Wow! The post is still here! As good a place to start as any, I suppose. Been away a long time, but better late than never.
Shortly after I joined the community here, I had enormous success attracting women to my life. Most importantly, I attracted the women I -wanted- to my life, leading to a long-term relationship (2 years) with a woman I once thought out of my league. It was a rewarding and enlightening experience, but unfortunately, like many people who dive headfirst into a relationship without getting the rest of their affairs in order, I let most every other aspect of my life run into the ground while I insulated myself with this person I'd worked so hard to get.
The result was a slow but increasingly accelerating descent into full on AFC status and eventually a very difficult breakup for which I can take most if not all of the credit. This isn't self-deprecation, but a very clear case of hind-sight and some much needed back to basics allowing me to see the error of my ways.
Anyway, it's taken a considerable amount of time and self-searching, along with a lot of work on everything else that makes one a well-rounded and desirable person, but here I am. I'm starting at square one, going over all the material I once gleaned so much from and then some, but this time with a more experienced view and a more tempered respect for setting clear boundaries, not just with others, but with myself.
I've gone on several dates in the last couple of months, mainly focusing on leaving my agenda out of the equation. It's amazing how much that nips the urge to go AFC in the bud, allowing me to truly enjoy talking with a woman without focusing the entire time on where it's going to end up. I'm not so much concerned with learning how to get women into bed; I know how to do that and no amount of experience in that field will help me round out the more lacking areas in my life.
No, my goal this time around is to focus on inner game first and foremost, bettering my own life so that it effortlessly attracts those around me. I'm learning it takes a bit more work, but the alternative is being an AFC or a social robot, and neither of those is exactly conducive to happiness (for me at least
). Anyway, glad to see the community is more alive and thriving than ever and I hope I can contribute to it!
-Bedlam