Unwind the relation mysteries
Imagine that men are from Mars and women are from Venus.
One day
long ago the Martians, looking through their telescopes, discovered the
Venusians. They fell in love and quickly invented space travel and flew
to Venus. The Venusians welcomed the Martians with open arms. Then they
decided to fly to Earth.
In the beginning everything was
wonderful and beautiful. But the effects of the earth’s atmosphere took
hold, and one morning everyone woke up with a peculiar of amnesia. Both
the Martians and Venusians forgot that they were from different planets
and were suppose to be different. And since that day men and women have
been in conflict.
We expect the opposite sex to be more like
ourselves. We desire them to “want what we want” and “feel the way we
feel”. We mistakenly assume that if our partners love us they will react
and behave in certain ways- the ways we react and behave when we love
someone. We have forgotten that men and women are supposed to be
different. Clearly recognizing and respecting these differences
dramatically reduce confusion when dealing with the opposite sex.
Men
continue to expect women to think and react like men, and women expect
men to feel and behave like women. Without a clear awareness of our
differences, we don’t take the time to understand and respect each
other. We become demanding, resentful, judgmental, and tolerant. When
men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love
has a chance to blossom.
1. Mr. Fix-it and the Home Improvement Committee
The most frequently expressed complaint women have about men is that men don’t listen.
The most frequently expressed complaint men have about women is that women are
always trying to change them.
These two problems can finally be solved by first understanding why men offer solutions and women seek to improve.
Men are more interested in “objects” and “things” rather than people’s feelings.
They
don’t read magazines like psychology today. Self help books, or people
today. They are more concerned with outdoor activities, like hunting,
fishing, and racing cars. They are interested in the news, weather and
sports and couldn’t care less about romance novels and self-help books.
For a man, “autonomy” is a symbol of efficiency, power and competence. To offer a man unsolicited advice is to presume that he doesn’t
know what to do or that he can’t do it on his own. Men are very touchy
about this, because the issue of competence is so very important to
them.
Because he is handling his problems on his own, a man
rarely talks about his problems unless he needs expert advice. Asking
for help when you can do it yourself is perceived as a sign of a
weakness. If he truly does need help, then it is a sign of wisdom to get
it. In this case, he will find someone he respects and then talk about
his problem. Talking about a problem on mars is an invitation for
advice.
When a woman innocently shares upset feelings or explores out loud the problems of her day, a man mistakenly assumes
she’s
looking for some expert advice. He puts on his Mr. Fix it hat and
begins giving advice; this is his way of showing love and trying to
help. He wants to help her feel better by solving her problems. He has
no idea that by just listening with empathy and interest he can be
supportive.
Venusians have different values. They value love,
communication, beauty, and relationships. A woman’s sense of self is
defined through her feelings and the quality of her relationships.
On
Venus, they are very involved in personal growth, spiritually and
everything that can nurture life, healing and growth. Venusians are very
intuitive, anticipate, offer help without being asked.
Because
proving one’s competence is not as important to a woman, offering help
is not offensive, and needing help is not a sign of weakness. A man,
however, may feel offended because when a woman offers advice he doesn’t
feel she trusts his ability to do it himself. But offering help to a
man can make him feel incompetent, weak and even unloved. Women firmly
believe that when something is working it can always work better. Their
nature is to want to improve things. Offering advice and constructor
criticism is an act of love.
Mars is very different. Martians are
more solution oriented. If something is working, their motto is don’t
change it. “Don’t fix it unless it’s broken.”
For men, a way of honoring another man is always to assume he can solve his problem unless he’s asking for help.
Generally
speaking, when a woman offers unsolicited advice or tries to help a
man, she has no idea of how critical and unloving she may sound to him.
Its reaction may be strong, especially if he felt criticized as a child
or he experienced his father being criticized by his mother. For many
men, it’s very important to prove that they can get to their goal, even
if it is a small thing.
Likewise, if a man does not understand
how a woman is different, he can make things worse when he is trying to
help. Men need to remember that women talk about problems to get close
and not necessarily to get solutions. So many times a woman just wants
to share her feelings about her day, and her husband, thinking he is
helping, interrupts her by offering a steady flow to her problems.
Women
never offer solutions when someone is talking. A way of honoring
another woman is to listen patiently with empathy, seeking truly to
understand the other’s feelings.
