I go fishing. How do I reel them in?

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djeidot
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30 Dec 2010, 6:45 pm

I'm facing the same problem, and I'm way past college time. I know this is a question that cannot be simply answered, but I can also understand that it's so easy to ask it.

This is way easier to be said than done, but here are my three advices:

1. Focus on getting friends, not on getting a girlfriend. If you have enough friends the girlfriend will show up automatically.

2. If you like a girl, ask her out! Now! Don't wait until you're madly in love and will be devastated if she rejects you.

3. If a girl rejects you, it's not you, it's her. There's nothing to be done here. Give the girl up and keep on trying.


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hyperlexian
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30 Dec 2010, 7:00 pm

djeidot wrote:
I'm facing the same problem, and I'm way past college time. I know this is a question that cannot be simply answered, but I can also understand that it's so easy to ask it.

This is way easier to be said than done, but here are my three advices:

1. Focus on getting friends, not on getting a girlfriend. If you have enough friends the girlfriend will show up automatically.

2. If you like a girl, ask her out! Now! Don't wait until you're madly in love and will be devastated if she rejects you.

3. If a girl rejects you, it's not you, it's her. There's nothing to be done here. Give the girl up and keep on trying.

well said. i agree with all of the points above.



jumanji
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30 Dec 2010, 8:54 pm

MidlifeAspie wrote:
jumanji wrote:
1. We are getting off topic. Please avoid that. If you wish to talk amongst yourselves about random things, the random forum or a private message may be more approriate.
2. I'm not asking for a magic formula. I am asking for specific mistakes and successes that people have made in hope of helping to discover if the things done successfully may work for me as well (yes, I know every situation is different, but there are some specific instances that can be generalized other than the cliche be yourself advise). I understand that no one can make it perfect, but to say there is nothing anyone can do to help even the slightest bit is obsurd.
3. Don't read too far into the fish analogy. It's just an expression. Like "there are plenty of fish in the sea." I don't think women are objects, it's just an expression.


You don't even know what you are asking. You want specific instances or stories about how my wife and I fell in love? How is that going to help you?


How will that help me? Think of a basketball coach.

He can give his players the fundamentals when they are young. Which is great. But when they get older and have those mastered saying "bend your knees" or "work on your speed" isn't enough.

He will develop a playbook with different strategies. They don't have to be done precisly as called for because adjustments may be required if the opposing side does something unexpected. Plus, you don't want to keep running the same play multiple times because then you are predictable.

But the coach will keep a playbook nonetheless. Sometimes, he takes plays that he has seen other teams use. Sometimes, they are plays that he used when he played basketball. Sometimes he combines what he learned from another play with a play that he already has his team running. It depends.

I am trying to develop a playbook. Not a fool proof 1-2-3 strategy, but I would like to know specific successes and failures that people had and see if one or two of the things here and there are useful for me.



Kilroy
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30 Dec 2010, 9:01 pm

this isn't a game, people are radically different from one another
you can't just have a set system like in sports, these are real people!
you can't use what other people have done because people you go for won't be the same people they did
no one you go for will be like the people I went for
so telling you what I did wouldn't offer anything useful
as the girls were very different from one another



MidlifeAspie
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30 Dec 2010, 9:10 pm

Kilroy wrote:
this isn't a game, people are radically different from one another
you can't just have a set system like in sports, these are real people!
you can't use what other people have done because people you go for won't be the same people they did
no one you go for will be like the people I went for
so telling you what I did wouldn't offer anything useful
as the girls were very different from one another


Exactly. I feel like we have said this in a couple of dozen different ways here. Your complete bafflement is starting to help me understand where you are coming from a little better though. You actually and honestly have no idea what you are talking about. I am starting to get a really strong vibe that everything you know about life and love comes from bad sitcoms and teen romance serials. Just please accept the word of some "real" people - what you are asking for does not exist.



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30 Dec 2010, 9:11 pm

How old are you? I have been speaking to you as an adult and I am starting to wonder.



Kilroy
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30 Dec 2010, 9:32 pm

I'm gonna guess 16-17



jumanji
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31 Dec 2010, 1:17 pm

College age, as I said earlier. I understand that people are different. But the human mind works in a certain way. Social psychology people. No, not everyone will be the same. But, there will be some similarities.

Instead of saying you can't do that...you should just answer my question and if certain aspects of your successes or failures can't be broken down into one or two ideas that would be helpful for me (other than the cliche phrases like be yourself), then I will learn that for myself.

But let me at least try.

Now...can you give specific instances in which you overcame the aspie norm of not having enough social skills in order to grow into greater favor with your wife or girlfriend.

What abut failures?



emlion
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31 Dec 2010, 1:31 pm

I don't see how specific cases will help?
It's not like ALL aspies have the same issues.
It's very frustrating.



Kilroy
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31 Dec 2010, 1:42 pm

yeah it won't help you dude, I am not wasting my time writing out my weird situations, you need to figure out it on your own



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31 Dec 2010, 1:49 pm

djeidot wrote:
I'm facing the same problem, and I'm way past college time. I know this is a question that cannot be simply answered, but I can also understand that it's so easy to ask it.

