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Archive for the ‘Dating’ Category

It’s a Man Eat Man World

Monday, May 14th, 2012

May must be National Reading Month because I have another great book to tell you about. It’s called Finding True Love in a Man Eat Man World by Craig Nelson.

The very first chapter talks about how gay men successful go about avoiding love and gives a few archetypes they often play in gay love relationships.

Mr. Miserable focuses on his weaknesses rather than his strengths. For him, the glass is always half empty. Mr. Sabotage is caught in a trap of feeling lonely so he looks for love but when it turns serious he looks for a way out. And he repeats the cycle. Mr. Ugly thinks he’s too ugly to find someone, and ignores all the fine qualities he has. There are others, but you get the picture.

So what’s the key to avoiding becoming one of these gentlemen and to finding what we’re all looking for: someone to love us unconditionally for who we are? Good self-esteem, self-respect, and a solid sense of yourself. These will take you further in attracting a long-term lover than any other qualities you may have. And that goes for the other man, too. Once you know and accept yourself and understand “I’m a real catch” you can avoid any guy who has self-hatred and attract great guys. Real serenity and comfort are incredibly attractive magnets.

Know what you have to give. Know that others are waiting for you to give it. Not in a conceited way, but from a realistic, honest way that comes from self-knowledge and perspective. Once you come at it from that angle, you’ll attract men like flies to honey.

The bottom line: You attract what you are, not what you want.

Think about that for a while.

Tags: effective dating, finding happiness, gay men, gay relationships, happiness, relationships
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My dog ate my homework

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Sometimes on our path towards love we encounter all sorts of excuses why we can’t stay on the path and some of them have little or nothing to do with being gay. These excuses can crop up throughout our day when we least expect it –sometimes we don’t even notice them – and they prevent us from making progress toward the things we want.

Dr. Wayne Dyer, who as you know is one of my favorites, has created a mobile app you can take on the road with you as a weapon of sorts against all those excuses. It’s called The Excuses Begone app, and it’s based on his book by the same name. It features 18 of the most common excuses and the affirmations to defeat them. And, it’s free!

Just go to the iTunes store to download it. It’s an on-the-go way to help create the life you want. Let go of I’m too busy, I’m too tired, It’s too hard and all your other excuses. And get on with getting where you want to go.

Tags: effective dating, finding fault, finding happiness, gay dating, gay men, gay relationships, happiness, relationships
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Use Your Words

Saturday, April 21st, 2012

Another challenge on the road to a lasting relationship is learning the skill of conscious communication. It’s not an inborn gift, but with practice you can become a master of clear communication. According to psychologist Marshall Rosenberg, it’s a simple process:

1. Identify the event that triggered your emotional upset. Be as objective as possible when doing this. Saying “My boyfriend is never on time,” is less useful than saying “He said he’d be here at 7:00 and didn’t show up until 7:30.”

2. Take responsibility for your feelings. Describe your feelings like this: “I feel frustrated,” or “I feel jealous.” Avoid words that reinforce a sense of victimization, such as “I feel neglected” or “I feel rejected.” When you do this, you’re informing the other person, not blaming him.

3. Identify what you need that you’re not receiving. Most of us subconsciously expect our loved ones to know what we need and to spontaneously provide it. I don’t have to tell you that this rarely happens.

4. Ask for what you want. Be specific when doing this. For example, if you want more attention from your partner, don’t just ask him to spend more time with you.

Ask him to go on a walk with you after dinner, or to a movie on Saturday night. But don’t make demands because we all have an inherent impulse to resist demands. And the cool part is that our self-esteem is raised when we’re able to fulfill a request.

Follow these four steps, and you’re much more likely to feel comfortable and at ease – both in your own skin and in a gay relationship – as opposed to going through your days in emotional distress.

Conscious communication and emotional awareness are vital components of the Chopra Center’s Perfect Health program. Learn more here.

Tags: communication, effective dating, gay dating, gay men, gay relationships, happiness, love languages, relationships
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Pass the Wire Strippers

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

April showers may bring May flowers, but they can also get in the way of other plans, like picnics and hikes and puddle avoidance. But one good thing about the recent wet weather is that it has inspired me to write a series of blogs about some of the challenging things you may have to get through before true gay love blossoms.

