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Yeah, years of instinct and habit. You developed your instincts for the first interaction and pickup. You haven't spent as much time doing the same for relationships. It's a learned behaviour to approach women, and do what attracts them.
It's still a learned behaviour when you get to a relationship. But most guys go back to what's comfort for them, and they do what they use to do in realationships. It's just a habit you have to break.
I'd like to offer a caveat to this advice. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. The way that (some? most?) AFC's try to attract women is by demonstrating early on their relationship credentials. If you have actual relationship credentials, don't feel like you have to lose them. Relationships call for some of the skills that you learn in pickup, some skills that you may have possessed as an AFC, and, as most longtime couples will tell you, skills that you've never even dreamed of.
That said, what you're describing doesn't sound like a problem HAVING a relationship. It sounds more like you're trying to game your one-itis. Attract her the way that you would any other girl. Just remember, if you want a RELATIONSHIP with her, eventually, you and she are going to have to be equals, and that means letting her in on your game. If/when you do this, be prepared for the possibility that she will not understand, and be prepared for it to hurt. It is my opinion that the relationship cannot become mature and grounded in mutual respect until you've taken that risk, though.