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The Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Attracting A Man Who Lives Up To Your High Standards

Stephen Hussey

(Photo: Brandon Warren)

Enter Stephen

If you can’t find a great man, can you make one?

It’s an ancient question, a recurring puzzle among women who are frustrated at wasting time on guys who turn out to be lazy, selfish, or unfaithful.

Now I know you don’t want to be dragging your guy along on a leash like a dog who has to be trained into good behaviour (or maybe you do, in which case, many enjoyable age-restricted websites are available).

But what if you could influence a guy to be his best self around you?

What if you could shortcut all that frustration and wasted time and energy, and quickly find a guy who lives up to your standards so you don’t feel let down later on?

This isn’t about changing a man’s personality.

It’s about being the kind of woman who inspires a guy to reach his highest potential, and knowing the smart way to communicate your standards so that he knows what is expected of him if he wants to be with you.

About 80% of that battle is choosing the right guy in the first place. The other 20% depends on how you act once you have him in your life.

So here are 10 quick points to help you get the best out of him:

1. Forget ‘opposites attract’

Choose guys who already want the kind of life you want.

It sounds obvious but too many people spend entire relationships bemoaning the fact that their partner doesn’t want to join them on an adventuring trip in the jungles of Machu Picchu, or cook with them on weekends, or spend an afternoon wandering art galleries in Paris.

You don’t have to love everything in the same measure, but you do need to be able to see yourself at least indulging in each others hobbies and passions to build a life together.

When people say ‘opposites attract’ they either have no clue what they are talking about, or what they mean to say is that great couple have differences that are complementary, rather than clashing.

Maybe he’s the quiet, thoughtful guy at the party and you’re more socially gregarious, which you both like in each other. Maybe he’s strong-willed and assertive, while you’re more nurturing and gentle, and you’re both attracted to these traits in the other.

But what you can’t have are opposing values.

If you care about loyalty, warmth, and closeness, whereas he is secretive, cold and distant, that’s a clash of values and bound to erupt in arguments later on.

Start with mutual values and you have a guy who at least you know wants the same standards as you do, even if he doesn’t fulfil them all yet!

2. Listen to what a guy tells you early on

I’ve had relationships that if I were truly honest about, I knew were incompatible within the first couple of weeks of being together (sometimes even the first date).

Like Don Draper says in Mad Men: “People are always telling you who they are”.

Pay attention and ask the right questions to elicit whether a guy is worth investing time in:

  • If you need a guy who stimulates his mind and loves learning, ask him: “What books have you read lately?”
  • If you need a guy who loves adventure, ask him: “Where’s somewhere you’d love to see most in the world?”
  • If you need a guy who values family, ask him if he’s going home for Christmas to see them and how often he spends times with them.

All of a guy’s answers are going to give you hints about what he finds important, and how he likes to spend his time.

3. Don’t give him your demands too early

I gave the example a few weeks ago of the woman who freaks a guy out on the first date by unloading all of her idealistic dreams about love and her desire for a soulmate.

This scares guys because it sounds like you’re building a role for him that he hasn’t decided he wants to fulfill yet.

It’s like telling a prospective applicant for a job that he should expect to sacrifice his life for his work, shouldn’t expect to be home until 10pm every day and ought to be prepared to forgo holidays to complete big projects, before he even knows what the job is!

People are only willing to live up to standards for things they already want. Which is why you INVEST first, then TEST. Then you invest a little more, then test a little more.

4. INDIRECTLY talk about the behaviour you expect from others

You want to communicate that you need him to treat you well, but without sounding like you’re giving a job interview.

The easiest way to do this is indirectly. For example, you could demonstrate a standard for neatness by saying, “I have to keep things tidy. I don’t get why people would have a nice house and not look after it. That’s always seemed crazy.”

This is much better than asking: “Are you tidy? I can’t stand guys who aren’t tidy!” because now you’re not making it about him. You’re calling other people crazy for being messy and disorganised, which makes him realise, “If I want to be with this girl, I need to get my shit together”.

