious type, she will be heartless in her timing. For now, let's pretend that you're dating a girl who actually gives a shit about you and isn't malicious or controlling.

Let's discuss:

Typically guys need a significantly larger amount of time away from their significant other than girls do. You need to spend time with your friends farting, scratching, talking about sex and (insert group hobby here). Any guy with any sense in their head will already know that we don't particularly care to be a part of that. As females, we need to feel like you want to spend just as much time with us as you do with the guys scratching and farting, we need to feel more important than whatever your hobby is, and we want to talk about sex with you. If you are slacking on including us in on the fun or you're not giving us the proper amount of attention in comparison, we are going to want to talk to you about it. So that could be all that it is. And if this is the case, we usually just want to discuss it and move past it. It won't be a sticking point unless you at some point say something stupid that makes her think you actually don't care about her. Typically, however, this is the main reason a "can we talk" conversation will happen IF it's about your relationship.

However, more often than not, the conversation won't even have anything to do with your relationship. It will usually just have to do with the fact that she, I don't know, wants to TALK. (FYI: Texting does not equal talking). Talking means actual verbal conversation. In this day and age we have gotten far too comfortable with technology as a replacement for human interaction. Our computers and cell phones have replaced the day to day interaction crucial to relationships. Women need to be touched, caressed, whispered to, held, and paid attention to. You can't do any of those things with through text/instant messages or Skype. And although over the phone conversations are more acceptable, in-person conversations are much more appropriate to have that "can we talk" conversation. We all know one of the major differences between the sexes is that women have to typically talk about things in order to work them out and men don't. When your girl states in a text that she really needs to talk to you about something in person, DO NOT TEXT BACK ASKING WHAT IT IS ABOUT! For the love of all that is holy, either pick up the phone and call her or set a time to talk. Cardinal rule of dealing with women: if they have an issue and they TELL you they have an issue, NEVER give them more time to stew over it. Long before they brought it up to you, they stewed over the issue and whether or not they wanted to talk to you about it. If they decided to open up to you about it, and make any kind of a move in the direction that even remotely seems like you don't want to talk about it, she is going to write it off and it will be a problem. Do the adult thing and be man enough to have the discussion. It will make you seem confident and sure of yourself. It will also tell her that you care enough about her to try to make her feel better about whatever the "situation" is.

I started writing this post over a week ago. I was going to scrap it and most likely not go back to it. Then, I had my own "can we talk" moment in my relationship. Let's just say that the reaction I got to my own "can we talk" moment was well, less than stellar. It was, in fact, down right ridiculous. That one interaction (that took place over the course of 2-3 days) told me everything I needed to know about the person I was with. Good communication is one of the two keys to ANY relationship whether it be family, friends, or lovers. The other is trust. He panicked so much over this "can we talk" moment that he displayed nothing but lack of both of those keys and I had to sever ties with him because of it. These are the most important two things in a relationship (in my opinion) and they cannot be taught. They can be learned, but not taught, especially in the confines of a relationship. So with all these things considered, I felt the need to continue the writing of this post and go ahead an publish it. Hopefully it will do some good for somebody.

So feel free to comment on this or any posts on this blog as it is for public consumption and nothing is better than healthy discussions or debate.

7 Deadly Mistakes....

This is a post from an article that will get us kicked off on the blog. It is a great article. To clarify, this was not written by me. The original can be found here:

http://www.getgirlsnotgame.com/the-7-deadly-mistakes-of-approaching-a-woman-that-will-turn-her-off-instantly/

7 Deadly Mistakes of Approaching a Woman That Will Turn Her Off Instantly

Often Women Know Within the First 10 Seconds of Meeting a Man Whether They Are Going to Sleep with Him or Not…So Here Are The 7 Things Most Men Do To Immediately Disqualify Themselves—And How to Make Sure You Avoid All Of Them

7. Trying Too Hard

Have you ever seen a guy who was so obviously trying to act cool or look important, but he just ended up being the guy all the women laughed about later and made fun of? Sure you have. Just like me, I’m sure you’ve had attractive female friends that always seem to hookup with the guy who “doesn’t seem to care”…but for some reason they never considered you, even though you put in way more effort.

What’s up with that? Actually it’s very simple…

Women don’t hookup with the guy who’s “putting in the most effort.” They hookup with guys they perceive to be “attractive”—which is just a convenient way to say “guys they think are cooler than they are.” And nothing says to a woman “you’re way cooler than me” than a guy who exerts a lot of effort in an interaction—especially when meeting someone for the first time.

I realize this isn’t always obvious. It may be hard to chill out and stop trying so hard…but get used to it. Until you relax and keep yourself from obviously trying to “get” her attention and attraction, you’ll never even get off the ground with attractive woman.

6. Chatting But Not Attracting

What do most guys do when they are talking with a woman they find attractive? Right! They turn into Dr. Phil and play daytime talk show host as they “interview her” and try to pick topics she likes…

Well, here’s a newsflash for you…you will NEVER SPARK ATTRACTION WITH A WOMAN BY JUST AIMLESSLY CHATTING WITH HER! Woman are stimulated by emotions and tension (a.k.a., flirting). Just think of the adventurous types of men women tend to like…bad boys, rock stars, and celebrities.

For most of us guys, women don’t immediately drool over us based on our looks or status—so how in the world do we expect to stoke her attraction by just having a boring chat? Yet we all do it. When a woman gives us her attention, we try to play it safe, ask the questions we think she’ll like, talk about stuff that’s neutral or common, and do our best to keep her talking to us. Bad idea. One that will never fan the flames of her attraction.

