Harsh reality often puts the brakes on optimism and confidence. There is no doubt that money plays a significant role in the world of the Player; the affluent ladies' man can drop $500 in one night, which puts him in immediate contact with scores of lovely women. When a recession clamps down on the country, the potential club tab becomes too steep to consider; the BMW may become a Kia; and the 2,000-square-foot suite may downshift to a 700-square-foot one-bedroom apartment. However, too many men form a direct correlation between their bank accounts and their sex lives, and while we won’t deny reality, one truth remains: Picking up women is still predominantly a game of skill. It’s easy to forget this when your wallet alone can’t attract amorous possibilities, but gentlemen, you can’t let a lack of funds affect your inherent charm, charisma, and above all else, confidence.
Rediscover your true confidence
If one word can represent the backbone of the Player, it’s “confidence.” This is where the core of the problem often lies when facing a recession: A lack of money has an immense effect on the psyche, and one begins to doubt one's self-worth. Such a doubt leaks into other aspects of your self-esteem, and it doesn’t take long for the downward spiral to leave you depressed and disillusioned. You end up sitting home on Saturday nights, glumly and mechanically switching TV channels, buried beneath a pile of negative thoughts. “Why should I go out? I couldn’t even afford to buy a woman a drink.” Don’t let it get this far, fellow Players. You must be practical, but you must also recognize that any confidence taken from money is artificial.
Use downtime to your advantage
It’s plenty easy to let your money do the talking, but when you have to reserve extra cash for the necessities, luring the ladies with a big bank account disappears as an option. If you’re an optimist you should simply say to yourself, “Hey, I can use this time to hone my skills.” Any dope can flash some cash and draw a woman’s eye; it takes a true master to attract that very same woman with all the qualities that actually matter. Remember when you first began to cruise the clubs? Remember fine-tuning your approach and conversational ability in the early days? Return to your roots, ignore the money issue and flex your good-sized personality muscle.
Expensive clubs aren’t the only option
You may have gotten used to the high-priced hot spots where there’s always a significant cover charge and a bottle of alcohol can be the equivalent of a good-sized car payment. However, the recession has forced you to rearrange your priorities, so you should also recognize that such places are temporarily off-limits. Have no fear; branching out and stepping into a few simple bars and other more common clubs can often yield excellent results. Furthermore, you can take the opportunity to better yourself; you may want to hit the gym on a more frequent basis, for example. This way, when the recession lifts and the money once again starts to flow, you’ll reemerge in the thick of the playing field, bigger and better than ever before. For all intents and purposes, this is the Player's version of turning lemons into lemonade.
Being a Player in the recessions means being honest and setting a weekend budget...