5. Call him out when he’s a jerk

Don’t be afraid to break rapport when a guy does something with which you disagree.

One of the worst traits people can have is when they are overly agreeable and apologise for everything a guy does simply because they are attracted to him.

In recent behavioural studies, it has been repeatedly shown that all of us are more likely to show good behaviour and act morally if those around us expect us to behave in these ways.

If you show a guy immediately when he acts that you won’t stand for disloyalty, unkindness, or him taking you for granted, it makes his brain notice “Ah, this is the standard I have to reach”.

Now the test for you is to see if he strives to reach this bar you’ve set, or if he simply doesn’t care. If it’s the latter, you don’t need to invest emotionally in this guy any further.

6. Give him a second chance

If a guy does apologise for breaking your code, give him a second chance to be better.

Sometimes a guy just needs a quiet conversation with himself to realise that he was being a jerk, after which he’ll come around and want to be better next time.

So it goes: Step 1 – Break rapport (i.e. tell him he was wrong), Step 2 – Communicate the standard, Step 3 – Give him a second chance to live up to that standard.

Unless of course, he violates one of those standards so crucial that to even transgress once makes it worth you ditching him immediately, without contact or explanation. I can’t say what this standard is for you, but you’ll know it when it happens.

7. Educate him in the art of turning you on

This technique is a little sneaky and dangerous. Sneaky because it harnesses a guy’s strongest desire (to turn you on) and dangerous because it really works.

Simply do this: Tell a guy that either:

(a) You find something sexy

(b) Something turns you on

e.g. “I find it really sexy when a guy makes me feel protected and safe.”

“I find it really sexy when a guy behaves like a gentleman and has good manners”

Or, as an extra sneaky one (careful, this actually works!): “For some reason it really turns me on when I watch you doing the washing up. Can you take your shirt off and do it next time?”

If you tell a guy something is sexy to you or turns you on, whether it’s him wearing that jumper, watching him vaccuum, or having him give you a back massage, he’ll note it in his brain and remember it forever.

This is unlimited power here. Be careful.

The reason this works is because guys really do secretly live to please the women they love.

But what doesn’t work is when a guy feels like everything he does isn’t good enough for you. He wants to know that him going that extra mile makes you see him as more sexy, more of the man that you’re attracted to.

8. Always give positive reinforcement and tell him what you need

Men don’t often know when they get it right, which is why you have to tell them!

Mr. Right will want to spend his life fulfilling your needs, but he has to know what they are first.

It’s easy to take for granted the generous or kind things our partner does well, but the better you are at praising his best attributes, the more you’re going to see them amplified.

One great phrase for this is “I love it when you do (x)”

So, for example, “I love it when we help each other with work problems. You always know how to calm me down when I’m stressed. It really makes it feel like we’re a great team”.

If you kiss him and tell him how special he is whenever he does something you love, it’s like giving him the cheat code to make him feel adored at any moment.

This works even if it’s as small as him making you a cup of coffee and you telling him how much you appreciate it and how you love spending the morning with him.

Praise is severely underrated and depressingly underused. A recent article in The Atlantic showed that one of the two essential traits to a long-term relationship is generosity. Be generous with your praise and he’ll know exactly how to be the man you want.

9. Make it about your happiness, not his failure

Many guys react badly to nagging. It causes them to get defensive, become ignorant or retreat into a shell because they feel like a failure.

If you call him names like “lazy” or “hopeless”, he’ll feel like you’ve given him a label that he can’t change and won’t feel motivated to be any better. You’ll just make him feel like a failure.

What’s better is if you frame the conversation in terms of your own needs, and being happy together: e.g. “Babe, it would make me feel so happy if we could be organised this year and plan our holidays together. I’m so looking forward to having some fun trips with you. Can we take an hour to do this tomorrow?”

It’s much easier for him to see the benefit of taking an hour or two in the evening to make you happy than it is for him to hear that he’s useless for not having done it yet.

