Archive for November, 2009

 

How Awesome Are You? Try the “Auction” Trick

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

You ever have one of those “Damn, I’m awesome” kind of days? You know, you’re looking cute, you’re feeling smart, and if someone doesn’t seem interested in dating you, you blow it off with a “tsk” and a “They just don’t know what they’re missing” kind of line.

And then there are those other days… You know, when you wake up, dwell on your downsides, and wonder: “Who in the world is going to want to be with someone like me?” If you’re ever feeling a little down on you, here’s how to build yourself the heck back up through a trick I like to call “You: The Auction.”

Do you make an mouthwatering linguine with clam sauce? Put it on the list! (Image: AS)

Do you make an mouthwatering Linguine with Clam Sauce? PUT IT ON THE LIST! (Image: AS)

Here’s how it works: The charity of your choice is doing an auction to raise money for their organization. Maybe it’s for animal rights or cancer research or a children’s school you’d do anything to help. It turns out, they need your help to put their funding over the top…by auctioning you off on a date to the highest bidder! All they need is a list of your 10 Best Qualities to list on the auction lot.

The more unique, the better. I mean, sure, being “nice” and “funny” are fine, but the more “you” you make your list, the more someone will want to bid for you, and the more money you’ll bring in for your charity. So let’s hear ’em:

Maybe you…

…know how to make delicious Chinese dumplings or Chicken Pot Pie.

…look especially hot as hell in that one pair of jeans.

…are a super-fast reader.

…can create a mean dance track on GarageBand.

do have pretty gorgeous eyes, actually.

…can handle a stick shift like an Indy driver.

…know all the lyrics to The Golden Girls theme song.

Make your own list, of course. Think about it now, or come up with a few the next time you’re stuck at a traffic light. Be bold and big about your great qualities. This is no time for modesty—this is for a good cause! Then, whenever you’re having a down day, just remind yourself of the gifts that helped you make yourself a bestseller.

Remember, as odd or inconsequential things about you may seem sometimes, these are the things that make you stand out from the pack. It would bring in bank for a charity auction, and it’ll help you know when a match is right for you because this time they’ll be the ones saying, “Damn, you’re awesome.”

You might also like:
3 Tricks to Flip Your Frustration
Steal This Love Trick from Rachel Zoe

Big love and happy listing,

Amy Signature 4

You’re mad-about-able!

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

I’ve got to give it to my BFF Todd Bush for this one. Todd’s always good at coming up with juuust what you want to hear when you need to hear it. And when our friend Katy was lamenting her state of single-hood yesterday, Todd was ready to bounce her back to her state of awesome-ness.

You're bursting with madly wonderful stuff (Image by: Ken Spencer)

You're bursting with wonderful stuff (Image by: Ken Spencer)

“I just don’t understand why I can’t find anyone I fit with,” said Katy. “I want to meet someone who’s totally, utterly, mad about me.”

“You will,” said Todd.

“How do you know?” asked Katy.

“Because,” he said, “you’re mad-about-able.”

When they told me about that conversation, I felt as happy as Katy did to hear it. The truth is, we’re all mad-about-able in our own ways. Each of us has qualities that some guy or some girl will go absolutely nuts to be near. I talk about this in Meeting Your Half-Orange: Those things that may turn some people off now—your funny turkey dance, your terrible parallel parking, your bizarre peanut-butter combination sandwiches, your messing up on joke punch lines, or your laugh-snort when someone gets it right—these are not “buts” to be reckoned with, they’re bonuses! And the right person won’t like you in spite of those things, they’ll love you because of those things.

It’s the unique qualities in all of us that make us not just like-able, but mad-about-able. So keep doing your dance and laughing your snort and tell the world you’re ready for the person who’ll be mad for all of it. And  if they’re smart enough to be yours, they’ll snatch you up for good.

You might also like:
3 Big Reasons Your Life Rocks (Yes, Your Life!)
You’re So Hot 

Big love,

Amy Signature 4

The World Series of Love

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

I’m not much a baseball person. I was, for some reason, a fan of the 1980-ish Yankees, and spent a few yearsof my adolescence with photos of Bucky Dent, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolf, Greg Nettles, Bobby Murcer, Reggie Jackson and my sigh-inducing favorite at the time, catcher Rick Cerone, taped to my bedroom wall.

My old Yankee crush

My old Yankee crush

Oh, and when my photographer father snapped the Yankees for work at Newsday, he brought me home a hat signed “Rick Cerone #10”! I cherished it for years…until I lost it. I mean, who loses that?

Annnnyway, I’ve been watching some of the Yankees v. Phillies World Series this week, and by “some of” I mean I mostly tune in to the 8th or 9th inning to see what’s up. But, of course, for the last two games, the 9th inning has been where the biggest nail-biting action comes in. And it was while the camera was panning the crowd the past few nights—showing Phillie fans last night with quivering worry brows and pursed lips, some of them nibbling on their nails with utter fear as Johnny Damon (mmmm, Johnny Damon) came up to bat with two outs—that I realized: In baseball, people love the tension of not knowing what’s going to happen. Maybe it’s time to turn some of the nail-biting you feel about not-knowing in love into that same excitement!

I know it can feel awful sometimes, the not-knowing. I remember thinking many times while I was single, I just want to know who or when it’s going to be, and then I’ll be okay. Because if you know it’s going to happen, you can relax, right? Well, guess what? You can decide it is going to happen. But as for the who and when? Like the score of the next World Series game, it’s the not knowing that makes it all so magical.

Happy, jaw-dropping endings only happen after a little nail-biting, when you can leap up in relief or surprise—the big hooplah that comes after surviving all that nervous hell. Your celebration will come, so enjoy the whole game it takes to get you there.

Big love and happy baseball,

Amy Signature 4

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

And no, I’m not quoting the diner scene in When Harry Met Sally (the “I”ll have what she’s having” part) or anything else untoward. What I am quoting is the title of the Jim Carrey movie I recently flipped past on cable: Yes Man.

Yes indeed-y.

Yes indeed-y.

Did you see it? The one where Jim goes to the motivational meeting and they tell him that from now on, he has to say “yes” to everything that comes his way? He has to say yes when a homeless person asks for money. Yes when they ask for a ride. And yes when he’s offered a penis enhancement on the internet. It’s a goofy concept, sure, but it’s something we could all do to remember now and then. Today, let yes be your guide—especially when it comes to love.

Here’s why: We’re so used to looking at men or women we meet and finding the no. He’s nice, but he’s a bartender. She’s great, but she lives with five guys. He’s funny, but he’s a little dorky. She’s smart, but she’s meek. The next time you’re dating, find the yes!

Don’t count all the reasons a date could be out, count the reasons he or she could be in. Rip off the con column and circle the pros! That isn’t to say you have to start going out with people you don’t like, or dragging yourself through dates with someone you know you’ll never want to marry. This is just to say that if you practice looking at the world through positive glasses, you’ll see a lot more out there. Today, look at the yes.

You might also like:
Julie & Julia: Your Optimism Gurus

Big love,

Amy Signature 4