Nomad77 just posted a thread about why this is a golden period for older guys. He definitely makes good points, but I wanted to explain why I miss being younger, and why younger guys have it better than they think.
I was last single in my twenties before I got married (I'm now divorced and in my forties). Before I got married, here is how I would meet women: I'd see a nice-looking girl at the 7-Eleven or in a clothing store at the mall, walk in, and just start bullshitting with her. Easy as that. Many times I got numbers and sometimes bangs. Hell, once I ended up spending the night with a girl I spotted walking home from 7-Eleven after getting chips.*
I took for granted how easy this all was. But back then, everyone wasn't married yet, few women had kids, and being ages 18-23, the best age bracket was open to me! How great was this? Pretty great. There also wasn't the expectation that things would have to get serious. Plus, I could go for older women and if I failed it didn't matter because who was taking that shit seriously anyway? If you're young, this is a golden period but you're probably too worried about what your life will be to see that. But appreciate this now and don't take it for granted.
When you get older, you can't just waltz into the mall and pick out a girl like you would a pair of jeans. First, most of 'em are too young. Second, you have baggage and sometimes that's mental, but it's still there and it keeps you from enjoying a lot of younger women, even if they like you (see my comment in the above linked post regarding mental weariness that comes with getting older -- it's harmed my game a lot). Third, once you're over 30, the women in your age bracket are in offices, married or divorced, with kids, and leading lives that are far from simple. And it's far from simple to deal with them or meet them. That leaves online dating and you know the thread we all have on here about that.
The moral: when you're young you may not have money or power but these things, I think, are overrated when compared to being the classic age for dating. I felt my youth was a burden and couldn't wait to get older, thinking things would be better when I had success and money -- like the Baby Boomer guys I used to see swarming on the girls of my generation (Gen X).
This is bullshit thinking. Enjoy what you have now. Don't feel self-conscious, like I did, that older guys have better cars or jobs. There's a certain charm in starting out in life that can never be recaptured. I wish I'd realized it then and enjoyed my present more instead of looking towards my future.
* Quick addendum: I was turned down a lot back then. It bothered me less. When you have nothing and are starting out, you expect rejection. When you have some success and get rejected, you really start to question yourself and the world around you. Plus, rejection means less when you know there's another nice-looking 21-year-old girl three feet away in the next store down in the mall...and the one after that...
I was last single in my twenties before I got married (I'm now divorced and in my forties). Before I got married, here is how I would meet women: I'd see a nice-looking girl at the 7-Eleven or in a clothing store at the mall, walk in, and just start bullshitting with her. Easy as that. Many times I got numbers and sometimes bangs. Hell, once I ended up spending the night with a girl I spotted walking home from 7-Eleven after getting chips.*
I took for granted how easy this all was. But back then, everyone wasn't married yet, few women had kids, and being ages 18-23, the best age bracket was open to me! How great was this? Pretty great. There also wasn't the expectation that things would have to get serious. Plus, I could go for older women and if I failed it didn't matter because who was taking that shit seriously anyway? If you're young, this is a golden period but you're probably too worried about what your life will be to see that. But appreciate this now and don't take it for granted.
When you get older, you can't just waltz into the mall and pick out a girl like you would a pair of jeans. First, most of 'em are too young. Second, you have baggage and sometimes that's mental, but it's still there and it keeps you from enjoying a lot of younger women, even if they like you (see my comment in the above linked post regarding mental weariness that comes with getting older -- it's harmed my game a lot). Third, once you're over 30, the women in your age bracket are in offices, married or divorced, with kids, and leading lives that are far from simple. And it's far from simple to deal with them or meet them. That leaves online dating and you know the thread we all have on here about that.
The moral: when you're young you may not have money or power but these things, I think, are overrated when compared to being the classic age for dating. I felt my youth was a burden and couldn't wait to get older, thinking things would be better when I had success and money -- like the Baby Boomer guys I used to see swarming on the girls of my generation (Gen X).
This is bullshit thinking. Enjoy what you have now. Don't feel self-conscious, like I did, that older guys have better cars or jobs. There's a certain charm in starting out in life that can never be recaptured. I wish I'd realized it then and enjoyed my present more instead of looking towards my future.
* Quick addendum: I was turned down a lot back then. It bothered me less. When you have nothing and are starting out, you expect rejection. When you have some success and get rejected, you really start to question yourself and the world around you. Plus, rejection means less when you know there's another nice-looking 21-year-old girl three feet away in the next store down in the mall...and the one after that...