10. Show you expect the best in every area of your life

Remember, people are always showing you who they are.

And you can show a guy who you are through the way you act in every area of your life. If you show you are assertive, expect a lot, don’t take bullshit and only surround yourself with great people, he’s going to realise that he has to step up to be a part of the world you’ve created for yourself.

If you want your guy to get healthier, show him you’re committed to looking after yourself. Ask him to join a gym with you so you can both get healthy, or go for runs together and cook healthy meals with him. The more you make it a joint activity, the more he’s going to subconsciously embed your standard and stick to it.

To attract extraordinary you have to be extraordinary. Extraordinary doesn’t mean having-it-all or being perfect, it just means living in accordance with the values and behaviours of someone who expects the best in her life.

This works much better than teasing him about his failure to be tidy or calling him names when his waistline expands.

________________________________________

Ok, that’s it for the primer on getting a guy to meet your standards.

Follow the above, and you’ll have the tools for attracting a guy who shares your values, and who strives to please you and fulfill your needs.

Lest I be accused of ambiguity in any way, I have an obligation to say something that might sound patronising and obvious, but just for the record: You can’t change who a guy is. A guy can change himself, but not because you want him to. But what you can do is influence a guy to want be his best self around you.

Men can reach their highest potential or be the most mediocre version of themselves depending on what inspires them.

So once more, this post is not about turning a bad boy into a heroic model of manhood.

Nor does this guarantee that a guy is going to become the right man for you. It simply gives you the best chance of finding that guy, and let’s you find out what kind of man he is so that you can decide whether to invest more in the relationship.

Postscript: Are Your Standards Too High?

One thing I haven’t covered in this post though is how to know if your standards are too high, or too low.

Luckily, I have a talented and moderately handsome brother who has already filled this gap for me!

Check out Matt’s video below in which he outlines three key questions to ask yourself when assessing your own standards for the men in your world:

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *    *

If you’re ready to FINALLY stop giving up, love the journey, and get the unshakeable confidence you deserve, come and join us for 3 life-changing days at MHVirtualRetreat.com.  (Don’t miss out! Retreat begins March 19-21st – claim your spot here)

(EARLY BIRD SPECIAL OFFER – book your spot before April 30th and get 25% off + special exclusive bonuses! Grab your 25% off ticket here)

 

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50 Replies to “The Ultimate Cheat Sheet For Attracting A Man Who Lives Up To Your High Standards”

  • I really loved this one, Steve. Specially point 9!
    Thank you so much for another great article and I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving dinner, though I know you do a little of that every day… ;-)

  • Damn Stephen!!!! U wrote a lot today! Thank you! Have to print this article out tmrrw at work to read it properly.
    Take care!
    Glad you are Always here to enlighten my Wednesdays! ;-)

  • I love your advice Stephen and I wish I had known a lot of these pointers previously. I seem to have come round to a lot of this myself and by following your advice for a while now.
    I didn’t realise how important it is to break rapport when needs be. When we are young and in the flushes of love and infatuation it seems wrong. I’m now more assertive. I feel I know when I have to do it, as it only seems right to communicate my value. But a big part of you has to be okay with the result that might ensue.
    I definitely think your percentages of finding the right guy in the first place have to add up ( maybe to more) because otherwise it all seems rather exhausting. It actually annoys me that a guy would think it was automatic to be his most mediocre without a bit of prodding when they have someone amazing in front of them striving to be the best, making life the best. This in itself takes a lot of effort. But I guess that’s where the Invest, Test comes in. Find out whether they are worth an investment early on! Really, life’s too short!

  • I really enjoyed this article, Stephen! Made me think about my interactions in the past with guys, and where I was hesitant to break rapport. Points 4 and 5 are things I really need to start doing!
    Matt’s video also hit home, with the possibility of me being afraid of being hurt or rejected and therefore settling to choose from a smaller pool of individuals, who don’t meet my standards!
    Thank you so much! Will look forward to challenge myself to incorporate some of these behaviours going forward!
    Warmest Regards,
    Shev XX

  • Hi Steve! Brilliant article!