1. A man tries to change a
woman’s feelings when she is upset by becoming Mr. Fix- it and offering
solutions to her problems that invalidate her feelings.
2. A
woman tries to change a man’s behavior when he makes mistakes by
becoming the home-improvement committee and offering unsolicited advice
or criticism.
Solutions:
A woman greatly appreciates Mr. Fix-it, as long as he doesn’t
come out when she’s upset. Men need to remember that when women seem
upset and talk about problems is not the time to offer solutions;
instead she needs to be heard and gradually she will feel better on her
own. She doesn’t need to be fixed.
A
man greatly appreciates the home-improvement committee as long as it is
requested. Women need to remember that unsolicited advice or
criticism-especially if he has made a mistake-make him feel unloved and
controlled. He needs her acceptance more than her advice. When a man
feels like the woman is not trying to improve him, he is much more
likely to ask for her feed back and advice.
When our partner resists us, it is probably because we have made a mistake in our timing or approach.
A man wants to make improvements when he feels he is being approached as the solution to a problem than as the problem itself.
2. Men Go to Their Caves and Women Talk
Men
feel better by solving problems, women feel better by talking about
problems. To feel better, men go to their caves. To feel better, women
get together and openly talk about their problems.
Women are not
ashamed of having problems. Their egos are dependent not on looking
“competent” but rather on being in loving relationships.
When a
man is stressed he will withdraw in to the cave of his mind and focus on
solving a problem. He generally picks the most urgent problem or the
most difficult. He becomes so focused on solving this one problem that
he temporarily loses awareness of everything else. Other problems and
responsibilities fade in to the background. As such times, he becomes
increasingly distant, forgetful, unresponsive, and preoccupied in his
relationships.
If, however, he can find a solution, instantly he
will feel much better and come out of his cave; suddenly he is available
for being in a relationship again. However, if he can’t find a solution
to this problem, then he remains stuck in the cave. To get unstuck he
is drawn to solving little problems, like reading the news, watching TV,
driving his car, doing physical exercise, watching a football game, and
so forth. Then the next day he can redirect his focus to his problem
with greater success.
When a man is stuck in his cave, he is
powerless to give his partner the quality attention she deserves. It’s
hard for her to be accepting of him at these times because he doesn’t know how stressed he is. She feels he is ignoring her.
Women
generally do not understand how men cope with stress. They expect men
to open up and talk about all their problems the way women do. When a
man is stuck in his cave, a woman resents his not being more open. She
feels hurt when he turns on the news or goes outside to play some
basketball and ignores her. When men go to their caves they tend to
forget that their friends may be having problems too. An instinct takes
over that says, before you can take care of anybody else, you must take
care of yourself.
When a woman sees a man react in this way, she generally resists it and resents the man.
She
may ask for his support in a demanding tone, as if she has to fight for
her rights with this uncaring man. Men generally have little awareness
of how distant they become when they are in the cave. When a man begins
to ignore his wife, she often takes it personally.
A woman under
stress is not immediately concerned with finding solutions to her
problems but rather seeks relief by expressing herself and being
understood. By randomly talking about her problems she becomes less
upset. As a man under stress tends to focus on one problem and forget
others, a woman under stress tends to expand and become over-whelmed by
all problems.
To forget her own painful feelings, a woman may
become emotionally involved in the problems of others. Just as a man is
fulfilled through working out the indelicate details of solving a
problem, a woman is fulfilled through talking about the details of her
problems.
Men realized that even when they felt they were being
attacked, blamed, or criticized by women, it was only temporary; soon
women would suddenly feel better and be very appreciative and accepting.
By learning to listen, men discovered how much women really thrived
on-talking about problems.
Women also found peace of mind when they finally understood that a man going to his cave was not a sign that he didn’t love her as much. They learned to be more accepting of him at these because he was experiencing a lot of stress.
3. How to Motivate the Opposite Sex
Men are motivated and empowered when they feel needed. Women are motivated and empowered when they feel cherished.
Men have a win/lose philosophy. Being in love, they wanted women to win as much as themselves.
The
Martians were very motivated by the possibility of making a difference
on Venus. The Martian race was moving to a new level of evolution. They
were no longer satisfied by just proving themselves and developing their
power. They wanted to use their power and skills in the service of
others, especially in the service of women. They were beginning to
develop a new philosophy, a win/win philosophy. They wanted a world
where everyone cared for themselves as well as for others.
