Friday, November 16, 2007

The Nice Guy

Nice Guys finish last? This is fundamentally false.
Ever since I was little, I made a conscience decision that I would do my best never to be a jerk to girls. As a result of my own human weakness, I haven't accomplished the never, but I can honestly say that I have done my best to treat girls with the respect and the honor that they deserve. Opening doors has never been a problem, complimenting on how nice they look on a date has become second nature, and never speaking in a crude or vulgar manner about them was never even a question. Yet with all the demands for these things from women, why do they still go after the ones that treat them like dirt, the ones that will use them to get action for the weekend? One would think nowadays that the trend is more and more leaning towards girls really wanting jerks when they say they want the nice guys. My track record with dating over the past 7 months would indicate the same. I've had many dates and dated many girls however I have pulled a big goose egg in the relationship departments since my release from missionary service in April. I believe we need to look at this in a new perspective though.
So you have two guys competing for the affection of a young lady, who wins? I purpose to you that it is NOT the Jerk that always wins but rather the more "confident". I have put confident in quotations because the girl often confuses what this term means. The reason we often associate the nice guy with the loser is because a lot of times the nice guys simply lacks confidence. With a little more faith and belief he would have blown the other guy out of the water. The other part is the girls inability to distinguish between confidence and cockiness. It is perfectly within the rights of the woman to expect someone to be confident. The man must be confident with who he is so that he can protect, provide, and preside in his family. However the line between confidence and cockiness is often times hidden behind varying things that often times the girls just miss.
So how does one distinguish between the two if you are girl, and how does one become confident but not cocky if you are a guy? There are a couple of answers. First is humility, A cocky man will always believe that all of his abilities come from self. But a confident man will realize his own nothingness and acknowledge that all things are given him from God. Second one who is confident will have a virtuous mind. The cocky man will talk of low and cheap things but the confident man will say "Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall they confidence wax strong in the presence of the lord" Doctrine and Covenants 121. My final indication is a confident man will love his neighbor more than self. He will not be worried about cliques or popularity or who he is seen with, which is an inherent trait in the cocky, but will be more concerned about building up those around him and taking care of the needs of those around him. Going and telling a not as attractive girl that she looks especially nice that day won't be a problem for him or sitting by someone who seems to be alone and unpopular just so he can find out more about them will be normal because he will recognize that by building others, he is building himself.
So what about all those girls who still fall for the other guys, well the girls that I believe are worth going out with are the ones who would never allow me to treat them like a piece of property. They would be astute and see the warning signs of a jerk from a mile off and turn the other way. If you are one of these girls who seems to always have the Jerk boyfriend, I don't mean to offend, I simply hope to give you a better perspective that you can do so much better. You need to know the difference as described above because currently your cockiness meter is MIA. Girls are better at this than guys, but just because he's cute doesn't mean he is worth your time.
In the end, it may just come down to a girls preference on who she wants to date. if that is the case, then I don't mind finishing last. The important thing is that I finish, and I only need to finish once.

5 comments:

Nicki said...

very well put. . .makes me feel better about getting divorced! ha. .

AmandaStretch said...

I applaud you! We girls need more nice, confident guys. :)

PS - Hi!

Nicki said...

well it came up when I logged into facebook so I figured what the heck! haha and heck yes we should definately try to start that band thing again. . I really think we had something there. .not sure if I can convince Jessica to dance though. .

Ace said...

Hey little bro! Just a word of advice--having been through the relationship thing once already. :) It'll happen when you're not looking for it. And you're right, you only need to finish once. :) I've decided that what doesn't kill me (in the dating arena anyway) just gives me funny stories to tell. Go out and have fun. Don't stress. She's out there. You'll find her. When you least expect it.

Bags said...

*sigh* isn't dating wonderful? (And by wonderful, I mean strangely confusing and at times very frustrating and unpredictable). You are very correct, however, on one particular point... confidence is key. I live by the policy of "Fake it till ya make it."