inherwords@themanfaq.com

MEN, YOU ALREADY KNOW that shuffling around with your eyes down, publicly berating yourself for a trip-and-fall or failing to approach a female because you are wearing your fat pants today are no way to win a woman’s heart.

Do you like being single? Then stop reading this, because you’re doing everything right.

For the rest of you, let me lend a hand here. Women like confidence. No, not Mr. I’m-the-smartest-person-in-the-room or I’m-too-sexy-for-this-shirt guy. I am talking about honest-to-sh** BELIEF IN YOURSELF, folks.

Who is this mysterious stranger, you ask? Allow me to introduce you…

A confident man is:

* A man who looks at you passionately. This is a man who has searched the globe for your beautiful face and now he is fortunate enough to get to gaze at it daily. He is no dumb-dumb. He is going to let show that giddy feeling he gets when you enter a room. This goes double during ultra-private moments, gang. Four words: Let your feelings show.

* A man who listens. Women are thoughtful, interesting creatures with much on their minds as they do battle daily with a world that asks much of them. How do they cope with this chaos? They ruminate, they contemplate and they consider until they have either figured it out or flagged it as unsolvable. Listen and offer ideas, but back off if she rejects them all. It’s a signal she just wants to be heard.

* A man who plays games with little girls. C’mon, guys, anybody can play with a little boy. Trucks, tanks, fire engines, you know you secretly would rather go “pew, pew” with that toy gun than go to work. It takes a confident man to sit cross-legged on the floor with a little girl and brush My Little Pony’s mane until it shines. That, my friend, is a man who already knows he is Hrothgar and need not prove it. Rwoaaar!

* A man who cooks. This traditionally has been women’s work but more often these days we see dude’s sweating it out over a hot stove. Cooking is artistic, poetic and masculine. Downright sexy, really. What is it about the effort that’s put into a great meal coupled with the pleasure chemicals that fire off as we eat? Well. Who cares why, really. It’s real. Pro tip: Clear the dishes, posthaste. You don’t have to wash every glass; just herd them together in the sink and rinse off the food bits before retiring for the night. Thoughtful is what that is.

* A man who works out. A good sweat daily shows respect for yourself, and your partner. You care how you look, sure, but how about prolonging your life so you and your lady can grow old together? And don’t forget the offspring, as those big round eyes look up at you and take in everything you do. Set a precedent and lead by example. A family that exercises sleeps better, feels better, looks better, has more options on weekends and is certain to enjoy each others company for many years to come if everyone is fit and athletic.

* A man who is social. You know that guy who argues with EVERYONE he meets, often pointing out the perceived fallacies in their ideas before obnoxiously introducing his own, often bizarre, concepts about how F’d up the world is because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah? Yeah. Don’t be that guy. Fighting with everyone, ranting loudly and ruining social gatherings to the point where your woman does not want to go out with you screams insecurity.

* A man who forgoes jealousy. What does he need that for? He’s got this, right?

Do you have questions for our resident lady? Submit them here.

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Photo credit: Flickr photo / Ryan Smith, Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)