Do you feel like you have “dating burnout”? Like modern single life is a treadmill of flaky guys, false hope and meaningless hookups?
If you’re still interested in finding real, deep, meaningful commitment in modern dating (yes, it does exist), I need you to stop what you’re doing and watch this video now.
Has Caring Too Much Ever Sabotaged Your Relationship?
Are You Ready to Create Something Real in Your Love Life?
Leave a Comment Below…
I don’t need to be a mind reader to know that an enormous number of people watching this video right now feel this…
“Dating Sucks…”
Now why do they feel this way?
Because they want to create something real.
Chances are if you’re watching this video, you want to create something real.
You wanna find someone who values you. Find someone who invests in you. Who you can invest in. Someone who you can build something enduring with, but instead here’s what you get…
Casual dating, meaningless hookups, and mixed, confusing-ass signals.
Now this leaves people very frustrated.
It leaves them wondering if what they’re looking for is actually out there.
I recently ran an exclusive closed-door event for my closest clients.
It was invite-only, and I made them one promise:
I am gonna talk all day about how to create a real and lasting relationship, and avoid the casual dating, hookup culture we feel like we’re currently existing in.
What I’m about to show you is a clip from that private event.
A moment that highlights the frustration people are feeling right now that we’re talking about here. And watch all the way to the end, because after that clip, I’m gonna join you back here to show you a strange, counter-intuitive way that that frustration I’m talking about could actually be costing you the real relationship you’re looking for.
Check it out.
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Audience Guest: “Hi Matthew. Good to see you. Welcome back to NYC.”
Matthew: “Thank you for having me.”
Audience Guest: “The content that you have today is really amazing, and I’m really happy to be here. That’s first of all.”
Matthew: “Thank you.”
Audience Guest: “Recently, I had a conversation with a gentleman who said to me, ‘You know, Cecilia? You are intimidating to men. You are too smart. Guys can’t get over on you, and that’s gonna be a problem for you.’ And I thought, ‘I don’t wanna guy in my life that’s gonna be intimidated by my strength. I want someone that’s gonna embrace my strength, and who I am as a human being, and as a woman.’ As I get older I find that it is a little harder, and I ask, how can I allow myself to be open to love, finding a great partner who’s gonna embrace who I am?”
Matthew: “What you’re saying works on the presumption that men inherently find smart women unattractive, or intimidating. Some men are intimidated by smart women. Some men are intimidated by women who have found their purpose, who have found something that they really enjoy doing. Especially if those men haven’t found what they enjoy doing.
“Some men are intimidated by women who go to the gym a lot. [Laughter] Especially if they can’t get themselves to kinda get into a routine with that.
“I mean I just think that the…higher a frequency you’re living on, the less people are gonna be either available to you or desirable to you.”
Audience Guest: “So how do I find love if that’s the case? My pool is getting smaller and smaller. I’m not getting any younger. [Laughter] I’m sorry…”
Matthew: “I just think that it doesn’t help you to think about it in the macro like that. Like you’re thinking about it at this bird’s eye view of, you know, ‘My pool is getting smaller, and men don’t like… They’re intimidated by intelligent women, and this, and that,’ and… I just… I don’t…
“My friend is a doctor, and he told me a phrase once, he said, ‘statistics don’t matter to the individual.’
“In medicine, when someone has a rare disease, the fact that only one in a hundred thousand people get that disease is irrelevant to the person that got the disease. Right? Statistics don’t matter to the individual. And I would say that on a relationship level, statistics don’t matter to you either, and won’t matter to you when you meet someone special.
“It won’t matter to you what the economics are right now of finding a relationship.
“It only matters to you now because those are the terms that you’re thinking in, and I just don’t think that it serves you to think in those terms. If I had thought in those terms about business, I never would have started a business. The results of businesses succeeding–new businesses–are so low that if you went by that you would never start a business.
“But I didn’t start a business to overcome the odds of business. I started a business because I had something I really wanted to say, and do, and I wanted to live a life where I wasn’t going into a job I hated. So it was a different thing driving me.
“And I understand your point. I’m not minimizing that it’s difficult to find someone special.
“It is.
“It one hundred percent is.
“The good news is that everyone’s feeling the same way.
