While the meaning of "cool kids" (generally meaning higher status crowd in high school and to an extent college) changes from school to school, I really do think that a lot of the traits that most cool kids had in common can be applied in the social realm well after school. Whether we like it or not, how you're perceived matters a lot and you're always being judged by society. Society has this sort of social hierarchy to where various types of people fall into various places in the hierarchy, the higher up you are the more benefits you get, including access to and success with attractive women.

These guys just got all of this well before any of us did.

Over the years, I've learned that a good number of guys who hit their stride in high school continued to keep the ball rolling after it. A lot of these guys grew up in wealthier areas like the suburbs or a rich part of a major city, went to college, joined the right social clubs at college, and when they made it to a big city; they had the connections to keep the ball rolling and having fun. I was fortunate enough to make friends with some of these guys, get called to their parties, and attend some social events that I was not even aware of existing until they invited me to them.

While it is easy to be angry at guys who had it easier than us growing up, I believe there are some major lessons we can learn from them.

1 - Appearance, take care of it.

What is the one thing a lot of cool kids had in common? They took care of their appearance and went out of their way to look good. You notice that even guys who were not classically handsome were getting hot girls in their school years generally took care of their appearance. Even though their faces were imperfect and some of them even short, they lifted and looked the best they could. Obviously, you guys know this, so not even worth mentioning much.

2 - Get involved in society!

Why is this big? Well, because it is that important. How many times do you hear about guys complaining about life after graduation? How tough it is to meet people, meet girls, and form the bond and friendships that people have.

Well, look back at your school years, a lot of the higher status kids were involved in school activities. Not just sports but also some of the clubs that were a part of school. Same with college, a lot of the cool kids got involved in some sort of a major campus organization or a social club like Greek Life instead of being the guy that tries to make small talk with everyone in the hopes that they would be his friend. The socially aware kids joined the right clubs and the right organizations because they know that higher status and higher SMV people tend to congregate into certain groups.

In the real world, the same thing applies. Get involved in some group you might be passionate about, it is the best way to meet people. Find out some activity that you enjoy but also one that draws in the right people, board games do not count. Activities that draw in the people you would want to stand next to and be seen with, which leads me to my next point.

Do not end up being the guy that goes home to watch Netflix after work and then complains about how bad life after college is.

Do not shut yourself off from others or as Robert Greene says, don't make a fortress (law 18).

3 - Realize that how society views you and how you're perceived matters.

We've taken a sort of "lone wolf" alpha and "do whatever you want" type of approach but it just doesn't work all that well if your aim is to get hot girls. In a nutshell, that is what status is, how you're perceived. At every phase in life, there is a social game of status going on and you're constantly being put against other guys as well as being compared to them. How you look, how you act, how you present yourself, what you do, the friends you have, how you do things, and the way you carry yourself.

A lot of the higher SMV and higher status crowds have their own little social language in terms of how they carry themselves. Most don't make a scene, lose their shit and go all out crazy in public, talk way too much, reveal way too much in a conversation, and things along those lines.

4 - Be with the times and quickly get used to your surroundings.

If people in your area prefer country music over rap, get used to the fact that you'll likely have to hear country music more than rap. Don't dress too out of place for a setting and know where you are, don't start praising Trump at a hipster bar in a big liberal city.

Similarly, if most people your age are on social media and using it to send invites to events, don't be that lone wolf that disregards it completely. Instead, get on social media but make a profile that is done right. No awkward selfies and no long well thought out rants. Construct a profile that shows class and how amazing your life is but don't come off as too much of a try hard either.

5 - Keep your ear to the ground and be on the lookout for fun events as well as great places in town.

A bar that tends to attract a lot of hot girls? An amazing party about to go down? A fun activity perhaps?

Living in the fun part of town versus the boring one?

Be on the lookout and search them out as you go. When you exist with society and ask around, people will generally give off some opinions about those activities and you should be able to pick out the value they might have to your life. For example, you don't want to go to a card game gathering at a cafe but you might want to take part in that one volleyball league that is looking for new people. Know your surroundings well and be on the lookout for the good stuff that may come up.

6 - Most of all, keep that upbeat attitude towards life.

Don't get depressed, do not give off a negative cynical vibe in your social interactions, and don't be emo. Talk about positive things, praise people, give them credit for their good stories, and have fun in life. People want to naturally be near positive people that give off good vibes and are having a good time, not the people that go up to them in a social interaction and are always complaining about life.

Feel however you may, but don't give off the doom and gloom mentality in your social interactions, people will flee from you fast.