One of these is understanding how your brain is wired when it comes to relationships and realizing how it got that way in the first place. A new book by Marsha Lucas, Ph.D. explains how using the practice of mindfulness meditation can help you reach this understanding, and shows you how to rewire your brain. Naturally, the book is called Rewire Your Brain For Love.

Mindfulness meditation is recognized by top academic institutions for its effectiveness in changing the brain. Dr. Lucas shows you how, in just a few minutes of practice a day, you can change the way you interact with everyone around you, especially those closest to you. You can transform your brain, or rewire it, to support you in all matters of the heart. Keep fear from running the show. Cultivate empathy. Avoid overreacting. There’s lots more – all of it helping you find and create a vibrant, successful gay relationship.

So break out your splicers and start rewiring. And let me know how it goes!

Tags: effective dating, finding happiness, gay dating, gay men, gay relationships, happiness, love languages, relationships
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Five Steps to Bliss

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

If your intention is to find bliss, here are five steps you can follow to help you.

1 – Acknowledge

Acknowledge your fears, and challenges. Also acknowledge that, like all of us, you’re culturally conditioned to accept what life gives you and that we have no power to change it. Nothing could be further from the truth! But acknowledging the negative in life, allowing it to be with you, gives you the ability to shift it. You can forgive yourself, then change the behavior around it.

2 – Imagine

Thinking with awareness is very powerful, especially if you know yourself. Imagine yourself in a healthy relationship with a loving partner can do wonders in manifesting it in your life. Refer to my previous entry about “I am” statements.

3 – Believe

What are your dreams and your beliefs about your dreams? Are you willing to change the concept of yourself from ordinary to champion, or from lonely to lover? Really believing in yourself – and what you imagine for your life – is your greatest power. This is one of the core values I teach my clients so it’s one of the steps to finding bliss too. What do you tell yourself when you look in the mirror? Try this simple exercise: Write 5 positive characteristics that describe who you want to be today. See what happens!

4 – Feel

This is where the other guy comes in. Allow yourself to feel the emotion of being with a partner. Try another exercise I call Magic Wand, which is a visualization with your eyes closed. Imagine the wand can erase all your fears and uncertainties from the past, and start imagining your ideal man: his skin, hair, clothes, smell, feel, personality, back story, all of it. Continue with imagining your life together, and let the emotions that come up for you wash over you. Stay with the visual for a while. Write down your thoughts and feelings. Put it on the mirror or somewhere else you’ll see it regularly and repeatedly (at least once a day).

5 – Act

After all this visualizing and thinking and imagining – it’s time to give it a shot. It’s time to act. Once you believe in yourself, acting is easy (that’s why it’s the last step!). When you act, be courageous and remember that any obstacles are experience and learning lessons from which you can take away something constructive. If you step out of your comfort zone, you’d be surprised what can happen. Let people know you’re single. Tell them you’re looking. Let them know what your visualization looks like. And see what comes back to you. Be grateful for what does (more on gratitude later).

It’s easy to list steps, but it can be tougher to actually follow them. Believe me, I know. That’s why I say, “Get started!” The time is now. Your blissful future awaits.

Tags: gay men, gay relationships, happiness, relationships, self love
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And They Lived Happily Ever After

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Next Tuesday March 27th @ 7p – Single or in a relationship, come join me and other wonderful gay men on for my 3d Workshop “And They Lived Happily Ever After”! Looking forward to seeing some familiar faces and some new ones! This is a free workshop at the Gazebo Davies Medical Center.

Tags: communication, dating, gay men, gay relationships, love languages, self love
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Talking: The Ultimate Aphrodisiac

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

I think it’s pretty funny that even though communication is vital to our relationships, especially our love relationships, we as a society have some funny substitutes for it like “blah, blah, blah” and “Yadda, yadda, yadda” (immortalized on Seinfeld).

But I’m a big advocate of talking. We tell our emotionally overwrought children who are whining or crying or fussing to “Use your words!” Well, my friends, now I’m telling you.

Great relationships start with great conversations. That means talking and freely sharing of yourself with your date/boyfriend/partner and, even more importantly, asking questions and attentively listening to his answers. That’s really all there is to it, but oh how difficult it can be to follow through on!