5. Apologize For Liking Her

Another huge and avoidable mistake that most guys make with when approach a woman is apologizing for feeling attracted to her—or even apologizing for wanting to talk to her. Attractive women intimidate most guys. And they get men bending over backwards to appease them all the time. Men jump through their hoops, do whatever it takes to keep them happy, and often go out of their way to make sure they feel “comfortable” and “not offended.”

And guess what? Attractive women wait until guy-after-guy admits SHAMEFULLY that he’s attracted to her. Sometimes the guy doesn’t come outright and say it, instead he’ll pretend he’s interested in something she likes and use that as a pretext for a date: “Let’s go see Twilight together—and I’ll pay!” Even if the guy actually has the balls to tell her directly, often he first apologizes for wanting to talk to her: “I’m sorry to bother you but…”

This signals to the woman that you’re just like all the other guys who are so intimidated by her that you feel you the need to “hide” or “apologize for” the fact you like her—all because you think that makes her feel “more comfortable” around you.

Don’t do it. Be confident in your feelings. You don’t need to come right out and proclaim exactly what you’re feeling, but definitely don’t try to cover it up—or apologize for it.

4. Taking Yourself Too Seriously

One of the most common mistakes that a guy can make is getting overly emotional before a woman even knows him… because he is taking the interaction (and himself) way too seriously… and investing all of his male ego and pride into one interaction, with one girl (who he doesn’t even know yet!). And sure, as men, it can be hard to get over our pride when approaching a woman for the first time.

But YOU MUST.

We all know women love men with a sense of humor, yet how can we be “funny” or even “interesting” if we are trying to micromanage every aspect of an interaction with an attractive woman? Instead, relax. Lighten up. Learn to laugh a little at yourself. And you’ll see this attitude will attract women to you like a magnet.

3. Making It Obvious You Rehearsed Your Approach

Earlier I mentioned that it’s a mistake to try so hard that you make it apparent you see the woman as “cooler” than you. Well, another way men signal to a woman they feel “less cool” than her is by rehearsing their approach. Put another way, guys worry about every detail of an approach—from the opening line to how to ask for her number—and they play and replay the scene in their head. Another bad idea…

Women are never attracted to men who aren’t in control of a situation and display leadership qualities (a.k.a., confidence)…women just aren’t attracted to insecure wimps! Don’t worry that you need to rehearse every detail before approaching a woman. Just do it—and feel confident that you can handle whatever happens!

2. Not Understanding How To Tactfully Move Things Forward

Now I’m going to blow you away with a little insider dating secret… A woman is expecting you to move an interaction forward… and actually will get turned off if you fail to do so. Let me say this again: If you don’t move an interaction toward intimacy and get physical with her, women will actually LOSE their attraction to you.

I know, it might be hard to believe. But for example, if you’re talking to a girl for more than a couple minutes, she’s probably already thinking, “Okay, when is going to ask for my number?” or even, “Okay, so when is he going to kiss me?” And if you don’t do it—or fail to do it smoothly—then she’ll actually “cool off” and start thinking of ways to dismiss you: “I think we’re better off just being friends…”

And this goes for ALL aspects of women and dating… Confidently approaching a woman, going for the number, asking her out, kissing her, getting sexual… everything. If you hesitate or don’t know what to do in each situation, you will end up losing EVERYTHING. And you know it.

It is crucial that you understand how to tactfully move from one step to the next with a woman… from the approach, all the way to the bedroom.

1. Not Seeking Out Direction or Help

Here it is: The most deadly mistake men make that ensures they remain single and never date the girl they really want. This is the one mistake that holds men back from EVER having the kind of success with women that would leave them truly satisfied. I know, we’re guys so we hate to seem helpless—we don’t even like to ask for directions, let alone dating help.

I’d know, I was there myself at one point. A couple years ago, I moved to New York City after graduating college and felt completely frustrated that I’d pass beautiful women all day, but I didn’t have a clue how to approach them, meet them, and get dates with them. It was like slow torture!

One weekend I met up with a friend from college, and we spotted 2 women we wanted to meet, but neither of us had the balls to approach them. I can still see the movie of that night playing in my head…right then I decided I had to do whatever it took to learn how to successfully meet and date women.

Well, after lots of “field work” and trying all kinds of crazy tips and techniques, I finally mastered it. And it was definitely worth it. I no longer feel that paralyzing feeling of insecurity… like I don’t know if I’ll ever meet a girl I’m really attracted to… and I might end up single forever. I know that I can just stroll outside and meet beautiful woman anytime, anywhere.

I’ve written a book on the topic, and I’ve coached guys all across the United States… and taught thousands of men all across the world. If you’re serious about getting this area of your life handled and you want to discover what really works, click on the link below to learn more.

*Guest Post by Rob Judge

The beginning

*If you haven't read the tab "My logic", please read that section first so you understand what this blog is about.*


After reading a book called "The Manual" by Steve Santagati (and passing it around our group), a girlfriend and I decided we needed to write a sort of relationship supplement to that. It's pretty ambitious to think that we would ever write a book, let alone have it become nearly as popular, so to the blogger we have gone.

We all need help. Almost all girls have that one guy friend that they give advice to and guys have that lady friend they get advice from. Oh you don't you say? Well here's your opportunity to find that kind of assistance. I will try to make sure there is at least a weekly post of information, stories, and hopefully tons of things to laugh at (because some things are only funny because they are true).

Know this, we in NO WAY claim to know everything there is to know about relationships. We are just  dealing with what seems to be the same patterns in girls and guys when they are in relationships. So hopefully sharing our stories and experiences will in some way hit home for whoever reads and maybe, just maybe, someone out there is paying attention.

If you're reading, thanks for coming along for the ride with us. Hilarity is certain to follow.