“Right? Everyone’s feeling that.
“No one is… It’s…
“It’s really hard no matter who you are.
“You could be a person that like a hundred men are throwing themselves at you a day… It still doesn’t mean you’re gonna find anyone you wanna spend your life with.
“It’s just hard for everyone, but again I don’t think that it’s because you’re smart. I just think that the more you achieve in life, and the more you drive yourself, the less people you feel… You could still connect to everybody, ’cause I think there’s something to learn from everyone… but there are less people that will just resonate on that frequency that you’re on, and you know, that’s okay. That just means you have high standards, and you have to keep doing it.
“And if your view is, ‘I can’t keep doing it.’ Then I say, what is the thing that you keep doing that you’re deciding you’re not gonna do anymore? I would like to know Cecilia, if you said to me, ‘Matt, the whole point of me saying this, is because I’m about to give up.’ What are you giving up? That’s what I wanna know. What’s the behavior, what’s the thing that you’re gonna stop doing because you’re sick and tired of not meeting the right man? Tell me that.”
Audience Guest: “I don’t know, because I think I’m doing a lot of different things to try and meet the right guy.”
Matthew: “So what’s the thing that is disrupting your life right now that you don’t wanna do anymore?”
Audience Guest: “I don’t wanna worry about it. I want it to happen organically.”
Matthew: “Okay, but like what does that mean? You want it to happen when you’re laying in bed?”
Audience Guest: “I’m standing at a cafe… I’m gonna use one of your lines. I’m standing at a cafe, and I actually start chatting with someone.”
Matthew: “Okay great, but that’s not organic. That’s you trying.”
Audience Guest: “Well…” [Laughter]
Matthew: “So again, what’s the thing, like…I’m challenging you right now, and I know you can take it, but I… I don’t know what your question is. Is your question, ‘Is it hard to meet someone that you spend the rest of your life with?’ Yes. Is your question, ‘Do I really want this?’ I think, probably the answer is ‘yes.’”
Audience Guest: “Yes.”
Matthew: “Right? ‘Cause it’s an experience of life you wanna have.”
Audience Guest: “Yes.”
Matthew: “Is your question, ‘Should I give up?’ Well, to that I respond, what are you giving up? Leaving the house? What are you giving up? Not doing new things? What are you giving up? Going on dates sometimes? What’s the thing that you would give up?
“I challenge all of you: What’s the thing you would give up?
“Because to me, none of the things that you do to meet someone, apart from spending hours and hours online, which I don’t support anyway. [Laughter] But none of the things that you do to meet someone are things that wouldn’t be good for your life anyway.
“If I took off the table the idea of ever meeting your dream guy. Let’s just remove that. I take it off the table. Never gonna happen. I’ve literally made sure that can’t happen for you. I’ve eliminated every man on earth that could be your perfect man. [Laughter]
“Okay.
“I’m curious as to how many of you would stop having conversations with people in general.
“How many people would say, ‘Well, since I can’t find the one, I’m just gonna stop socializing. I’m just gonna stop going on dates at all. You know? I’m gonna give up the whole sex thing. Like I’m gonna just… I’m not gonna do any of this.’
“I don’t buy it for a second.
“What you would do is you’d say, ‘Okay… Well, I guess I’ll go on some fun dates that won’t turn out to be the one, but you know, I’ll just have some fun times. You know, go out and enjoy meeting new people. Stay curious, get to know people’s stories, and I’ll make the best of it, but I can’t give up this part of me. Cause it’s in me. It is me. It’s part of me being a woman who wants to go out there and explore, and meet people, and connect, and be intimate, and be warm, and be affectionate. I’m not gonna give up all of that.’
“Cecilia, what you have to ask yourself is…
“I get the frustration. I get it. And I’m not minimizing that, and I understand the frustration of searching for someone really special, and right now it’s not happening, that person isn’t there.
“But you have to get back to that question:
“What would I do differently if I decided to give up the search?
“What thing would I give up in my life?
“Because I put to you that it would be very hard for you to name something that you would give up that wouldn’t cost you in other ways.
