One of my readers, SMoKeLioN, submitted a comment on the Dare to Feel blog entry. He had asked me how I “go out of my way to get a guy.” To which I responded that I don’t “go out of my way to get a guy.” I flirt and connect, and things develop organically.

Then SMoKeLioN clarified what he was asking with this comment:

What I meant by that is I’d like to read about you yourself either opening or baiting him into opening. And then making it known to him that he’s able to proceed through the doors you’ve opened for him without fear … you know, making sure he is still leading and the man, even though you might be pulling some of the strings to help things along. The girls that can do that… those are the girls that have game.

Thanks for a great question, my friend. And thanks for being one of the few people who recognizes that girls need “game” just as much as guys do. Now, to answer your question …

First of all, I left behind all forms of manipulation eons ago, so the whole “baiting him into opening” is not in my repertoire. Once upon a time, I used to think “if I do this, then he will do that.” But think about it: there’s no presence in thinking like that. It’s all about some future outcome. Being present means “I have no idea why, but I feel like doing this or saying this right now. So that’s what I’m going to do or say RIGHT NOW.” Without regard to how the other person is going to respond.

Next point. This is related to the last point. The answer to all of this, the answer to every guru and every e-book and every master DVD series that any guru has ever issued is one word: INTUITION. Unfortunately, most men and women who seek dating advice get buried in information overload and mind chatter. And mind chatter is the one and the ONLY thing that will actually prevent men and women from being able to hear their intuition. Thus, in short, DISASTER.

Third point. How do I “make it known to him that he’s able to proceed through the doors you’ve opened for him without fear.” I face and erase my own fears. If I see fear in someone else, I recognize it as the mirror that it is, and I address it within myself. Some gurus poo poo inner game, but ALL game is inner game. “Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.” The more fear I dissolve within myself, the more people move toward me.

Fourth point. As for him leading, yes, he tends to lead the initial seduction and he tends to lead in the sexual arena. Later, as the relationship develops, it tends to get more blurry. We are walking a path together, and the way it stays alive is when there is a really balanced give and take. I still like it when a guy leads, but I don’t want to be too rigid about that as the relationship develops. Even more important than leadership, as the relationship develops, is presence. Attentiveness. Connection.

Fifth point. Back to intuition. I stay grounded in my feelings. When going out, I tend to get myself in a very playful mood. I love verbal repartee with guys. It turns me on. A lot of the skills that PUAs learn are equally applicable by girls. Playful reframes and high octane flirting. Sincere interest in other people. None of this is really possible until the mind chatter has been cleared out. People with mind chatter are not present because their “inner committee” is pulling them in 50 different directions, most of which are not here and now.

Sixth point. Radical authenticity. Gurus teach a myriad of techniques for injecting life into relationships. The easiest one is to be daringly honest. Instant excitement in your relationship just by challenging yourself each day to be a little more honest about how you feel, about what you like and don’t like, about what you want, without making it “about” the other person.

And finally … back to:

Intuition, intuition, intuition. There is a voice inside each one of us that always knows exactly what to say and exactly what to do, in every moment. It knows how to flirt and how to attract and how to have deep, beautiful relationships. Because it is tapped into the Divine Intelligence, it requires no planning. The past disappears, the future disappears. Everything is reduced to this moment. Whatever flirtation is going on becomes the only thing going on. And its sole purpose becomes enjoyment of the moment, come what may.

So how does a girl keep a guy around? By forgetting that she cares about keeping him around. By moving evermore into the present moment and her feelings and her intuition.