Hello everyone.
I am new to the whole concept of Pick Up Art, to which I was introduced by reading Neil Strauss' amazing "The Game".
I was astonished to realize that Pick Up Art is actually something you can learn, that there are methods you can master and practice much like, say, to play an instrument or, more relevant to my own field of work, to perform surgery!
Like most AFCs I was, until a few weeks ago, convinced that either you have it or you don't.
That either you are good looking, or you are not.
In short, either you are a natural or... tough luck.
As I am voraciously devouring all the material I can find (learning is not a problem, as I have done quite a lot of it during my University years) I realize that practice in the field is invaluable.
And this is the BIG question mark.
Unlike, I suspect, many of you accomplished PUAs, I am in my late 40s, sailing toward being a half century old at a dizzying speed (is time running faster as you age or is it my impression?).
As AFC I have never been good with girls, having married my first and only true love.
I am now going through a divorce (so much for the true love) and I plan to go back into the game, or more precisely, to get into the game for the first time.....

You see the problem, right?
I am, as my piano book says, a "Late Beginner" which is a little discouraging.
On the other hand, if I can learn to play the piano at this point or better still, if an accomplished professional writer like Neil Strauss could go from AFC to the number one PUA in a little more than a year, maybe there is hope.
Like I don't envision playing in Carnegie hall anytime soon, my ambitions in the PU field are quite modest. I don't aim at becoming the best PUA, or the second best, or the tenth best.
I would just like to become successful with women, that's all...
Just that!

On my side I have the fact that I have only mild approach anxiety, I have a nice sense of humor which promptly lands me in the "just friend" category, I have considerable free time and dispose of some discretionary dough. I have a higher education (I am a doctor by training and a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist for fun) and speak fluently three languages... which on second thought may mean s@!t as I am not asking for a job....

Against me the fact that I am average looking, at best, I am overweight (but I am taking care of it), I am not a natural by any stretch of imagination and I think my problem is or perhaps was, the first time around, fear of being hurt: "If I don't try I won't get rejected".
Ah, and did I mention my age?

That's it for an introduction.
I am happy to have found this forum and I am excited by this whole PUA thing and plan to pester you accomplished PUAs with a lot of AFC questions.

But my main questions, for any other "Late Beginner" PUAs out there is:
Is there hope?
Or should I forget Pick Up Art and Pick Up Golf instead?

Please be kind....

Ankh

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There are three kind of people in the world: Those who can count, and those who can't!

PUA is much more fun than golf and you make the biggest improvements when you first start off. It's a lot easier to pick up girls when you and they are in their 40's as they're usually in the same position as you in that they have generally just come out of a divorce themselves and wondering if they are still attractive etc etc.

Fear of approach is an evolutionary hardwired remnant from when we lived in small tribes and the wrong girl approached could leave your gene line in a precarious position to say the least! We are in the modern world now and it's as irrational as a fear of snakes to a suburban housewife. Think of the nervousness as an invitation to not approach and then throw the invitation in the bin where it belongs. Look at it this way: Training to be a Doctor is a 100 times harder than approaching women lol.

Here's some course work for you:

1/ Approach! 90% 0f guys don't and you miss all the shots you don't take.

2/ You're the one selecting them, you're a Hypnotherapist so you know what BMIR's are, well the girl picks them up and feels attraction due to you're perceived higher value.

3/ Kino, eyecontact and escalation will keep you out of the LJBF zone.

4/ Practice, the more you practice the better you get.

And finally; where will you be in 10 years time if you don't start doing pick up?

Lots of women actually like an older guy who has life experience, especially compared to the 19-year-old douchebags they are used to dating. It's never too late to start. I was married, now divorced aged 28, got into pickup aged 27. Like Randy Couture who debuted in the UFC aged 30 and retired in his late 40s, fighting guys half his age.

You will struggle at first because you will have to undo a life-time of habits with women, but nowadays people are living longer. Wouldn't you rather spend the next 20-30 years of your life surrounded by beautiful women than do what they call "get old gracefully", which basically means wither and fade away?

Melodical and Hunter.
Thank you guys.
Your replies make a lot of sense and i think you hit the nail on the head with your comments.
You made my day.
It's decided: Golf can wait .........

Ankh