“That wouldn’t actually hurt your sense of joy, and fun, and fulfillment in other ways by deciding, ‘This isn’t for me.’ I can’t see it. What would you stop? Dating? Dating is fun. Like even if it’s not the love of your life, like going on a date, and sometimes there’s chemistry, or sometimes you get a new friend out of it, or sometimes… Who knows? Like would you really give up any connection to the opposite sex?
“Like, I don’t know… I can’t see it. I can’t see it.
“So I think that there’s so many things we do in pursuit of that person, that are worth doing for their own sake, that it’s almost not even worth worrying about in the way that you’re worrying about it. It’s just like… Just keep taking chances.
“Keep being proactive.
“Keep being the kind of person that steps out of her comfort zone.
“Keep being the kind of person that puts herself around other people.
“Keep being the type of person that is open to experiences in life.
“In that is being open to love, but we don’t even need to call it that. Just be someone who is open to experiences, and should you find yourself in a situation where it seems to be getting intimate or whatever and you like the person, do everything we’ve talked about today to make sure that you give yourself the best possible chance of being taken seriously by that person.
“Let’s keep going. Thank you so much by the way.”
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Look, I wanna make one thing clear. While I believe that there are many things that we do that will bring us a relationship that are good for their own sake, and worth doing even if they don’t bring us the love of our life, I understand and respect how hard it is out there.
You are dealing with so much crap.
People who have just the worst behavior. People who will do anything to use you. People who will string you along even though they have no intention of taking things anywhere meaningful or serious.
The frustration you have with that is one thousand percent understandable, but that frustration has a bad side effect for your love life. That frustration leads to the feeling that there really isn’t anyone out there, or at least the suspicion that that thing you’ve always been looking for might never come.
That leads to a scarcity mindset.
When you have a scarcity mindset it puts you in a dangerous position, because when someone comes along who has even a mild connection with you, someone who shows you a glimpse of what you’re looking for, you latch on.
You get so excited about it.
So grateful for it that you’ll do anything to keep it.
Now that’s very dangerous, because when you’ll do anything to keep something, when you see the potential of it, and you’ll do whatever you can to make sure that goes somewhere you start being more forgiving of bad behavior, and maybe not even bad behavior, but someone not giving you what you want.
Someone treating you worse than you deserve.
Someone not truly investing in you.
We start making excuses for them.
We start justifying it, because god forbid it goes away altogether.
When would you find someone again?
You have a connection. You wanna hold on to it, right?
Now here’s the really dangerous part.
When you start accepting worse behavior this person begins to value you less.
So it looks like this:
Having a scarcity mindset about what’s out there makes us accept worse behavior from the person we’re with. When they see us accepting bad behavior from them, or low investment from them, they stop taking us seriously, because they look at us, and consciously or unconsciously, they think, “What kind of person would allow me to treat them like this? Not someone that I should take seriously. Not someone that I would have a relationship with.” So now, even if that person had the potential to have a relationship with you, they’re starting to see you as lower value.
They’re starting to see you as someone who may not be worthy of a real relationship, because you’re treating yourself like you’re not worthy of a real relationship.
So the irony of all of this is the thing you value the most, which you’re letting get away with murder, because you value it the most now values you less precisely because that’s what you’re doing.
So I’m talking to you right now if you are looking for something real, because let me tell you this, if you wanna attract the real you have to be prepared to sacrifice the bullshit, and when I say the bullshit, I mean the bullshit version of a relationship that you’re currently being offered.
The pseudo relationship.
The halfway house.
The breadcrumbing that you’re sick of.
The people disappearing or ghosting you that you’re sick of.
If you actually want to be taken seriously you have to prepared to sacrifice the bullshit. And by the way, sacrificing the bullshit can mean giving up the guy so that you can go out there and find someone who’s serious, or it could mean sacrificing the current dynamic and taking the risk to graduate it into something more. The death of the bullshit you have with him right now and the birth of a better, new dynamic that you have with this person because they now take you more seriously.
So I’m on a campaign right now for those people who want something real to show you exactly how to create it.
I wanna walk you down the path that you actually want to go down, because this isn’t about an unrealistic level of optimism.
I know how hard it is to meet someone you really like.
How hard it is to meet someone that you actually wanna make it work with.
So when you do meet that person, you wanna do the right things.
Join me next week, ’cause we’re gonna be continuing this conversation, and we’re gonna make some serious progress together.
