Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Help for all you guys- what a woman REALLY wants

If I had a nickel for every time a guy friend asked me what it is the gal really wants, I would be retired.  One of my favorite authors, Donald Miller has just edited and re-released one of my favorite books ever.  Originally entitled To Own a Dragon, it has been updated and re-titled Father Fiction.  It goes into reflections on growing up without a father, and the life lessons he missed out on, and things he learned about.

I love Don's style, he writes as if we were sitting in his living room drinking coffee and talking.  I really get inside the guy's head, which satiates my inquisitive mind. If you grew up without a dad, with an absentee dad, an alcoholic dad, or a less than perfect dad- this book is for you.

Today Don included an excerpt from his book on his blog, and I just have to share it, because its good.  This will help all my guy friends, and maybe even a few gal friends to pin down just what that thing is they need.

Every girl is different, but what I learned over a long period of time was that women are essentially attracted to confidence and mystery. I don’t mean to sound like a guy who is helping you pick up chicks. Please don’t think that. But I want to save some of you from floundering around.Girls don’t want a weak guy. People are insecure already, so they don’t want you to be insecure, too. Intuitively, they know they have eggs inside them that, eventually, are going to become little children, and they are looking for a mate who can provide for them and their eggs. If you go begging for love, they intuit that something is wrong, something is weak, and you won’t be able to take care of their eggs. Instead, you are just acting like another egg that they are going to have to nurture. And if they do like you they have their own issues and you don’t want any part of it. You don’t need another mommy. You need a wife.
What I am not saying, though, is that you should act confident. Don’t act confident, be confident. And you can’t be confident by looking in a mirror and telling yourself you are confident. Take a break from dating for a while. Seriously, you have other work to do. Instead, take up a hobby and get good at it. Start playing the guitar or a sport. Get good at something and improve your self-esteem. Once you’ve gained confidence, you can start thinking about a woman.
And they also like mystery. But it’s not really mystery they like, it’s strength. Girls don’t want you calling them all the time. They don’t want to be your rescuer. If you call them all the time or let them know you are thinking about them all the time, you are going to turn them off. The truth is, you should already have a full life you are invested in, and you should invite them into that life. My friend John Eldredge says you should be on an adventure, and you should invite them into that adventure. A girl doesn’t really want you to stare into her eyes like a lovesick puppy (at least not for long); she wants you to put your arms around her and stare into the horizon, to the place you are going together. So before focusing on the girl, go find an adventure, a calling, something you can do and get good at, something that makes money to provide for kids. The girl will come along pretty easily after that.
Some girls don’t find these things attractive but I think most girls do.
Here’s another thing that it took me a long time to understand. And it’s going to hurt. But I have to say it. Human attraction is conditional. Now, once you get married, you are committing to love your wife or husband unconditionally. But even then, attraction remains conditional. Guys, if you get weak, your wife may stay with you, but chances are she’s not going to be very attracted to you. Understanding what it is your mate is attracted to, be it strength or beauty, and giving that to them is a way of serving them. If you refuse to take responsibility for your life and expect your mate to still be attracted to you, it’s going to be a long, hard journey. Self pity is unattractive.

So, go buy his book, or any of his books for that matter.  This guy has been inspiration beyond words, and I look forward to watching his impact on my story unfold.

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