Similarly,
when a man is in love he is motivated to be the best he can be in order
to serve others. When his heart is open, he feels so confident in
himself that he is capable of making major changes. Given the
opportunity to prove his potential, he expresses his best self. Only
when he feels he can not succeed does he regress back to his old selfish
ways.
Not to be needed is a slow death for a man.
Most men
have little awareness of how important it is to a woman to feel
supported by someone who cares. When a woman is upset, overwhelmed,
confused, exhausted, or helpless, what she needs the most is simple
companionship. She needs to feel she’s not alone. She needs to feel
loved and cherished.
A woman’s tendency to be compulsive relaxes as she remembers that she is worthy of love, she doesn’t have to earn it, she can relax, give less and receive more. She deserves it.
Women
lived by lose/win philosophy. But after doing this for centuries that
women were tired of always caring about one another and sharing
everything. Many women today are also tired of giving. They want time
off. Time to explore being themselves. They want someone to provide
emotional support. At this point, men were learning to give while women
were now ready to learn how to receive. After centuries, women and men
had reached an important stage in the evolution.
When a woman
realizes she has been giving too much, she tends to blame her partner
for their unhappiness. She feels the injustice of giving more than she
has received. Blaming doesn’t work.
As
a man experiences limits, he is motivated to give more. Through
respecting limits, he automatically is motivated to question the
effectiveness behavior patterns and to start making changes. When a
woman realizes that in order to receive she needs to set limits, then
automatically she begins to forgive her partner and explore new ways of
asking for and receiving support. When a woman set limits, she gradually
learns to relax and receive more.
Setting limits and receiving
are very scary for a woman. Deep inside her unconscious she holds the
incorrect belief that she is unworthy of receiving more. A woman is
particularly vulnerable to the negative and incorrect belief that she doesn’t deserve to be loved.
Because
she is afraid of not being supported, she unknowingly pushes away the
support she needs. When a man receives the message that she doesn’t
trust him to fulfill her needs, then he feels immediately rejected and
is turned off. This communicates to him the message that she doesn’t trust him to support her.
When
a woman realizes that she truly deserves to be loved, she is opening
the door for a man to give to her. But when it takes her 10 years of
over giving in a marriage to realize that she deserves more, ironically,
she feels like closing the door and not giving him the chance. When she
wakes up and remembers her needs, he also wakes up and wants to give
her more. When the Venusians were ready to receive the Martians were
ready to give. A man’s deepest fear is that he is not good enough or
that he is in incompetent. Just as women are afraid of receiving, men
are afraid of giving. The first step for a man in learning how to give
more is to realize that it is OK to make mistakes and it is OK to fall
and that he doesn’t
have to have all the answers. He needed the acceptance and the
encouragement that he was good enough for her, and then he could feel
how much he cared. It is difficult for a man to listen to a woman when
she is unhappy or disappointed because he feels like a failure.
4. Speaking Different Languages
.
the Martians and Venusians languages had the same words, but the way
they were used gave different meanings. To fully express their feelings,
women assume poetic license to use various superlatives, metaphors, and
generalizations. The number 1 complaint women have in relationships is
“I don’t feel heard”. Even this complaint is misunderstood by men.
One
of the biggest challenges for men is correctly to interpret and support
a woman when she is talking about her feelings. The biggest challenge
for women is correctly to interpret and support a man when he isn’t talking. Silence is most easily misinterpreted by women. When a man is silent it is easy for a woman to imagine the worst.
Why women talk??1. To convey or gather information.
2. To explore and discover what it is she wants to say.
3. To feel better and more centered when she is upset.
4. To create intimacy.
Never
go in to a man’s cave or you will be burned by the dragon. When a man
goes into his cave, he’s generally wounded or stressed and is trying to
solve his problem alone. To give him the support that a woman would want
is counterproductive.
How to support a man in his cave
1. Don’t disapprove of his need for withdrawing.
2. Don’t try to help him solve his problem by offering solutions.
3. Don’t try to nurture him by asking questions about his feelings.
4. Don’t sit next to the door of the cave and wait for him to come out.
5. Don’t worry about him or feel sorry for him.
6. Do something that makes you happy
-anything that distracts her or helps her to feel good will be helpful to him.
These are some examples.
. Read a book
. Listen to music.
. Work in the garden.
