I received an interesting letter from an achiever who has not yet bought "THE Man's Guide to Great Relationships and Marriage," but has subscribed to this newsletter, has bought materials from some of the dating gurus like John Alanis and David DeAngelo, and subscribes to their newsletters, and has noticed a discrepancy between my material and theirs:
Hi David,
I bought books and CD's from John Alanis, David DeAngelo, and others, and subscribe to everybody's newsletters trying to find a way to get things back into gear here at home. After 6 years of marriage, things have been in a downhill slide for awhile, and it's obvious that there is an attraction problem, and they're all saying that once attraction has died it's nearly impossible, if not entirely impossible, to rekindle, yet you guarantee I can do it. What am I missing?"
Buddy G.
Well, Buddy, it's pretty simple. They're absolutely right, and so is what I'm telling you. The difference is in the context, particularly the timeframe. Remember, they are talking about creating attraction and keeping it going in order to ESTABLISH a relationship. In the dating world, there's no commitment yet formed and nothing invested; you're on strict probation before you ever approach her and introduce yourself, and at your first slip-up she's gone because there are hundreds of other men in her world still left to inspect. She has no motivation to wait around for somebody exhibiting the same nice-guy, loser behavior that every other nice loser exhibits when she could be hooking up with a guy who "gets it" and trips her attraction triggers, giving her that feeling women will kill for.
HOWEVER! As you'll find in "THE Man's Guide to Great Relationships and Marriage," the rules of attraction in committed relationships are often quite different from those of attracting someone new. In your case, and the case of anyone in a committed relationship that has survived long enough to get a little stale and boring or damaged, you've already made the grade and fallen from grace.
In the meantime, ties have been built, maybe kids, mortgage, and other commitments and/or motivations for further commitment have come into the picture, and it's to your mutual advantage to put things back together. Nobody likes break-ups or divorces, even when they come out ahead, because they almost always entail fighting, complications, and extreme changes in the way you live. I don't know about you, but I hate it when that happens. ;-)
Look closely at the two situations, the requirements of the participants, and think with me for a minute. The "chick in the bar" would have no reason to give you a second look or thought if you said the wrong thing because there will be at least a hundred other opportunities for her that same evening, but the woman with whom you've been partnered, in whatever capacity, for months or years has a vested interest in the relationship!
She wants you to straighten up because having you "back in true form" (read "that attractive stud muffin you used to be, and even more so if you can do it") is much more enjoyable and far less scary than dropping back into the dating world and having to go back to defending herself from perverts, stalkers, geeks, losers, liars, philanderers, and others who would either use, hurt, or bore her.
(And if there are kids involved, her drive to protect her children from a destabilized environment will make her want you to work with her to work things out ten times more than if there were no kids!)
Think about that! If you screwed up with the chick in the bar and she would say, "What for?" when you asked if you could try another date and attempt to make up for your transgression, the woman who has been in your life and enjoyed it would usually try to help you get it done! (To wit, the last several times I have checked, one third of my book sales have been to women!) She wants that feeling back, and would do about anything to have it back, and her choices are to:
a) leave you and find somebody else who gives it to her, or
b) don't leave you, just find a "toy boy" and cheat
c) wait for you to get it done
d) help you get it done so she can have it back faster!
Now, which one do you think she's most likely to choose if she has a choice of the four options above? Where most men screw up is only offering her "a" and "b," and a few more will offer her "c". You have before you the option of buying a book that, according to a while bunch of people, will give you the knowledge you need to get the job done if you'll just do it, and if your wife knows you're genuinely trying she'll help!
Seriously, if you were trying to date this woman, I'd say forget it, but you're married to her, and she doesn't want to have a boring marriage any more than you do. Go to http://www.makingherhappy.com and get your copy of "THE Man's Guide to Great Relationships and Marriage." Read it. Study it. Learn from it. Have a laugh or two along the way, too.
If you get through the evaluation section and you know that you're with the right woman, get her to read it with you. That way she'll know that you're trying to make things better for both of you and that the positive changes that she's about to see in your behavior are because you're committed to making things better with her, not because you have a new girlfriend making you feel sexy again. (Yes, they really do that!) Get it done, and get on with your new, sexy, exciting life with your wife. Why? Because it's a whole lot easier and better than being bored or risking getting caught in an affair. You love her, so treat her like you love her! 'Nuff said...
In the meantime, live well, be well, and have a wonderful day!
David Cunningham"Being a man is something to which one should aspire, not something for which he should apologize." --David Cunningham
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