(while this lady's blog isn't my cup of tea... nor do I recommend this sort of strategy for dating, especially after you've weathered a pathological (a she misses a lot of RED FLAGS in what she says here)... but, a lot of this post of hers is very good and worth a read!)

The dating deception single women invariable confront range from the annoying (online photos that turn out to be a decade old), to the aggravating (“I’ll call you”), to the agonizing (“Oh, her? Just a friend”). But usually we don’t remain in the dark forever – one way or another, the truth will out.

Far more insidious, however, are the lies we women tell ourselves. These myths may feel comfy, but by insulating us from sometimes unpleasant realities, they undermine our ability to make rational decisions based on complete information, thus sabotaging our long-term romantic goals.

In my practice as a Rules dating coach, here are the most common dating myths women fall for:

1) He’s intimidated by you. I hear this one all the time. What’s even more mortifying is I used to fall for it myself. Women with lots going for them – attractive professionals with their act pulled together – will tell themselves that the reason the object of their affection isn’t responding to their flirtation is because he’s just overawed by their credentials, looks, or financial standing.

Ladies, it just isn’t true. Wish it was true – so much more palatable than “he’s just not that into you.” And yes, there are plenty of mousy guys out there. But even the mousiest specimen will discover his inner manly man when he sees a woman he wants to be with. Let go of the fantasy relationships to open yourself up to a real one.

2) Women love men who treat them like crap. I recently came across a heinous example of this sort of misogynistic claptrap in a blog by a self-styled pick-up artist guru – Roissy in DC – claiming: “The men women want most” are “cads and ***holes.” That may be true for a minority, but women with high self-esteem find adoring, persistent and respectful attention an incredible turn-on.

Such women instinctively avoid wasting time on men who cultivate “low expectations,” as Roissy recommends.

“Because you love yourself, you are no longer interested in men who ignore you, cheat on you, hurt you …You have no desire to chase someone who hasn’t noticed you, sought you out, or dialed your number to ask you out.”

3) It’s what’s on the inside that counts. Before you have a heart attack, let me emphasize that it IS what’s on the inside – your essence, your spirit, your intellect – that a man falls in love with, and that is all important when it comes to building a relationship and sustaining it over the long run, especially during hard times. But unfortunately, this “truth” can become a myth, when we use it to dismiss the importance of looking our best when it comes to attracting men. In addition to diet and exercise, this includes making an extra effort to look pulled together, feminine and sexy.

4) He’s teasing you because he likes you. We’ve been fed this line ever since we came home crying about Johnny’s spitballs in 3rd grade. While it may have been true for young boys, still developing emotionally and sexually, a grown man who tries to put you off balance with verbal sparring on the first few dates doesn’t really care that much about you – or is playing games, which, in my book, amount to the same thing. Again, the players’ guru, Roissy, explicitly encourages men to ask a date questions “designed to put her on the defensive,” such as “Are you a good kisser?” or “Are you rich?” I’ve detailed your options for dealing with such questions elsewhere, but suffice it to say here that a man who really likes you will NOT risk offending you, and thus spoiling his chances of sleeping with you, by playing such games.

5) It doesn’t matter what night he wants to see you — Thursday, Friday, Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, whatever – only THAT he wants to see you. You may want to believe it’s not important whether he asks you for Saturday or not – but he knows the importance, believe me. Remember the Beach Boys’ lyric? “None of the guys go steady, ‘cuz it wouldn’t be right to leave your best girl home on a Saturday night.” On the other end of the spectrum, Roissy tells men to “train women to have low expectations for seeing you on prime [EXPECTIVE] hunting nights.” If he’s not seeing you on Saturday, he’s seeing someone else – or looking for someone he WOULD want to see on Saturdays, and every other day, in perpetuity.

If you think you may be falling for one or more of these myths – but aren’t sure about whether it applies to your specific situation, then sign up for a free 10-minute consultation at www.maliburulesgirl.com. Next week I’ll fill you in on the next five lies women tell themselves in dating, so you can break out of self-destructive delusions to realize your highest romantic goals.