. Take a bubble bath.
. Exercise.
. Get a massage.
. Call a girlfriend.
. Go shopping.
. Pray.
. Watch TV.
. Cook something delicious.
It
is very difficult for a man to differentiate between empathy and
sympathy. He hates to be pitied. That’s why too much caring for him is
smothering.
5. Men are Like Rubber Bands
When
a man loves a woman, periodically he needs to pull away before he can
get closer. A man automatically alternates between needing intimacy and
autonomy. To a certain extent a man loses himself through connecting
with his partner. There are two ways a woman may unknowingly obstruct
her male partner’s natural intimacy cycle. They are (1) chasing him when
he pulls away; and (2) punishing him for pulling away.
Chasing behaviors:1. Physical-when he pulls away, she physically follows him.
2. Emotional-when he pulls away she emotionally follows him by worrying about him, feeling sorry for him.
3.
Mental-she may try to pull him back mentally by asking him
guilt-inducing questions, or trying to please him becoming overly
accommodating.
Punishing behaviors:
1. Physical-when he begins to desire her again, she rejects him. She pushes away his physical affection.
2. Emotional-when he returns, she is unhappy and she blames him.
3. Mental-when he returns she refuses to open up and share her feelings.
6. Women are Like Waves
When
a woman’s wave rises feels she has an abundance of love to give, but
when it falls she feels her inner emptiness and needs to be filled up
with love. This time of bottoming out is a time for emotional
housecleaning.
A woman’s ability to give and receive love in her
relationships is generally a reflection of how she is feeling about
herself. When she is not felling as good about herself, she is unable to
be as accepting and appreciative of her partner.
When a man
loves a woman she begins to shine with love and fulfillment. Most men
naively expect that shine to last forever. Men pull back and then get
close, while women rise and fall in their ability to love themselves and
others.
A man assumes that her sudden change of mood is based
solely on his behavior. When she is happy he takes credit, but when she
is unhappy he also feels responsible.
When a woman is going down she needs to hit bottom before she could come up.
The last thing a woman needs when she is on her way down is someone telling her why she shouldn’t
be won. What she needs is someone to be with her as she goes down, to
listen to her while she shares her feelings, and to empathize with what
she is going through. Even if a man can’t fully understand why a woman
feels overwhelmed, he can offer his love, attention and support.
When
a woman goes into her well, if she feels supported, she doesn’t
necessarily feel better right away. She may feel worse. But that is a
sign that his support may be helping. His support may actually help her
to hit bottom sooner, and then she can and will feel better. To
genuinely come up she first needs to hit bottom. That is the cycle.
Even
when a man is succeeding in supporting a woman she may become even more
upset. To support a woman when she is in her well is a special gift
that she will greatly appreciate.
There are 3 points each man should realize.
A man’s love and support cannot instantly resolve a woman’s issues
A woman going into her well is not a man’s fault of his failure.
A woman has within herself the ability to spontaneously rise up after she has hit the bottom.
Avoiding
arguments and fights certainly is healthy but not by suppressing
feelings. When negative feelings are suppressed, positive feelings
become suppressed as well, and love dies.
Even a strong, confident, and successful woman will need to visit her well from time to time.
When the man is not capable of listening attentively with caring, understanding, and respect, these 3 actions can help:
Accept your limitations- Don’t try to listen when you can’t
Understand her pain- she can be more trusting forgiving if you are caring and understanding of her hurt.
Avoid
arguing and give reassurance- Reassure her that you will be back, and
then you will be able to give her the support she deserves.
It puts too much pressure on a man to make him the only source of love and support.
7. Discovering our Different Emotional Needs
Men
and women generally are unaware that they have different emotional
needs. As a result they do not instinctively know how to support each
other. Men typically give in relationships what men want, while women
give what women want. Each mistakenly assumes that the other has the
same needs and desires. As a result they both end up dissatisfied and
resentful
Most of our complex emotional needs can be summarized
as the need for love. Men and women each have six unique love needs that
are all equally important.
Women need to Receive ---------------- Men need to ReceiveCaring--------------------------------------- Trust
Understanding-------------------------------Acceptance
Respect--------------------------------------Appreciation
Devotion-------------------------------------Admiration
Validation--------------------------------- --Approval
Reassurance---------------------------------Encouragement
Fulfilling a primary need is required before one is able fully to receive and appreciate the other kinds of love.
