Read Online Act like a lady, think like a man by Steve Harvey - Free Book Online Page A

control—your image, the way you conduct yourself, the way you let men talk to and approach you—and use that to get the relationship you want.
    Let me bring it home for you: imagine you’re in the health club, and you’re on the stair climber, in your tight red athletic bra and matching form-fitting spandex gym pants, glistening and dewy with sweat, getting your workout on, looking really fit and sexy. A good-looking guy comes in—he’s handsome, fit, no rings on his fingers. And when he walks up to the treadmill next to where you’re working out, the chemistry between the two of you is electric; he smiles, you smile back; you move to another machine, he moves to one not too far from you; he glances at you, you glance back. And when the two of you are finished working out, he goes all out—comes up to you and breaks the ice.
    “Looked like you had a good workout,” he might say, looking you in your eyes, and then letting his gaze linger somewhere around your hips. “A woman who takes good care of herself. Nice.”
    How you respond—the way you control this exchange—will mean all the difference between whether he considers you a throwback or a keeper. Say something akin to “You know, a girl’s gotta look hot,” and then twirl around so he can get a better view, and that man is going to do a mental calculation of just how fast he can get you into the bed, and whether he can suddenly switch his workout time so he doesn’t have to see you again after he hits it. A man will determine just from those seven words and that tiny action that you’re a woman who can be easily had—someone who’s out for a good time and is getting herself in shape solely to keep her body looking right so that guys can look at it and really enjoy it. I assure you, the next few sentences out of his mouth likely will involve some serious attempts to reel you in, and, if you bite, he’ll get you hook, line, and sinker. And then he’ll keep it moving.
    But respond to him by saying something like “Thanks, my health is important to me and working out is a great way to keep in shape,” and he knows that he’s going to have to dig a little deeper to find out more about you. This is no guarantee that he will think you’re a keeper—you’ll have to do a bit more talking than that simple line—but at the very least, he won’t immediately peg you as a throwback. Your comments may lead him to talk about why he works out, which could lead to a meaningful conversation about a mutual interest you both have for staying in shape. And that could lead to him asking more questions, for which a keeper will have plenty of answers—laced, of course, with enough requirements to let this man know that you’re a keeper, someone who is looking for a man who will stick around.
    Now, revealing that you’re a keeper is no guarantee that this guy won’t just walk away. Some men really are just sport fishing and have no intention of doing anything more than throwing back the women they bed. If this is the case with this man, then let him walk—what do you care? He’s not the guy you’re looking for. I know that you and your girls have been told for years on end that you just don’t pass up any opportunities when a man walks your way—he could be The One. But I’m here to tell you that this philosophy is just plain dumb. Women are smart—you all can tell when your friends are lying, you know when your kids are up to no good, co-workers can’t get anything past you at the job. You’re quick to let each one of them know that you’re not stupid, that you see them coming a mile away, and you’re not going to let them play that game with you. But when it comes to your relationships with the opposite sex, all of that goes out the window; you relinquish your power and lose all control over the situation—cede it to any old man who looks at you twice. Just because he happened to look at you twice.

    All I’m telling you to do is be smart about it.