Ever heard of Chanel?  The monster perfume and cosmetics brand?  Its founder said something fascinating: "In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different."

You don’t create value by being like everyone else, by doing things everyone EXPECTS you to do. 

You become extraordinary by doing things that AREN’T ordinary.  Just ask the guy Marie-Claire Magazine calls "The World’s Greatest Pickup Artist".

The first time I heard of him was when I read Neil Strauss’s The Game.  He sounded like a true character, a man larger than a life, a guy who lived for the spotlight.  And who truly enjoyed the company of women.  I wasn’t sure his stuff could work; it sounded so out there, so crazy, so…unique.

Kind of like the man himself.

Yup, Mystery really is just that.  He’s unusual.  He’s controversial.  And he’s one of a kind.  Remember my lesson on doing the unexpected?  Going against the grain?  Surprising women?  Mystery does all that.  And that, along with so many other reasons, is why HE gets the girls.  He doesn’t do "conventional".  Not even part of his vocabulary.

So is it any wonder girls love him? 

It really does pay to be different.  Look at all the things Mystery does that are counter-intuitive–the opposite of what we men normally do, and women normally expect.  Normally, we men just go up to a girl and start talking.  We don’t project value. 

But not Mystery.  He doesn’t go for normal routines.  He shows girls he’s worth being around by demonstrating his talent, via magic tricks and illusions.  Stuff that most people can’t do…or don’t bother to do.  Most guys think their looks and machismo will get them girls, but most of the times, it doesn’t. 

Mystery isn’t most guys.  What 95% of the guys–the "majority"–don’t do, he does.  So what if it makes him part of the minority?  The minority win!

A lot of guys show their interest in women right away.  They fawn over a hot girl, and stay around way longer than they should.  But Mystery, as always, does the opposite: through his "negs" and Artificial Time Constraints, he limits the amount of interest he shows (even going so far as to tease and ridicule girls) and the limit of time he spends around them.  As this is the opposite of what girls expect, it’s no wonder they themselves fawn over Mystery!

And there’s more: Most of us let our lack of Hollywood looks get to us.  Not Mystery.  He knows he’s not great looking, and celebrates it.  He paints his nails.  Wears platform shoes.  Doesn’t style his hair like all the metro’s out there.  In other words, he does the opposite of what girls expect.  And when you go against what a girl’s brain expects, you literally create chemistry between you–her brain sends out chemicals that are pleasing.  She releases pheromones.  In other words, SHE BECOMES ATTRACTED TO YOU.

All because you were different.  And in being different, you become irreplaceable.  Just like Chanel…and just like Mystery.

Just listen to his students.  For those of you who heard the newsletter interview with my good friend Mechanic, his students will testify to the greatness of Mystery’s patented "Mystery Method" greatness.  The guy teaches you in person, in "the field" (ie, bars and clubs with lots of women), how to approach, converse, and flirt with women.  He’ll get you from the point of first meeting to the point of physical contact, in just 7 hours–sometimes less.  As dubious as this might sound, my friend Mechanic, and so many other guys, have testified to its verity.  It’s completely different than anything else they’ve learned–and that’s why it works.

So what can we get out of this?  There IS hope out there for all of us: the shy, the fearful, the ones who are worried that we’re "not like everyone else".  The guy who will teach you how to get the women you want, isn’t like everyone either.  He’s unconventional.  Unique.  Not the same old, same old.

But then, when has being the same old, same old gotten people like Mystery anywhere? 

A story about a guy who knows next to nothing about girls, then not only meets a secret society of pick-up artists who teach him how to score loads of beautiful women, but also becomes THE master pick-up artist himself, who both his students and his teachers go to for tips on how to deal and score with women.  Sounds great, doesn’t it?  The best part about it is, It’s true, and documented in Neil Strauss’ excellent book, “The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pick-up Artists.”  

If you’ve ever heard of Neil Strauss before, this book provides a fascinating account of what made him Syle, his seduction society pseudonym.  And if you have never heard of him, this book will make you WANT to know who he is.  Not only does he provide a fascinating look into the many methods of gaining women’s attention—and phone numbers, and panties—but describes in detail the crazy characters who make up this “society of pick-up artists”, as well.

What’s great about this book, as opposed to all the other ones out there for horny guys wanting to get laid, is the way it’s set up.  It’s not a lesson-by-lesson tome detailing “forbidden” methods of “tricking” women into going to bed with you.  It’s actually more of one man’s personal account of the frustrations and victories of dealing with women.  You learn your lessons, as Strauss learns his own.  It’s a description of one man’s journey from master loser, to master seductor.  And you can benefit from the knowledge Strauss shares, first-hand, in thrilling detail.

It all starts with Strauss’ account of growing up “far from attractive,” and far from satisfied with his sex life.  All it took to change that was a call from a book editor, asking Strauss to take the mysterious “Layguide” that existed on the Internet, and turn it into a “coherent how-to book”.  Though hesitant at first, Strauss finds himself curious—and you the reader curious, as well.  While investigating this patchwork of notes on how to get busy, he finds himself delving into a world he—nor the majority of people out there–hardly knew existed…and becoming one of the biggest parts of it.  As he writes, “If the layguide had never crossed my path, I, like most men, would never have evolved in my thinking about the opposite sex.”  But thanks to discovering it, Style began his journey of transformation from single loser to a guy commanding thousands for his seduction services and advice. 

Along the way, he discovers a host of crazy characters and all their "unique" (to say the least!) methods: Mystery and the Mystery Method; Tyler Durden and Papa, and Real Social Dynamics; David DeAngelo and Double Your Dating; Ross Jeffries and Neurolinguistic Programming.  There’s also a range of guys with interesting pseudonyms of their own: Thundercat, Jlaix, Herbal, Jughead.  It’s hard not to laugh as you come across some of these crazy characters and their interesting methods of creating attraction: 3-second ATCs, going "kino", negging.  It’s funny enough to hear what these methods are; learning about what they are as revealed by the various characters, makes the book often hysterical.

What I find best about "The Game" is the way it’s described as a journey.  As I’ve said before in my posts, life really is a journey, and so is the whole process of becoming a better lover.  Style’s way of teaching us his lessons isn’t academic, point-by-point lessons.  It’s through describing his growth, and letting you grow (and laugh, and groan) with him.  If you want to learn what IOIs, 3-sets, negs, ATCs, and peacocking all are, you don’t have to play “The Game”.  Just read it!