Knowledge vs. Belief

Many people think that having knowledge of something is the same thing as believing in something. In many cases, this is true. For example, when you learn something in school, like Columbus discovered America in 1492, you now have knowledge of that fact AND you probably believe that fact to be true (unless you're a skeptical historian like me :-)).

Yet in the realm of self-help, self-change or dating science, knowing and believing are not synonymous. Here is a personal story that illustrates this point. When I first read "The Game" almost two years ago, the information in there was overwhelming. The book went into great detail about how an average looking dude can go about picking up models and strippers. Knowing about this stuff excited me, and to a certain extent I found it encouraging. I told my friends about it and I was like now we will be able to have sooo much fun when we go out. Yet, despite having this knowledge, deep down my beliefs had not changed. I was still TERRIFIED to approach girls in bars or clubs. I was still TERRIFIED to spout out cocky/funny lines, or even to tell stories to strangers. The point is I had this KNOWLEDGE that I found interesting and inspiring, but I did not really BELIEVE it would work FOR ME.

It is for this very reason that I am sometimes skeptical of the philosophy "just go and do it". Maybe this philosophy works in PUA bootcamps, where you are forced into like forty sets in a weekend by demanding instructors. But outside of a bootcamp, this is going to be extremely challenging for guys whose belief system is still messed up.

The point of this post is that guys should NOT freak out if, even after absorbing the knowledge out there in the community, they still feel handcuffed in applying it. The stuff really works, but you have to change your belief system in order to effectively apply it. When I first started learning this stuff, I was frustrated because I was terrified to apply it. The idea of going out frightened me even more than it had before. But since I started working to change my beliefs, it has become much easier. So the point is: do NOT despair. Keep the faith. In my next post, I'll begin to describe ways in which to changed your beliefs.