This is way easier to be said than done, but here are my three advices:

1. Focus on getting friends, not on getting a girlfriend. If you have enough friends the girlfriend will show up automatically.
I can agree with this to an extent... but you also need the right kind of friends. Most of my friends are outside my age range, and as such, are not people I'd want to date. I had to extend my own range downward to date my ex, who later dumped me on account of how I was too "boring"

Quote:
2. If you like a girl, ask her out! Now! Don't wait until you're madly in love and will be devastated if she rejects you.
What happens if you do ask her out at such an early stage, but the love fails to materialize? Then you've just wasted a good deal of both her and your time.

Quote:
3. If a girl rejects you, it's not you, it's her. There's nothing to be done here. Give the girl up and keep on trying.
One rejection is easy to rationalize away as such. But after I have been rejected multiple times with only one short-lived acceptance, the only logical conclusion I was able to come up with is that the problem lies within me. I am the only common denominator, after all...



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31 Dec 2010, 1:50 pm

jumanji wrote:
Now...can you give specific instances in which you overcame the aspie norm of not having enough social skills in order to grow into greater favor with your wife or girlfriend.


My brother stopped slamming the door and breaking things out of anger, and I'm sure his wife appreciates that.

He's been bottling up so many things we're still waiting for him to explode one of these days, though.



emlion
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31 Dec 2010, 2:04 pm

Quote:
Quote:
2. If you like a girl, ask her out! Now! Don't wait until you're madly in love and will be devastated if she rejects you.
What happens if you do ask her out at such an early stage, but the love fails to materialize? Then you've just wasted a good deal of both her and your time.


I disagree - how is it wasting time? it's getting experience and you might get some good times out of it.



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31 Dec 2010, 2:05 pm

ToadOfSteel wrote:
djeidot wrote:
I'm facing the same problem, and I'm way past college time. I know this is a question that cannot be simply answered, but I can also understand that it's so easy to ask it.

This is way easier to be said than done, but here are my three advices:

1. Focus on getting friends, not on getting a girlfriend. If you have enough friends the girlfriend will show up automatically.
I can agree with this to an extent... but you also need the right kind of friends. Most of my friends are outside my age range, and as such, are not people I'd want to date. I had to extend my own range downward to date my ex, who later dumped me on account of how I was too "boring"


Answer: Expand your social circle.

Quote:
Quote:
2. If you like a girl, ask her out! Now! Don't wait until you're madly in love and will be devastated if she rejects you.
What happens if you do ask her out at such an early stage, but the love fails to materialize? Then you've just wasted a good deal of both her and your time.


Answer: You've had fun (hopefully) and gained some experience. Hopefully you can learn from it.

Quote:
Quote:
3. If a girl rejects you, it's not you, it's her. There's nothing to be done here. Give the girl up and keep on trying.
One rejection is easy to rationalize away as such. But after I have been rejected multiple times with only one short-lived acceptance, the only logical conclusion I was able to come up with is that the problem lies within me. I am the only common denominator, after all...


You're right, you are the common link. But that doesn't mean you are inherently bad at relationships, it just means that you need to change what you are doing; do things differently.


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ToadOfSteel
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31 Dec 2010, 2:18 pm

emlion wrote:
Quote:
Quote:
2. If you like a girl, ask her out! Now! Don't wait until you're madly in love and will be devastated if she rejects you.
What happens if you do ask her out at such an early stage, but the love fails to materialize? Then you've just wasted a good deal of both her and your time.


I disagree - how is it wasting time? it's getting experience and you might get some good times out of it.


The objective is not achieved... I'm left all alone, again.



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31 Dec 2010, 2:28 pm

ToadOfSteel wrote:
djeidot wrote:
I'm facing the same problem, and I'm way past college time. I know this is a question that cannot be simply answered, but I can also understand that it's so easy to ask it.

This is way easier to be said than done, but here are my three advices:

1. Focus on getting friends, not on getting a girlfriend. If you have enough friends the girlfriend will show up automatically.
I can agree with this to an extent... but you also need the right kind of friends. Most of my friends are outside my age range, and as such, are not people I'd want to date. I had to extend my own range downward to date my ex, who later dumped me on account of how I was too "boring"

Quote:
2. If you like a girl, ask her out! Now! Don't wait until you're madly in love and will be devastated if she rejects you.
What happens if you do ask her out at such an early stage, but the love fails to materialize? Then you've just wasted a good deal of both her and your time.

Quote:
3. If a girl rejects you, it's not you, it's her. There's nothing to be done here. Give the girl up and keep on trying.
One rejection is easy to rationalize away as such. But after I have been rejected multiple times with only one short-lived acceptance, the only logical conclusion I was able to come up with is that the problem lies within me. I am the only common denominator, after all...

Spinning your wheels man, spinning your wheels man.

Honestly, my battery is drained. This whole love and dating thing is draining me both physically and mentally.

IMO, us aspie men are either cold, aloof and void of empathy/emotionally blind or prone to being hot headed. I analogize us to a Prius, Lexus or a Trane/Carrier furnace.