1. She needs caring and he needs Trust
When
he shows interest and concern → she feels loved and cared for → she
feels special → she begins to trust him → she becomes more open and
receptive → he feels trusted → he sees a true belief in his abilities →
he is more caring
2. She needs understanding and he needs acceptance
When
he listens without judgment → she feels heard → it is easier for her to
give him the acceptance he needs → she lovingly receives him without
trying to change him → he feels accepted → he can give her the
understanding she needs and deserves.
3. She needs respect and he needs appreciationWhen
he prioritizes her rights, wishes and needs → she feels respected →
when he considers her thoughts and feelings → she feels respected → it
is easier for her to give him the appreciation he deserves → she
acknowledges receiving personal benefit and value from his efforts and
behavior → he feels appreciated → he knows his effort is not wasted → he
is encouraged to give more → he is empowered and motivated to respect
her more.
4. She needs devotion and he needs admiration
When
he proudly commits himself to supporting and fulfilling her→ she feels
adored and special→ when he makes her needs and feelings more important
that his other interests→ she feels she is number one in his life→ she
easily admires him→ he feels her admiration→ she regards him wit wonder,
delight and pleased approval→ she is happily amazed by his unique
characteristics→ he feels admired→ he feels secure to devote himself to
his woman and adore her.
5. She needs validation and he needs approvalWhen
he doesn’t object to her feelings and wants, but accepts and confirms
their validity→ she feels loved→ he confirms her right to feel the way
she does→ he gets the approval he needs→ he receives a signal that he
has passed her tests and become her hero→ he is satisfied and validates
her feelings.
6. she needs she needs reassurance & he needs encouragement
When
he repeatedly shows care, understanding ,respect validation &
devotion → she feels reassured → she feels continually loved → she
expresses confidence in his abilities → she expresses trust, acceptance,
appreciation, admiration & approval → he Is encouraged to give her
the loving reassurance she needs
Story
Imagine
a knight in his shining armor traveling through the countryside.
suddenly he hears a woman crying out in distress in an instant he comes
alive urging his horse to gallop ,he races to her castle, where she is
trapped by a dragon the noble knight pulls out his sword &slays the
dragon .as a result, he is lovingly received by the process.
As
the gates open he is welcomed & celebrated by the family of the
princess & the townspeople .he is invited to live in town & is
acknowledged as a hero .he & the princess fall in love.
A
month later the noble knight goes off on another trip .on his way back
,he hears his beloved princess crying out for help another dragon has
attacked the castle .when the knight arrives he out his sword to slay
the dragon.
Before he swings, the princess cries out from the
tower, don’t use your sword, use this noose. It will work better . She
throws him the noose & motions to him instructors. About how to use
it .he hesitantly follows her instructions. He wraps it around dragon’s
neck & then pulls hard. The dragon dies &everyone rejoices.
At
the celebration dinner the knight feels he didn’t really do anything.
Somehow, because he used her noose & didn’t use his sword, he
doesn’t quite feel worthy of the towns trust & admiration. After the
event he is slightly depressed & forgets to shine his armor. A
month later he goes on yet another trip. As he leave with his sword the
princess reminds him to be careful tells him to take the noose. On his
way home he sees yet another dragon attacking the castle. This time he
rushes forward with his sword but hesitates, thinking maybe he should
use the noose. In that moment of hesitation the dragon breathes fire
& burns his right arm. In confusion he looks up & sees his
princess waving from the castle window
“Use the poison” she yells .the noose doesn’t work.
She
throws him the poison which he pours into the dragon’s mouth & the
dragon dies .everyone rejoices & celebrates .but the knight feels
ashamed.
A month later he goes on another trip. As he leaves with
his sword, the princess reminds him to be careful, & to bring the
noose & the poison. He is annoyed by her suggestions but brings them
just in case.
This time on his journey he hears another woman in
distress. As he rushes to her call, his depression is lifted & he
feels confident & alive. But as he draws his sword to slay the
dragon, he again hesitates. He wonders should I use my sword the noose
or the poison? What would the princess say?
For a moment he is
confused .but then he remembers how he had felt before he knew the
princess back in the days when he only carried a sword .with a burst of
renewed confidence he throws off the noose &the poison &charges
the dragon with his trusted sword .he slays the dragon & the
townspeople rejoice.
