The Forum cries out, "OMG, this is the BEST thread title ever!"
Someone related to espionage told me this: we are most vulnerable at two points in our lives. First, it is when we are without a lifemate. Second, is when we have lost our financial footing. He told me that spies and all find these two weaknesses in Human Nature the easiest and most common to exploit.
The experience of being a Nice Guy or AFC should have waken you up to the reality of the how easy it is to be exploited of the first weakness. It is not just those girls who walked over you that was in the exploiting. It is also the marketing. "Wear this and all the ladies will love you!" The movies. "OMG, that young actress is sooo hot! Who cares the movie sucks or she can't act." Music. "Lalalala, I sing of my heart's loneliness, lalalala." Clubs, bars, designer clothes, sports cars, all the people behind it are pressuring your weak point there.
How to solve this weak point?
1) Be comfortable and confident to go get ANY girl at ANY time no matter your financial/material situation.
2) Know what you TRULY want in life, have a PURPOSE or a PASSION, which is a stronger tether to keep you from being pulled by exploiters.
3) Be able to say NO to any girl and don't take CR@P from anyone.
4) Create an identity that doesn't depend on women or female approval (father, husband, boyfriend, player, all are insignificant since they depend on women to exist).
5) Keep investing time in yourself. Don't $hit your entire youth chasing girls.
The second weakness is much softer than the other one. The issue of money is very important, it will be a dominant issue in your life, probably even more so than women. How do people exploit those who have little to no financial footing? Let us count the ways:
By big corporations promising you a career to 'climb the corporate ladder' for the rest of your life with '401k' retirements and all. What they do not say is that there is no job security today. And those GM/Ford/Airline/ETC. workers who were promised pension retirements? Their pension funds keep getting slashed, so they have to go back to work. Do you really think the 401 ks and mutual funds will be as secure?
By banks offering you a house. "Your house is an asset," they say. Yes, it is true. But your house is an asset to the bank. Even if you pay off your house, your payments will probably increase due to property taxes and other costs. You really believe you 'own' your house? Try not paying your property taxes and you will find out who TRULY owns your house.
By Wall Street saying, "Invest for the long term! Diversify, diversify, diversify!" Does Warren Buffet diversify? What about Bill Gates? Keep control of your money, don't just hand it over to fund managers.
By politicians saying, "We will fix your pension problem" to "Let us lower taxes" to "let us raise taxes on the 'rich'". Politicians are very wealthy and they did not earn their wealth through income. There is no Wealth Tax. But there is an income tax because they don't want YOU to be wealthy. If everyone was financially secure, what role would the politician have? Most political issues are financial is not because of coincidence. From college loans, to oversea jobs, to lay-offs, to social security, to health care, on and on and on, they are all targeting your financial weak spot.
The cure from being financially exploited is:
1) Become financially literate (KNOW how to read a financial statement. Everyone needs to know how to do this. You will be dealing with money your entire life. You will realize there are two constants in life: one is for you to make money. And second is for everyone to want your money. Everyone.)
2) Keep open the OPTION of investing or making a business (You do not HAVE to. But we become stronger when we have more options, not less. If you feel yourself incapable of breaking out and starting a business or investment, you will be enslaved to employers for the rest of your life. Just keep the options open.)
3) Do what YOU want, do NOT follow the Way. (What is the 'Way'? The Way is College -> Good Job -> Marriage -> Big House -> Vacations -> Kids -> Save for kids college -> Retire. You do not HAVE to get married and do any of that. There is no formula for life. Never trust anyone who tells you that should consider yourself 'lucky' even if you feel unhappy in your job, wife/girl, or house.
Do all the above in italics and I will die a happy Pook. There is a reason why they call the financial world a 'Dog eat dog' world. Who is eating WHOM? Also, consider those Nature shows of one sex devouring another. Humans are capable of it as well. There is a reason why young men turn into a big fat bald old man by the time they are thirty or forty. Healthiness of soul is healthiness of life.