    “About 80% of that battle is choosing the right guy in the first place.” Agreed. If it is not the right guy, none of the things listed above is going to work. Some things should come naturally to people. Encouraging is a must, but trying to change someone, no.

    I am pretty sure I am doing all 10 in the list properly, but it was good to check it again. It gives me ego stroke. *evil grin* ;) And since you admitted, I also had some relationships which I knew right from the start wasn’t quite right but I didn’t care much for whatever the reason was at the time. Oh well, we are only human.

    I agree people don’t have to have the exact same passion- for example, I wouldn’t want someone who is passionate about photography, I’d rather it be someone I can learn something new. But you need to have the same passionate outlook in life to make a peaceful, harmonious team. It is like finding your yin to your yang.

    One last thing, I agree #7 has unlimited power. And that is all I am going to say about that. I won’t give out my personal secrets here. ;)

    Have a great weekend! xx

  • Great article, Stephen, and great video, Matt! Thanks.

    Matt, I feel like you were talking directly at me when you made that
    last point about putting your standards too soon.
    Do guys get really put off by that? Shouldn’t it just want them to up their game?

    I ask because I was surprised when someone Who I knew was very attracted to me(and I to him) never asked me out. I was pretty sure of his feelings for me (all the signs you talk about in how to know he’s interested were there).
    I think the reason he never made a move was because I said in a group conversation that I need to be with someone from the same religious background and cultural background. He doesn’t belong to these but I would be open to guys who were curious, interested and willing to engage in this part of my life eventually. I feel like if he had at least gone for it and given me something to go on by asking me out we could have tested if it could work.

    I feel that by sharing my ‘standard’ or criteria I destroyed a chance of a relationship. I think that’s why he never made a move despite him knowing that I knew he was into me and that the feeling was mutual.

    There are many possibilities here and I guess I’ll never know for sure the reason that he didn’t initiate anything, but from your experience and expertise could sharing a standard destroy your chances?
    If he was interested why didn’t he try to find out more?

  • Oopsie…i just sent the same message this afternoon before actually reading this!?a cup of coffee and waking up in the morning with the guy beside me :) hhhmmm. I thought that was something boring- so i added a song to balance the thought,a hint of where those ordinary stuffs may lead to.haha, i hope he get that ;)

  • Maaan…Stephen Hussey. You are indeed a wealth of knowledge with regards to relationships. I can’t stop reading your blogs!
    Thanks for the advice.

  • i really think this topic about standards is one of the most important one regarding the relationship.i noticed that girls either have impossible standards or no standards at all. However nobody say that he has no standards.girls think that love will help them to transform the guy and if it doesnt work ss u said they ll think that they re made for rach other
    thank for this article

  • Thank you for the wonderful article, it had a lot of useful information. I have a very hard time breaking rapport with a guy who is being disrespectful if I like him. I either don’t speak up at all, or water down the message too much. Any tips on how I can improve this skill?

  • I have a tricky question. At which point of dating shoud I let the guy know, that I will not have sex before marriage? Because if I say it on the first date, then he doesn’t know yet if I worth the wait. But if I let him know later on, then he might get the feeling, that I haven’t been honest with him. What do you think? Thank you :)

    1. Hey Ada,

      I actually was a guy who was waiting. Then I stopped. Reasons don’t really matter, but I have been in this position going the other way, and it really seems like a matter of shared values. There is a thing Matthew says in another blog about opposites attracting, which is that complementary differing qualities are fine, but differing values cause trouble.

      The best option is probably to find a guy who sees the value in waiting until marriage. Not necessarily one who has waited too, but at least one who gets it. Probably don’t bring it up on date one (for exactly the reason you said, he doesn’t know you are worth the wait yet), but you can give hints by talking about your religious background (if that is why). Definitely tell him before things get very physically involved though; if he doesn’t know where you stop, he probably won’t try to stop there. Wherever your line is, draw it clearly before he reaches it, so that he can show respect for you by not crossing it.