The knight in shining armor never returned
to his princess. he stayed in his new village lived happily ever after.
He eventually married but only after making sure his new partner knew
nothing about nooses & poisons.
The knight in shining armor
never returned to his princess. He stayed in his new village and lived
happily ever after. He eventually married, but only after making sure
his new partner know nothing about nooses and poison.
Women generally don’t realize the ways they communicate that are unsupportive and hurtful to the male ego.
Men also don’t recognize the ways they communicate that are disrespectful and unsupportive to women.
8. How to Avoid Arguments?
Just as communication is the most important element in a relationship, arguments can be the most destructive element.
Most couples start out arguing about one thing and within five minutes, are arguing about the way they are arguing.
The four F’s for avoiding hurt in an argument:
Fight:
this comes from the man, when he feels the conversation becomes
unloving, he moves into an offensive stance, “the best defense is a
strong offense”- so he starts on blaming, judging, criticizing and when
his partner backs down, he assumes he has won. Intimidation always
weakens trust in a relationship.
Flight: this also comes
from the man. To avoid confrontation he might retire into his cave and
never come out. The short-term gain is piece and harmony, but if issues
are not being talked about then resentments will build.
Fake:
this stance comes from women. To avoid being hurt, she pretends there’s
no problem, but over time she becomes increasingly resentful, which
blocks the natural expression of love.
Fold: this stance
also comes from women. Rather than argue, she takes the blame and
assume responsibility for whatever is upsetting her partner, but she
ends up losing herself.
The Anatomy of an argument
Step1: A woman expresses her upset feelings about “XYZ”
Step2: A man explains why she shouldn’t be upset about “XYZ”
Step3: She feels invalidated and becomes more upset (she is now more upset about being invalidated than about “XYZ”)
Step4: He feels her disapproval and becomes upset. He blames her for upsetting him and expects an apology before making up.
Step5: She apologizes and wonders what happened, or she becomes more upset and the argument escalates into a battle.
Men rarely say “I’m sorry” because on mars it means you have done something wrong and you are apologizing
The most common way women unknowingly start arguments is by not being direct when they share their feelings
Men are most prone to argue when they have made a mistake or upset the woman they love.
Our critical pair of problems from which arguments arise:
1. The man feels that the woman disapproves of his point of view
2. The woman disapproves of the way the man is talking to her.
9. Scoring Points With the Opposite Sex
When
a woman keeps score, no matter how big or small a gift of love is, it
scores one point; each gift has equal value. Little things make a big
difference.
101 ways to score points with a woman:
1. Upon returning home find her first before doing anything else and give her a hug.
2. Ask her specific questions about her day that indicate an awareness of what she was planning to do
3. Practice listening and asking questions
4. Resist the temptation to solve her problems- empathize instead
5. Give her twenty minutes of unsolicited, quality attention.
6. Bring her cut flowers as a surprise as well as on special occasions
7. Plan a date several days in advance, rather than waiting for Friday night and asking her what she wants to do.
8. If she generally makes dinner or if it is her turn and she seems tired or really busy, offer to make dinner.
9. Compliment her on how she looks
10. Validate her feelings when she is upset
11. Offer to help her when she’s tired
12. Schedule extra time when traveling so that she doesn’t have to rush
13. When you are going to be late, call her and let her know
14. When she asks for support, say yes or no without making her wrong for asking
15.
Whenever her feelings have been hurt, give her some empathy and tell
her, “I’m sorry you feel hurt.” Then be silent; let her feel your
understanding of her hurt. Don’t offer solutions or explanations why her
hurt is not your fault.
16. Whenever you need to pull away, let her know you will be back or that you need sometime to think about things
17.
When you’ve cooled off and you come back, talk about what was bothering
you in a respectful, non blaming way, so she doesn’t imagine the worst
18. Offer to build a fire in wintertime
19. When she talks to you, put down the magazine or turn off the TV and give her your full attention
20. If she usually washes the dishes, occasionally offer to wash the dishes, especially if she is tired that day
21. Notice when she is upset or tired and ask what she has to do. Then offer to help by doing a few of her “to do” items.