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PART 2

In last week's blog, I focused on the five most common dating myths that mire women in romantic ruts. I was not prepared for the outpouring of women - literally from around the world - who contacted me, sheepishly admitting that they'd been falling for one or more of these self-delusions:

1) He's "intimidated" by you.
2) Women love men who treat them like crap.
3) It's only what's on the inside that counts.
4) He's teasing you because he likes you.
5) It doesn't matter what night he asks you out - only THAT he asks you out.

Inspired by all the women who are clearly ready to start a New Year by ditching self-sabotaging deceptions, I've decided to offer five more myths which could be trapping you in old, unhealthy relationship patterns.

6) The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Yes, I'm talking to you, lady with the spatula, baking Christmas cookies for the doctor you have a crush on - and you, foodie-girl, planning to prepare a gourmet holiday dinner for your boyfriend and his pals. The myth is believing that demonstrating your culinary skills will give him yet one MORE incentive to date or marry you, but in fact it may backfire. A man you'd like to date may savor every crumb of your amazing rugelach, but he'll also know you like him, think you're trying too hard, see you as less of a challenge, and thus unconsciously downgrade your dating market value.

Men you're already dating will again, certainly appreciate the five course meal you've slaved over, but he will probably also feel a little entrapped by such wannabe-wifey-behavior, and may even take you for granted.

7) He's afraid of his feelings. Okay, this is right up there with myth #1, above, in its ubiquity. Every time I hear one of my new clients trying to explain away a guy's emotional distance or ambivalence toward commitment in terms of "issues" he's still working out from his childhood, his last marriage, etc. it sets off serious alarm bells. I've seen women play therapist for years with men who were supposedly "afraid to fall in love" only to have Mr. Fraidy-Cat dump them unceremoniously after suddenly finding his courage to love and, wow, get engaged to someone else in a matter of months, not years. The best case scenario is that he may indeed be in love with you, but you're preventing him from discovering his true feelings on his own by crowding him with relationship talk and spending too much time with him.

8) Going on trips together will bring you closer as a couple. Wrong. I've talked to so many women who went on these amazing week-long (or longer) trips with a man to Europe, the Caribbean, Hawaii, etc. - thinking that the new levels of emotional and physical intimacy they've reached will translate into a more secure relationship - only to have the guy call it quits within days of returning home.

As Sherrie Schneider and Ellen Fein, authors of The Rules, observe: "Trips make men go backwards." All of a sudden they think they're locked into a marriage track, have doubts, and bolt. Better to have him go on the trip alone, think about you, wonder about you, miss you, and think, "Gee, this would be a good place for a honeymoon."

9) Mind-blowing sex will make him want to marry you. I'm not talking here about the woman who's enjoying joyful adventurous sex simply for her pleasure - but the gal who's investing loads of energy into learning tantric techniques, taking him on trips to the sex-toys shop, priding herself on sexual acrobatics worthy of Zumanity, and putting on an exaggerated verbal performance of how great it all is, hoping to get him so hooked on her sexual charms that he'll never want to leave. Then he does. You want a man to fall in love with your whole being - not just your body. Also you don't want to be the one doing most of the work, either in bed, or in the relationship in general. Not only will trying too hard create imbalance in the relationship, it can also prevent you from relaxing and enjoying this aspect of your love.

10) Love conquers all. Like #3 above, this myth harbors a profound truth: the bond you share with your beloved will help you weather hardships, overcome obstacles and rise above petty differences. But despite its power, love is not a magic wand that can make serious problems, like drug/alcohol dependency, abusive tendencies, or womanizing disappear.

Moreover, if you're counting on "love" to change your man - for example, make him more ambitious, or more generous - you're setting the stage for disappointment and frustration on both sides, because men never really change.

If you've been deluding yourself with one or more of the above myths take heart - you're in good company!

Paradoxically, I sometimes find that the smarter women are, the more likely they are to succumb to such delusions, maybe because they have a tendency to over-think relationships, or believe they can "make" things happen in love the same way they do in their careers. Fortunately, recognizing patterns of self-deception is a big step towards breaking them.

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