This concept is a cornerstone of my relationship coaching because it shifts the conventional way men approach dating. It’s very often about the goal of getting into bed. I’m not here to judge this, but just pointing out the reality as I see it.

What would happen if you tabled the getting-into-bed agenda, and instead simply had a conversation? How might you feel after an evening spent doing that? Would you feel like you accomplished something? Or would you feel unfulfilled? Do you even know? Have you ever tried it? If not, I’d like to challenge you to give it a go and see what your experience is like. Ideally, you would have an opportunity to talk to your man about it at some point after, to compare notes. This is real communication! This is the kind of conversation that creates intimacy and brings you closer. And talk about a turn-on. Trust me, if things go well when you use your mouth to talk, they will most likely go well when you use it for other activities.

If you find this topic compelling, I invite you to join me for a fun workshop called “Talking: The Ultimate Aphrodisiac.” It’s the second in my 3-part series entitled “You’re Getting Warmer: Perfecting Your Search for Mr. Right.” Details are below. Just click on the links to learn more.

What: Talking: The Ultimate Aphrodisiac

Where: The Gazebo, Davies Medical Center [map]

When: Tuesday, Feb 23, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Free and open to everyone.

At the Corner of Castro & Fabulous: How to Turn Heads When You Walk Down the Street

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

There are lots of stories about gay men who move to San Francisco to “find themselves” or to “find The One.” I find it exciting that our city can inspire people to go to such lengths in their quest for love (be it self love, love of another, or both).

But as you move through your day-to-day life here in the city, keep in mind that as magical as San Francisco can be, it’s not magic. By that I mean that it’s a charming, thrilling, sometimes dreamlike place to live – but there’s no “Abracadabra” when it comes to creating the life you want for yourself. Even if that life is here, one of the most welcoming and comfortable places in the country for gay men.

The thing is, you have to meet San Francisco halfway. Dressing in layers (so important here!) and walking down Castro Street to see and be seen isn’t going to magically create a wake of men behind you, falling all over each other to be the first to introduce himself to you.

Unless…

There are a few things you can do to turn a few heads as you stroll the sidewalk. Here’s what I suggest:

1. Know yourself. There’s nothing sexier than the confidence that comes from self-awareness and being comfortable in your own skin. Men who feel this way on the inside exude attractiveness on the outside – and other men notice. It’s just the way it is, and it doesn’t really matter what you look like. People can sense it.

2. Own yourself. Whatever your truth, own it, embrace it, and make no excuses for it. You’re short? You’re tall? You’re bald? You’re bushy-headed? You’re over 40? You’re a redhead? Your right foot is slightly pigeon-toed? Your moustache is uneven? (gasp!) Those perceived shortcomings are quite often the thing that another man will find most endearing. If you stop being so self-conscious about your [fill in the blank], no one is going to think twice about it.

3. Show yourself. Smile at people as you pass. Be warm. Be polite. Give ‘em those pearly whites. Isn’t that why you had them whitened in the first place? If you’re in a good mood and feel like whistling, do it and don’t worry whether someone is going to think it strange

Many of my clients tell me how difficult it is to “meet guys” here and that they feel invisible, even in the heart of the Castro. But once they explain to me the way they walk down the street, and what they’re thinking as they do so, I can usually identify a few small behaviors they can change that will turn that around.

Those supposed “guy magnets” – puppies and baby strollers – may work to some extent, but puppies poop and babies cry so maybe you should move on to something far more interesting to attract a few looks: yourself.

If you find this topic compelling, I invite you to join me for a fun workshop called “At the Corner of Castro & Fabulous: How to Turn Heads When You Walk Down the Street.” It’s the first in my 3-part series entitled “You’re Getting Warmer: Perfecting Your Search for Mr. Right.” Details are below, and click on the links to learn more.

Happy Strolling (and Head-Turning)!

What: At the Corner of Castro & Fabulous: How to Turn Heads When You Walk Down the Street

Where: The Gazebo, Davies Medical Center [map]

When: Tuesday, Feb 7, 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Free and open to everyone.

Coaching, the Miss Bliss Way

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

As you know by now, when I make my matches I go way beyond physical attributes, geographical locations, and hobbies. I dive into the personality, psyche, and motivations of my clients. I coach them through the entire process of opening up to love and finding it. Which is so much more satisfying than comparing check boxes on intake forms.