22. When going out, ask if there is anything she wants you to pick up at the store, and remember to pick it up
23. Let her know when you are planning to take a nap or leave
24. Give her four hugs a day
25. Call her from work to ask how she is or to share something exciting or to tell her “I love you”.
26. Tell her “I love your” at least a couple of times a day
27. Make the bed and clean up the bedroom
28. If she washes your socks, turn your socks
29. Notice when the trash is full and offer to empty it
30. when you are out of town, call to leave a telephone number where you can be reached and to let her know you arrived safely
31. Wash her car
32. Wash your car and clean up the interior before a date with her
33. Wash before having sex or put on a cologne if she likes that
34. Take her side when she is upset with someone
35. Offer to give her a back or neck or foot massage
36. Make a point of cuddling or being affectionate sometimes without being sexual
37. Be patient when she is sharing. Don’t look at your watch
38. Don’t flick the remote control to different channels when she’s watching TV with you
39. Display affection is public
40. When holding hands don’t let your hand go limp
41. Learn her favorite drinks so you can offer her a choice of the ones that you know she really likes
42. Suggest different restaurants for going out; don’t put the burden of figuring out where to go on her
43. Get season tickets for the theater, cinema, symphony, opera, ballet, or some other type of performance
44. Create occasions when you both can dress up
45. Be understanding when she is late or decides to change her outfit
46. Pay more attention to her than to others in public
47. Make her more important than the children. Let the children see her getting your attention first and foremost
48. Buy her little presents – like a small box of chocolates or perfume
49. Buy her an outfit or a dress
50. Take pictures of her on special occasions
51. take short romantic getaways
52. Let her see that you carry a picture of her in your wallet and update it from time to time
53. When staying in a hotel, have them prepare the room with something special, like a bottle of champagne or flowers
54. Write a note or make a sign on special occasions such as anniversaries and birthdays
55. offer to drive the car on long trips
56. Drive slowly and safely, respecting her preferences. After all she is sitting powerless in the front seat
57.
Notice how she is feeling and comment on it (“you look happy today” or
“you look tired”) and then ask a question like “How was your day?”
58. When taking her out, study in advance the directions so that she does not have to feel responsible to navigate
59. Take her dancing or take dancing lessons together
60. Surprise her with a love note or poem
61. Treat her in ways you did at the beginning of the relationship
62. offer to fix something around the house
63. offer to sharpen her knives in the kitchen
64. Buy some good super glue to fix things that are broken
65. offer to change light bulbs as soon as they go out
66. Help with recycling the trash
67. Read out loud or cut out sections of the newspaper that would interest her
68. Write out neatly any phone messages you may take for her
69. Keep the bathroom floor clean and dry after taking a shower
70. open the door for her
71. offer to carry the groceries
72. Offer to carry heavy boxes for her
73. On trips, handle the luggage and be responsible for packing it near the car
74. If she washes the dishes offer to help scrub pots or other tasks
75. Make a “to fix” list and leave it in the kitchen
76. When she prepares a small meal, compliment her cooking
77. When listening to her talk, use eye contact
78. Touch her with your hand sometimes when you talk to her
79. Show interest in what she does during the day, in the books she reads and people she relates to
80. When listening to her, reassure her that you’re interested by making little noises like aha, oh, mmmm,…
81. Ask her how she is feeling
82. If she has been sick in some way, ask for an update and ask how she is doing or feeling
83. If she is tired, offer to make her some tea
84. Get ready to go to sleep together and get in bed at the same time
85. Give her a kiss and say Good bye when you leave
86. Laugh at her jokes and humor
87. Verbally say thank you when she does things for you
88. Notice when she gets her hair done and give a reassuring compliment
89. Create special time to be a lone together
90. Don’t answer the phone at intimate moments or if she’s sharing vulnerable feelings
91. Go bicycling together, even if it’s just a short ride
92. Organize and prepare a picnic
93. If she handle s the laundry, bring the clothes to the cleaners or offer to do the wash
94. Take her for a walk without the children
95.
Negotiate in a manner that sows her that you want her to get what she
wants and you also want what you want. Be caring, but don’t be a martyr
96. Let her know that you missed her when you went away
97. Bring home her favorite pie or dessert
98. If she normally shops for the food, offer to go with her or do the food shopping
99. Eat lightly on romantic occasions so that you don’t become stuffed and tired later
100. Ask her to add her thoughts to this list
101. Leave the toilet seat down
Most men strive for greater and greater success because they believe it will make them worthy of love
There are five major reasons a man stops giving:
1. Martians idealize fairness
A
man focuses all his energies into a project at work and thinks he has
just scored fifty points. Then he comes home and sits back, waiting for
his wife to score her fifty points. He doesn’t know that in her
experience he has only scored one point. He stops giving because he
thinks he has already given more
2. Venusians idealize Unconditional Love
A
woman gives as much as she can and only notices that she has received
less when she is empty and spent. Women don’t start out keeping score
like men do; women give freely and assume men will do the same.
