Poisonsous Mindsets

legolas

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Fellow DJ,

I don't post here as much anymore as my life is more important to me than wasting time on a forum typing away for hours in an effort to portray my superiority of knowledge :D

Everybody who posts here thinks their situation is unique and different and they ask for specific advice regarding their situation not realizing that 90% of the time they're living in what I call a Poisonous Mindset. This mindset/pattern is poisoning their lives and they don't even know it. The patterns are always the same but the situations are seemingly unique. There's a belief that if you can learn a better technique say something different things will instantly change for the better.

For the majority of us, girl problems revolve around some very specific patterns that are universal. These are ideas that we've picked up seemingly out of nowhere. For example I used to have a HUGE problem with neediness. I was way too clingy when it came to girls and have successfully managed to screw up several potential relationships due to desperation. Desperation by the way is the advanced level of neediness, when things get just too much.

The following is an abstract from a book I'm working on so I'd appreciate any feedback.

Neediness is one of the biggest poisonous patterns because it shows itself in all situations, whether it be dating, sex, relationships or even business. On this post I will deal specifically with neediness.

Neediness is simply a need for validation from external sources. The key to neediness is the belief that external validation is the only kind that matters. Now what do I mean by external validation? External validation is simply validation that someone gives you either by agreeing with you, doing something for you or some other way.

Think of the last time when you asked a girl out and she said yes, or when you got that kiss at the end of the first date. You probably felt invigorated, giddy, and jumped up and down as if doing a victory dance. Sex for some is the ultimate validation and they end up valuing it beyond what is considered normal. Validation feels pretty good. In fact validation feels so good that you can be addicted to it.

Being addicted to validation is just like a drug addiction. When you get it, it feels pretty awesome but when you're not getting it, you can sink into the deepest of depressions. That's when you start to feel desperate like that drug addict begging for the next hit.

Understanding neediness

Looking at the definition above we can see that neediness is made up of two components. First there is the need which implies that you don't have a choice in the matter. 9 times of 10 the need is self inflicted. What I mean by this is that the need is not something that is vital to your survival like food and water, but usually something where you do have a choice. For example if you had a need for a date you can go and ask an unattractive woman out and get a date easily but you choose not to.

The second component is the belief that only validation from an external source matters. This is a well-known effect in psychology where we tend to value the opinion of a third party more than that of someone we know. For example if your mother told her friend "Dan is a good looking guy" you won't value it as much as when you overhear a girl telling her friend "Dan is so cute!" This is logical because in your mind her opinion is pure but your mom's opinion is biased.

Getting rid neediness

Now that we know what neediness is how do we get rid of it? You have to work on both components of neediness and fix each one separately. First, as we discussed, needing something implies lack of choice in the matter. To overcome this, you need to shift your mindset from one of need to one of want.

Instead of thinking how much you need something, think about how much you want it. Simply replace the thinking in your head from a need to a want thus giving yourself the choice. You want it, but you're fine if you don't get it. Do not underestimate the subtlety of this shift. Whenever you start to feel the neediness creeping in, immediately shift our thoughts from needing it to wanting it. I call this the Chooser Mindset.

Second you need to change the belief that only external validation matters. This is a little tougher since it's a normal human behavior. The key to changing it is to have your own standards that you use to value things like yourself or your accomplishments. Don't rely on other people's opinion as the only source of validation. It helps to be proud of yourself, and the things you've accomplished.

In fact it wouldn't hurt to be a little ****y either: "Damn right I'm good. I spent some quality time figuring this out and I did it!" I know this is counterintuitive since everybody out there wants you to be humble and not ****y. The secret is to be proud of the accomplishment you got as a direct result of the effort you put in and not as a result of you being superior. This is known as the Growth Mindset.
 

Interceptor

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How did you manage with all the leveling up you need to do? God , you are so generous with us!!!!











:rolleyes:
 

brownbear.

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you're basically replacing an external-validation based reward system with an accomplishment-based reward system. sure, everyone feels good when they accomplish something, but isn't that just more validation seeking? when you're working towards something, you don't always accomplish your goals. life tends to throw you curveballs from time to time, slowing or even halting your progress. i'll tell you that i didn't accomplish a single thing today, and still am happy with myself. and what if one of my goals is to attract beautiful women? i am simultaneously seeking validation and working towards accomplishing something, both of which feel great, but temporarily. an accomlishment-based reward system is just another form of seeking validation, your long-term happiness shouldn't depend on it.