The coaching I do for my clients is extraordinarily empowering for them; it helps them approach and experience the process with a feeling of action. Like they’re participating in their own search; their own journey to love.

When you’re my client, we talk about the fears and challenges you’ve had in the past, but we don’t get stuck in the past. We look at the future and how I can support you to make a change. Now, that’s not to say I’m a therapist because I’m not. We don’t really look at the deep-seated root of the problem. But I do help with developing practical ways you can shift the behaviors and perceptions that are holding you back.

This is because, as I say quite frequently, the most important relationship you can have is with yourself. You have to look at these things if you want to be successful in your search for love.

For me, it goes back to the core value of conceive / believe / achieve. I guide my clients through making the choices that are really right for them. I raise awareness of where they hold back, and help them know what their own story is. Once we have a breakthrough, they make healthier choices for their life, which helps clears the way for them to create a healthy relationship.

But sustainable change in life doesn’t happen in one session. It’s an ongoing process and I suggest five coaching sessions to make a shift to where you can create a healthy, sustainable relationship. Through it all, I give tons of advice, we talk through solutions, and have a ton of back-and-forth.

The result is pretty phenomenal. My clients get more clarity and understanding, feel more fulfilled, and become more empowered. It’s one of the most gratifying parts of what I do. I just love it!

I’ve even seen clients drop friends. They don’t maintain relationships that aren’t healthy or that don’t’ support their shift. The refuse to be a doormat any longer, if that was the case in their lives before. They take charge, gain power, and become a force for good and for change in their own lives. sometimes that upsets the dynamic between friends and leaves little choice but to part ways. And that’s not a bad thing; that’s growth. And if people do leave your life, know that others will come in. You’ll attract people who will be good for you, who support the new and improved version of you – friends, peers, cohorts, and ultimately, a love relationship.

In my coaching, I create a place where you’ll feel safe, and can let go of so much. Best of all: It’s a 100% completely judge-free zone. In fact, I don’t even own a gavel.

Tags: coaching, gay men, gay relationships, happiness, healthy choices, love languages, opening, relationship coaching, relationships, self love, truth
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Why gay matchmaking with Finding Bliss?

Monday, December 19th, 2011

There are two reasons to hire a matchmaker.

The first is logical: You’re frustrated with the bars, don’t have the time or energy for online dating, sick of sorting through profiles, etc. That’s the practical side of it, right?

And there’s an emotional reason to hire a matchmaker, too. It could be that you’ve experienced a lot of rejection in your life as a gay man and you want to avoid the rejection that often comes in the dating world – or at least as much of it as possible. A matchmaker pre-screens people for you, and can help in this regard.

Other emotional reasons could be that you don’t feel you deserve a relationship or it’s not worth all the effort.

I mention these to explain that I help clients create a shift in their lives, and I do that through the coaching that I do. In the course of our relationship, I constantly come back to a few touchstones that I know to be true. Mainly, that no matter who you are you are worthy of love and it can happen to you. You can give and receive love. I’ve seen it happen too many times with clients who thought otherwise. But I showed them!

Forging relationships is also hard for gay men in general because most are extremely giving people by nature, and it’s hard for them to receive or accept love. I tell these clients that they can have a fulfilled, happy life if they really want it.

One of the great parts of what I do is that when a client does meet The One, that special man to call his own, it doesn’t even matter if the introduction to that man comes through me. Sometimes, a client will meet the guy himself!

The point is that my coaching gets you to a place where it can happen – where you open to love. And this is the shift I’m talking about…the shift you make in your life that wouldn’t happen without the coaching. The one that gets you ready to find the man of your dreams. It’s the shift I go for. Everything after that – meeting the man included – is easy.

As you can imagine, making a shift like this takes time. On average, it takes one of my clients six to nine months to find someone, although this is not always the case! One client found Mr. Right after two sessions with me; for another, it took nearly two years. But it isn’t a race or a contest. It’s your life. And love happens for you the way it’s supposed to happen for you. And you know what? The client for whom it took two years told me that it was completely worth it.

In some ways, the most important match I make is the one I help you make with yourself, which I think is pretty cool.

Tags: effective dating, gay men, gay relationships, happiness, love languages, Millionnaire Matchmaker, relationships, self, self love, truth
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