      Which, really, is the point. I suspect, based on my own experience, that you are worried about being rejected because you are unwilling to give a guy you are with what he wants. The thing is, if you are with the right guy, he will respect you for being honest with him and he will respect your wishes, because if he is the right guy, that will not be the ONLY thing he wants. He may still be disappointed, but a quality guy won’t leave you over this issue if you have laid the groundwork by mentioning things he will see as good reasons, and have already invested the time to connect with him emotionally. It won’t come out of left field, and he will have a reason to stay anyway.

      So, short answer, get to the point where you feel comfortable opening up to him and being vulnerable, and then have an honesty hour.

      1. Yeah I like how you Zoomed in on ¨Finding a Guy who SEES the Value in holding off until Marriage¨. It doesn’t force him to have to be a Virgin himself or unhappily adjust for you, but rather hunt for the type of Respectful Maturity that’s gonna help you out in a lot of other ways in the Long Run too. Love this Response, I’m gonna steal it from you too! :0)

  • Stephen, this is one of 2 articles I have read from you thus far being introduced to your brother, Matthew’s youtube channel this week and I must say, it is just absolutely well done. Every point is exactly articulated to make me fully embrace the message. The detail towards the examples help me to comprehend the article in a way that 2 people in a coffee shop would be speaking. Thank you and I look forward to catching up with your other posts.

  • Steve this one is so awesome!!! I loved so many things you said I don’t even know where to start

    1) ¨Make it more about your Happiness versus their Failures¨ Yes Nagging is as Ineffective and Counterproductive as it gets and I’m going to use this to try to build a better Relationship with my Parents his Year. Thank you so much this totally makes Sense, to People who are Receptive to that Approach that is. I can think of some Childish Immature Punks who won’t be responsive no matter how hard you try

    2) ¨In order to Attract the Extraordinary you have to BE Extraordinary¨ I loved how you focused on using the word Attract instead of ¨Get¨ or ¨Secure¨, this is one of the best Truth Shots I’ve taken in awhile. I think lots of People aim unrealistically Out of their League (especially those of us who are just starting out in the Game) but this totally Targets Equal Responsibility which I love. Thank you so much you are Truly an Extraordinary Writer, this is the best Bubble Bath for my Soul right now

    Your Crystal Clear Examples with how to Indirectly Communicate the Quality of Life you want was so helpful too, I think this can help me get along with People at Work and my Family Members better too. And AHHH that Be Generous with your Praise line was so awesome too, I LOVE the way you word things they’re so rich and Highly Efficient at the same time.

    Thank you for taking the time address this Topic my Girlfriends and I were just talking about this the other day,this Guide is so Sensible and Helpful!! God Bless you and Matt for using your Talents to serve the Community in the best way :0)

  • I feel a bit torn about #8. Of course communicating what you like and don’t like is important w/o being a nag about it but at the same time I don’t want to have to teach a man how to behave around me. Especially simple gestures like compliments or something.

    It’d also be nice if the man communicated as well and that the burden wasn’t all on the woman. He shouldn’t be afraid to ask her questions and if he is, he has to fix that issue with himself.

    Also Do you guys give advice to men? It’d be nice to see what you say to men to counter or compliment the advice you give to women who follow you here. Too many guys are getting their “tips” from the wrong places.

  • Lol you turn me on when you wash dishes… I don’t think he would fall for that one but overall I learned alot.

  • Although not seeing anyone atm, this article is good advice about communication in general with men. Definitely things mentioned above I can improve on.

  • I don’t know how you do it Stephen. But this is such valuable information on dealing with men. I’ve read this article many times and have to say, it’s one of the rarest most important pieces of information nobody else has ever told me. One of your best blogs this one.

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