Men
are not the same, a man gives freely until the score, as he perceives
it, gets uneven, and then sits back to receive what he has given
When a woman is happily giving to a man, he instinctively assumes she is keeping score and he must have more points
3. Martians Give when they are asked
Martians
pride themselves in being self-sufficient. They don’t ask for help
unless they really need it. On Mars, it is rude to offer help unless you
are first asked. Venusians don’t wait to offer their support. When they
love someone, they give in anyway they can. They do not wait to be
asked, and the more they love someone the more they give
4. Venusians say yes even when the score is uneven
Men
don’t realize that when they ask for support, a woman will say yes,
even if the score is uneven. If they can support their man, they will.
The concept of keeping score is not on her mind. Men have to be careful
not to ask for too much. If she feels she is giving more than she is
getting, after a while she will resent that you don’t offer to support
her more
5. Martians give penalty pointsWomen
don’t realize that men give penalty points when they feel unloved and
unsupported. When a woman reacts to a man in an untrusting, rejecting,
disapproving, or unappreciative way, he gives minus or penalty points
HOW WOMEN CAN SCORE BIG WITH MEN
1. He makes a mistake and she doesn’t say “I told you so and so” or offer advice (10-20 points)
2. He disappoints her and she doesn’t punish him (10-20 points)
3. He gets lost while driving and she doesn’t make a big deal out of it (10-20 points)
4.
He gets lost and she sees the good in the situation and says “we would
never have seen this beautiful sunset if we had taken the most direct
route” (20-30 points)
5. He forgets to pick up something and she says “it’s okay. Would you do it next time you’re out?”(10-20 points)
6.
He forgets to pick up something again and she says with trusting
patience and persistence “it’s OK. Would you still get it?” (20-30
points)
7. When she has hurt him and she understands his hurt, she apologizes and gives him the love he needs (10-40 points)
8.
She asks for support and he says no and she is not hurt by his
rejection but trusts that he would if he could. She does not reject him
or disapprove of him (10-20 points)
9. Another time she asks for his
support and he again says no. She doesn’t make him feel wrong but
accepts his limitations at this time (20-30 points)
10. She asks for his support without being demanding when he assumes the score is somewhat even (1-5- points)
11. She asks for his support without being demanding when she is upset or he knows she has been giving more (10-30 points)
12. When he withdraws she doesn’t make him feel guilty (10-20 points)
13. When he comes back from his cave she welcomes him not reject him (10-20 points)
14.
When he apologizes for a mistake and she receives it with a loving
acceptance and forgiveness. The bigger the mistake he makes the more
points he gives (10-50 points)
15. When he asks her to do something and she says no without giving a list of reasons why she can’t do it (1-10 points)
16. When he asks her to do something and she says yes and stays in a good mood (1-10 points)
17.
When he wants to make up after a fight and starts doing little things
for her and she starts appreciating him again (10-30 points)
18. She is happy to see him when he gets home (10-20 points)
19.
She feels disapproving and instead of expressing it she goes in another
room and privately centers herself and then comes back with a more
centered and loving heart (10-20 points)
20. On special occasions she overlooks his mistakes that might normally upset her (20-40 points)
21. She really enjoys having sex with him (10-40 points)
22. He forgets where he put his keys and she doesn’t look at him as though he was irresponsible (10-20 points)
23.
She is tactful or graceful in expressing her dislike or disappointment
about a restaurant or a movie when on a date (10-20 points)
24. She doesn’t give advice when he is driving or parking the car and then appreciate him for getting them there (10-20 points)
25. She asks for his support rather than dwelling on what he has done wrong (10-20 points)
26. She shares her negative feelings in a centered way without blaming, rejecting, or being disapproving of him (10-40 points)
If
a man has made a mistake and feels embarrassed, sorry, or ashamed, then
he needs her love more … the bigger the mistake, the more points he
gives
When a man is in a negative state,… treat him like a passing tornado and lie low