For now, leave me a comment.
Letting me know, A: If you’ve fallen into this trap before, and you can relate to it. A time when you cared so much that that caring actually lead you to doing some of the wrong things.
And B: If you’re ready to finally create something real.
I can’t wait to read those, and I will see you next week.
Hi Matthew, I do keep falling into this trap of scarcity mindset. I have a few things that I’m looking for in a man that I find non-negotiable and are hard to find like political leanings and not religious affiliation. I’m also extroverted, social and gregarious and want someone similar. It’s so hard to find.
I met someone recently and we acknowledged that we were attracted to each other but he recently started seeing someone before we met. Though he texts me a lot, almost every day and sometimes the texts verge on sexting. We hang in the same circles now and I know I’m lowering my standards just to be near him. I don’t like to be side dish.
Watching your video makes me realize that I’m operating in a scarcity mindset and I need to realize that if he exists then there is someone else out there that also exists that has those qualities and more.
If it does turn out that the relationship ends with this woman and wants to see me, I’m not sure how to handle that in a high value way because I don’t want to feel like the 1st Runner Up.
Yes I did allow that to happen. But it’s over and I’ve been single 11 years. No dating, nothing. I dont know where to meet someone, and how to actively do it. Never met someone at the park, the grocery store, the coffee shop. Where do I go? I’m almost 50, overweight(working on that), and the bloom is off the rose. It’s just not happening. I need the basics! How do I strike up a convo? Where do I go in the first place?
A, and yes, B! Thank you so much for the mirror! you are holding to me❤️I have learnt so much from this video, I am so grateful to you, Matthew
Scarcety mindset. It happened when I started dating someone I really liked after 5 years of being single because there was no one I liked who liked me back.
This one was someone I liked who apparently liked me back… because it seemed too good to be true… him not answering me till later on the same day we were supposed to meet (time was not decided), I was that upset that my reaction to his call later was me being desperate to see him. I told him that though. And when he didn’t write the next day I wrote a message breaking the whole date off because I told him I do not wish to be treated like that.
Right or wrong. I don’t know. But I know it hurt me more than it should have because of my scarcety mindset.
I’ve been on so many unhealthy relationships that this time I’m dealing with a much younger guy that I met here when he came for several months to my country to work on a project and he comes back every once in a while because of work. He lives in the other side of the world but we got in a only sexting relationship that got me to the point of “even being here I want to be treated right “. I’ve been practicing the stop answering when he disrespects me and it’s actually working, he always comes back.
I know this isn’t leading to anything serious but I’m taking this chance to practice leaving when there is lack of respect.
I really need to know how to give up the Stop wanting everyday to find real love, stop thinking every day, stop stressing every day….
Well I’m on a serious problem, I had a serious accident and now I’m on a wheelchair and sometimes it’s insecurity of myself as a woman even though I work on a big company, I drive my car that I’m paying on my own, I have a pretty normal life.
I really hope you answer.
Thank you
I absolutely admit to falling into that scarcity mindset before. Many times. But at 43 and only having a third date with 2 guys in my lifetime makes me wonder if I would be able to pull myself out of it. As for the question of, “What would you give up?” I have already done that. I gave up hope. I gave up even remotely believing it is possible, gave up any of the dreams of the future involving someone in my life. I gave up having any trust in men. That in turn made me give up asking friends to introduce me to people, give up keeping my chin up and eyes & mind open when out and about, give up challenging myself to try new things to meet people. And since men have never asked me out, I gave up asking them out which eliminates dating entirely from my life (which has NEVER been fun for me anyway). Guess not the most positive reply, huh?
I completely agree with you Matt. I actually did this exact thing with the last guy I dated. I was so excited about the potential relationship that I would go to him whenever he would call. Eventually he ghosted and left me with a lot of questions. But listening to you right now made so much sense.
At the point in the video where you say, “The thing you value the most,…now values you less.”, I paused the video and wrote in my journal, “I VALUE MYSELF the MOST.” And what was so cool was, I MEANT IT!!!! I don’t feel like I would be sacrificing anything anymore, because I will always hear you call it “the bullshit, pseudo version of a relationship.” Thank you so much Matt!