as far as your writing style, its a little choppy for my tastes. if this is really going to be part of a book, i would suggest a few re-writes to help refine your ideas a little better, they seem to meander a little without really reaching any valid point. also this "poisonous mindset/chooser mindset/growth mindset" is psycho-babble jargon and nonsense, and i could really do without it. show me some extensive psychological credentials accompanied with some well-thought-out and eloquently expressed ideas and theories, then you get to start coining new phrases.

and where does this number "90%" of the time people are victims of a "poisonous mindset" come from? thats obviously conjecture and not backed up by any imperical evidence or hard data, which is fine for a post on an internet forum, but to go into a book you might want to do some "research" or even some actual "work" rather than just typing out whatever bullsh!t is circling through your head all day while you stand around flipping burgers.

i don't know if your introductory paragraph was meant to be inflammatory towards the forum, but it certainly came off that way, which is why, admittedly, i am being very deliberately contrary towards you. if you want an honest review of parts of your book, i would avoid insulting the potential readers off the bat(maybe work your way up to it?), as it causes a knee-jerk reaction which is to dislike you.

also i hope the irony isn't lost on you that your initial statement:

I don't post here as much anymore as my life is more important to me than wasting time on a forum typing away for hours in an effort to portray my superiority of knowledge
loosely translated is:

"i'm better than other posters because i dont post on a forum telling other posters that i am better than them"

good stuff!

edit: p.s. boston is a racist sh!thole, lets go yankees!
 

Five To One

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I cant help but laugh at how much brownbear just ripped you a new acehole. Whether you deserved it, im not going to make that call. Maybe it was a little over the top.

Neediness is addressed over and over and I feel it is almost over stressed to a point

i'm going to share a little story from my life.

At the peak of my indifference toward girls, I had a girlfriend cheat on me out of anger because she thought I no longer cared about her. I had acted so unneedy that it had driven her to be unfaithful in hopes of me showing some love toward her.

That wasnt much of a story now that I read it but anyway... I learned an important lesson, dont be afraid to show a women how much you care about her.
 

At this point you probably have a woman (or multiple women) chasing you around, calling you all the time, wanting to be with you. So let's talk about how to KEEP a woman interested in you once you have her. This is BIG! There is nothing worse than getting dumped by a woman that you really, really like.

Quote taken from The SoSuave Guide to Women and Dating, which you can read for FREE.

legolas

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Thank you all for the feedback

@brownbear
I see what you're saying, but your argument is based on the idea that validation, whether external or internal is a bad thing. If that were true, what would be the point of having goals and achieving them?

If I have a goal to get more fit and have a plan in place, every step of the plan that is accomplished gives me the necessary boost in energy to move to the next phase because I'm seeing the progress in myself, I'm feeling better, healthier and more energetic and NOT because I'm getting more looks from girls.

@FTO, you cannot equate neediness with caring. Those two are completely different things. Neediness is just a form of motivation and caring is an emotion. Indifference has nothing to do with neediness either because it's the opposite of caring and not the opposite of being needy. Don't confuse the two.

@brownbear
If the number doesn't work for you then ignore it. There's no need to insult someone on the internet just because it's anonymous and it gets you off.
 

KarmaSutra

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From a fellow Red Sox brother and a fellow scribe, I'll give you my two cents worth:

1. Neediness can be a wonderful motivator if used in the proper context and at the appropriate time.

You're giving your opinion without examples. Your readers are owed specifics. Relatable specifics to be exact. They want to know you know what you're talking about by seeing you progress from the point where they are to where they want to be.

2. On writing, give yourself time to step away from what you've written in order for your subconsious mind to see it from a fresh perspective. I tried, with great despair, to edit my own work and it causes more headaches than it's worth. Find someone who you admire, who has similar writing styles, and ask them to read your work and rebut with suggestions.

You see, we expect people to immediately connect with what we write because it's our egotistical slackjaw speaking, not our rational mind. Different points of view are what make a writer great and relatable.

3.
9 times of 10 the need is self inflicted.
Don't write out numbers. Always spell them out (Nine times out of ten-) and watch for tonality and pacing.

I'll gladly assist you in your book if you'd like brother.

Thank you for helping all of us.
 

brownbear.

