“Love doesn’t make the world go ’round.  Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”  ~ Franklin P. Jones

 A huge kudos to all the men out there (especially my “anonymous” male friend who supplied many of these)!!  I got more than 50 things and had to choose the best ones!  Thank you to all the ladies who contributed as well via email and Facebook but this one was for the guys.   I did save your responses to possibly use in a later post or my book.

As you read this list, please remember everybody is different.  This is not the “end all be all” list.  Know who you are and what you want and believe your man or woman is out there waiting to be your everything!

1. We never want to know as much about anything as you want to explain.
2. What you see is what you get.
3. Just like there is a heart of a little girl in every woman, there is a little boy in every man.  No matter how tough we seem to be.  Treat us with respect and we will treat you with respect.
4. Just a random kiss will do.
5. Just because a guy is gay, does not make them your new best friend.
6. Peeing with the door open, no matter how cute you are, is a turnoff.
7. Granny panties are never acceptable.
8. Yes, a loss by our favorite football team may cause a week long bad mood.
9. A woman, who watches Sports Center and can discuss sports with us, when the time is right, is irresistible.
10. No, it really doesn’t take us 30 minutes or longer to go #2, that is our quiet time, to read, reflect or just enjoy peace and quiet.
11. Yes, when we are in public we check out an attractive lady, but it is because she is attractive and worthy of a look.  It doesn’t mean we want to trade you in for her.
12. When sitting in silence and you ask us what we are thinking about, if we say nothing, we really mean we are thinking about nothing.  It is possible.
13. Seeing you in our clothes, even if it’s an old t-shirt, makes us feel closer to you.
14. Yes, we have a fear of saying “I love you” which may or may not be attributed to a fear of commitment; it may be a fear of another broken heart.
15. We like to cook for you.
16. Making you laugh makes our day.
17. In the middle of a long work day, a sexy text message or photo can make all the difference.
18. We want to make you happy; we might not always have the best resources to make that happen.  Tell us what you like; hints don’t always work.
19. Some guys lack the confidence to approach attractive women.  It’s ok for you to be assertive and make the first move.
20. When we go out, we don’t want you to pay for anything.
21. Chivalry is not dead.
22. Make-up sex is awesome.  We may start a fight just to have the follow up intercourse.
23. Much like on the elementary school playground, when we tease and make fun of you, it’s because we like you.  It doesn’t make the teasing right; we just have a difficult time expressing ourselves.
24. Hot girls are pretty on the outside; beautiful women are gorgeous inside and out.
25. Although your figure may initially catch our eye, what’s inside will keep our attention.
26. Size matters to us.  We all feel “short-changed” down there.
27. Eye contact is a big turn on.
28. When we shower with you, in order to “save time,” we always want sex.
29. When we are hungry, we are crabby.  It’s best to stay away.
30. We think about you more than you will ever know.
31. We feel vulnerability too, but sometimes feel the need to put up a protective shield to hide our true emotions.
32. When you try on a new outfit and ask us how it looks, prepare to hear the truth, because we will tell it.
33. Going clothes shopping with you is akin to having a root canal.  There is something better we’d rather be doing but we do it anyways.
34. Well manicured hands and toes are an indication that you take care of yourself.
35. We love to give massages; even rubbing your hands and feet.
36. Worrying about finances (providing for our family) can be the greatest cause of a man’s stress.
37. We watch “chick flicks” to feel closer to you.
38. Playboy actually does have good articles.
39. Knowing you shopped at Victoria’s Secret riddles us with anticipation.
40. Texting during a night out or a meaningful conversation hurts our feelings.
41. Don’t answer your cell phone, check or write text messages when you are on a date with us.  Turn your phone off in front of us to know we have your full attention.
42. We feel it is not masculine to share our feelings.
43. We are likely to snap if you talk over our favorite song playing in the car.
44. We all have our own individual stress reliefs (running, cutting grass, going for a long drive, etc.).  Participating in these activities allows us to internalize and resolve the problem or at least come to grips with it.
45. It takes a lot of trust to see the best in us.
46. You are the most intriguing, challenging, beautiful, intimidating and wondrous creatures the world has ever known.
47. We hate the fact that you have broken our hearts but come back for more.
48. We prefer to see you in your natural state sweating after the gym.  There is something animalistic about it.
49. When we are watching a game and our team is lousy, we don’t care to hear your opinion on play selection, uniform color and “why did they just run the ball up the middle where everybody is?”  At that point, it is best to keep quiet.
50. We are also insecure about their bodies.  We know when there is too much of a spare tire.  However, it doesn’t prevent us from flexing in the mirror any chance we get.

“We were given:  Two hands to hold; Two legs to walk; Two eyes to see; Two ears to listen. But why only one heart?  Because the other one was given to someone else for us to find.”  ~Annonymous

Grateful to all the men out there,

Chris

Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.

“I love you not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.  I love you not only for what you have made of yourself, but for what you are making of me.  I love you for the part of me that you bring out.” ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

In order to do some “research,” I thought it may be fun to find out what men and women think we each should know about each other in order to have fulfilling and fun relationships.