Wow the question – if you’re about to give up, what are you giving up ? Excellent question perfect timing for me!
This has been me! How do we avoid this in the first place? Honestly, it seems like it happens and I don’t even realize it at the time… Then all of a sudden I’m in the situation, frustrated, feeling insecure/not good enough/desperate and/or ghosted and I don’t understand what went wrong. I totally had that scarcity mindset… And then when one comes along, I accept behavior I don’t like, make excuses etc. I am a high-value woman — and I want to behave that way so I can find a great guy and the love I have been searching for. How do we do this to keep them interested but without coming across like a bitch? Help!
B. I’m ready to create something real. I’m so tired of the dating scene nowadays.
Watching this video literally made me cry because that was exactly what happened in my last “relationship”. When people asked what happened, I thought things were going so good, you 2 were so happy together… All I can say is I loved him more than he loved me. But watching this and hearing your words made me realize I sabotaged my self because I let alot of bad behavior happen and alot of things go because of this scarcity mindset. I need to get out of that. I am slowly but surely realizing my worth. I am percent there…I have another 50 percent to go. Thank you for the closure I needed.
A and B. My first relationship and the only one I have ever had wasn’t good. I came into it in a wrong way. I wish I would have been more respectful to myself. Dating is hard at any age, and I just find it incredibly hard. I am as 22 ready for a relationship, I feel like I’ve been for a long time, but I want it to be the right one the next time and I will never ever not change into someone else just to get the guy.
Scarcity is something very real. It is! and there’s no denying it. Specially if you have some standards. Maybe in Some countries more than others.
I gave up online dating which is, apparently, the only way people in Germany look for a date or relationship. I hate it and it’s not for me. So, yes, when I meet someone in real life that meets at least a bit of what I am expecting… it can/will be hard to not try to make it work at any level…
I just wish I could live well with the idea that I am not going to find someone and be in peace with it.
OMG Matt!! That was the most awesome video that you have ever done!, Such an accurate and targeted video about relationships exactly where I stand right now!! I’m 57 and divorced, trying to overlook blaring alarms going off as I get to know someone, not listening to my intuition, just so I can get to the part where I possibly feel connection, chemistry or love again. I am so starved after living with my ex in a dead relationship so long, to wait for the kids to grow up. Still hopeful.
I love how you speak so pragmatically to the many challenges we as women face in today’s dating world. I am absolutely guilty of accepting less than I’m deserving of because of the scarcity syndrome – however, and perhaps fortunately, I no longer have the energy for it anymore so I’m determined to love myself fully and if I meet someone who does as well – great. If not, I will love myself and love life to its fullest regardless.
Hi Matthew,
My name is Rebecca. I’m 41 years old. I have 3 kids aged 16,13 & 9. I have been married to my husband for 20 years. While my husband is a wonderful man he sometimes doesn’t speak to me with the respect I deserve. In recent years I have developed the confidence to as you say it ’cut through the BS’ and have made him realise that the way he speaks to me sometimes has a negative effect on me. I have seen an improvement and Believe that no matter how long you have been with someone they should treat you with respect and bad behavior shouldn’t be excused. Thank you for your videos. They help married people as well!! Rebecca
Hey Matt, thank you for this! I’ve just recently gotten back into the dating game and it’s definitely been a rollercoaster ride. It just so happens that today I’ve been in that funk where I feel like it’s almost more of a pain than it’s worth. Videos like this always seem to pop up at the right time and it makes me feel better about what I’ve been going through, that I’m not the only one going through it and that it’s a very normal part of the process in finding the one. Thank you for all that you do and helping me get my mind right about it all.
Hi Matthew,
For me it’s hope that ive given up.
And I’ve accepted bad behaviour but I don’t know whether I can hope again. I have a minimum amount of abuse level now. And unfortunately I’m fine with that now. Yes I know I’m not living my best life. But irony is I am. In my career and with my family. With friends I’m getting there had to cut some ppl off. I actually am asking myself why I started following you and I think there’s a part of me that wants to over analyse were I went wrong. But you are right. I’ve forgotten my value.
Hi Matthew,
I’ve fallen in to the trap and allowed the bs. Yet through your lessons and my mistakes, I learnt not to accept the bs and found myself the best guy ever.
Sofi