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of course, there is a wide spectrum of validation, and some forms are healthier than others, for instance earning the love and respect of people that you admire and respect is great. on the other hand, while winning a fight with someone weaker than you can give you a sense of validation, it is ultimately destructive. of course validation, on the healthy end of the spectrum can be great for your life, but is it essential to happiness?

i've studied some buddhism in the past, and there is a school of thought that a man should be able to be content sitting on a mountainside meditating and eating yak cheese all day. now, to those of us who have to live in the real world, this notion is absurd, and i fully believe that each of us should strive to be the most productive member of society that is possible(although i honestly feel i could move to iowa, live in a one bedroom, never get laid and fix tv's for the rest of my life and still be happy, but thats neither here nor there).

your notion about people confusing needs with wants are spot-on, but wants are sometimes a great motivating factor, i want to lose a few pounds so i went running today and feel great!

contrary to what you may believe, i actually LOVE a good argument in real life. i try to choose my words carefully and think through all my actions, so when someone even implies criticism of me or someone i respect, i get whats been described as "a fire in my eyes and a maniacal grin" and proceed to verbally crush them. i've very rarely been outmatched in an argument about something i feel passionate about, and pride myself somewhat on my debating prowess.

so you have to understand that your implication that these men are "wasting time on a forum typing away for hours" when they have helped me tremendously, brought out my naturally combative nature. i'm sure when you first started you got some decent advice, and after you and i are gone, people will continue to give and recieve some solid advice. how could giving back to that same forum mean in any way that my life is somehow less important to me than yours is to you?

while i don't necessarily disagree with my earlier post, i would have put in much more effort to frame it out in a more positive, constructive way had it not been for your initial statement. judging by the orcs and catapults of confidence comments above mine you invoked similar reactions in people besides me. try leaving statements like this out of your next post and i can almost gaurantee a much warmer reception.

while i love to argue, i am not an emotional debater, and as long as the oppositions points are conveyed in a logical and intelligent manner(which they were) i maintain nothing but respect for them(you)

so. . .truce?

your favorite master-debater and cunning-linguist,
brownbear.
 

Sandow

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legolas said:
I don't post here as much anymore as my life is more important to me than wasting time on a forum typing away for hours in an effort to portray my superiority of knowledge
Oh so is that why you have more than 900 posts.
 

Well I'm here to tell you there is such a magic wand. Something that will make you almost completely irresistible to any woman you "point it" at. Something guaranteed to fill your life with love, romance, and excitement.

Quote taken from The SoSuave Guide to Women and Dating, which you can read for FREE.

search1ng

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brownbear. said:
of course, there is a wide spectrum of validation, and some forms are healthier than others, for instance earning the love and respect of people that you admire and respect is great. on the other hand, while winning a fight with someone weaker than you can give you a sense of validation, it is ultimately destructive. of course validation, on the healthy end of the spectrum can be great for your life, but is it essential to happiness?

i've studied some buddhism in the past, and there is a school of thought that a man should be able to be content sitting on a mountainside meditating and eating yak cheese all day. now, to those of us who have to live in the real world, this notion is absurd, and i fully believe that each of us should strive to be the most productive member of society that is possible(although i honestly feel i could move to iowa, live in a one bedroom, never get laid and fix tv's for the rest of my life and still be happy, but thats neither here nor there).

your notion about people confusing needs with wants are spot-on, but wants are sometimes a great motivating factor, i want to lose a few pounds so i went running today and feel great!

contrary to what you may believe, i actually LOVE a good argument in real life. i try to choose my words carefully and think through all my actions, so when someone even implies criticism of me or someone i respect, i get whats been described as "a fire in my eyes and a maniacal grin" and proceed to verbally crush them. i've very rarely been outmatched in an argument about something i feel passionate about, and pride myself somewhat on my debating prowess.

so you have to understand that your implication that these men are "wasting time on a forum typing away for hours" when they have helped me tremendously, brought out my naturally combative nature. i'm sure when you first started you got some decent advice, and after you and i are gone, people will continue to give and recieve some solid advice. how could giving back to that same forum mean in any way that my life is somehow less important to me than yours is to you?

while i don't necessarily disagree with my earlier post, i would have put in much more effort to frame it out in a more positive, constructive way had it not been for your initial statement. judging by the orcs and catapults of confidence comments above mine you invoked similar reactions in people besides me. try leaving statements like this out of your next post and i can almost gaurantee a much warmer reception.

while i love to argue, i am not an emotional debater, and as long as the oppositions points are conveyed in a logical and intelligent manner(which they were) i maintain nothing but respect for them(you)

so. . .truce?

your favorite master-debater and cunning-linguist,
brownbear.
lol.
 
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Instead of thinking how much you need something, think about how much you want it

you want to believe your not like us, despite your displacement of your seeking everyones approval, sounds like a double standard
 

legolas

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I appreciate all your feedback. I did make some unneccesary assumptions and need to be more careful about the words or statistics, and yes the final version will have more examples.

@brownbear I do have to learn to take any criticism as constructive criticism unless there are direct insults which I will just have to chuckle at.

Thank you all
 
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