Here is the first list for all of you men out there.  It is as true as I could make it based on conversations and experiences I have had myself and those of friends and colleagues.  It is all meant to be positive and for moving relationships forward (and I decided to have a little fun with it as well!).  Our goal is to have long-lasting and fulfilling relationships and once and for all get rid of the BS!

1. Hold the door for us – even independent women like that.
2. We are smart.  Let us know you know that by how you talk to us.
3. If you smell like the Abercrombie store, no matter what you look like, we will look twice.
4. We like to cuddle – and not just after sex.
5. If you cry while you watch “The Notebook” we will melt in your arms.
6. Scratchy lace, strings that go up our butt and bras that squish our boobs, although may be attractive to you, do not make us feel sexy.
7. We like to hear the sweet sound of our name.
8. Shave your back, or for more points, wax it.
9. Spitting, burping and farting in front of us is not a turn on.
10. Hold our hand like you mean it – we like that.
11. Don’t assume we know you love us.  Tell us AND show us.
12. We love to be pleasantly surprised.
13. Fresh flowers earn you sex points.
14. Contrary to popular belief, we like sex.  Especially when it involves a mutually orgasmic encounter.
15. If you start a sentence with “Dude,” we may be confused and not respond.
16. Pretending you are Mario Andretti when you drive, leaves us feeling a little nauseous and not in the mood for sex.
17. When you honk your horn and yell out your car window at us, think about how you would feel if someone did that to your mother or sister.
18. “Size doesn’t matter” is a myth. (A big heart goes a long way!)
19. Grabbing one of our breasts when we are upset does not make it all ok.  It puts one of your most precious body parts in danger!
20. We want and like to be woo-ed and romanced. (If you are not sure how to do this, see my next book coming out soon or the book below!)
21. Foreplay is not out rated.  Kissing, nuzzling and soft loving words will lead us to the bedroom more often than not.
22. Sex after marriage is still a reality if you treat us like you did when we were dating and give us time to miss you in between.
23. How you treat and talk about your Mom and ex’s is a clue to us as to how you may treat us in the future.
24. We like to be called by our first name, not our last.
25. We love to see you smile.  Don’t hold back!
26. We like to be kissed (and please no tongue on the first date!)
27. We cannot read your mind and we know you cannot read ours – most of us are not Sylvia Browne – the more you tell us about what you are thinking and feeling, the more we know what you need.
28. We don’t want you to fix our problem; we just want to be listened to.
29. Seeing our man do the dishes is sexy (especially if you are wearing only an apron!)
30. A text response of “Ok” or “Thanks” to a serious statement is not a response.
31. If you are nervous on a date, the best thing to do is take a breath and ask us a question.
32. Getting drunk or high is a turn off.
33. We are all looking for the fairy tale ending (“Cinderella,” “Officer and a Gentleman” and the end of “Sixteen Candles” are my personal favorites!).
34. Take care of yourself physically.  The only odor we should smell is that of flowers (see #13) or something like cologne (see #3).
35. We like to see bumps – muscle bumps not sugar lumps!
36. We all have some issues with anger.  If you really want to keep us around, “Anger Management 101″ is recommended.
37. We like to have intelligent conversations.
38. Make us laugh when we are upset and you will have our heart.
39. Most women are looking for a “soul mate,” not a “sex mate.”  If you know we are not the one for you, let us know and move on nicely.
40. We love it when you are nice to our kids and treat them like you would your own.
41. Have a hobby and interests beyond us.  It’s ok to go out with the guys.
42. Be sweet to us and treat us like a princess.
43. Patience is a virtue.
44. Find something to compliment us on every day (we love it when you notice the small details -new haircut, earrings, etc.)
45. Pay attention – when you are with us, be with us.  Step away from the remote and mouse!
46. Care about how you look even when we are just watching a movie (Exception: Old t-shirts and wife beaters are ok when you are painting or doing a manly task ONLY!)
47. For God sakes, pick up a towel and wipe down the bathroom sink just once! (Lol!)
48. According to the Dali Lama (who I know is a man); kindness is the number one attribute people are searching for in a relationship.  So true!
49. We will love you with all of our hearts because that is just who we are.  All of the little things make the biggest difference – a soft caress, an expected gift, a touch of your hand, a kind word.  Never stop trying to court us.
50. Men lead with their bodies and women lead with their hearts.  The key to good sex is connecting with the heart and not so much with other things (although connecting those things aren’t bad either!)

Men, you now have an assignment.  After you read this, I need to come up with a list for the women to read.  Send your comments and suggestions for the list to chris@chrissopa.com with “list” in the subject line or comment to this blog.  Send them to me by Wednesday, August 8^th by 5:00pm EST and I will post them in my blog on Thursday, August 9^th as well as include them in my up-coming book on relationships.

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Recommended reading:

“If the Buddha Dated,” by Charlotte Kasl

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 “I don’t pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone & still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable & safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room & smile at you.”   

Honoring and loving all of the men of my past, present and future,

Chris

Chris Sopa is founder and owner of Chris Sopa International, Inc. You can learn more about her at www.ChrisSopa.com. Find her at Facebook.com/ChrisSopaInternational, Twitter @ChrisSopa, LinkedIn, and Google+.