Tl;dr: in bold

I haven't posted or lurked in this subreddit in a while, but right now I feel inspired to share my story and experiences over the past year. I feel like I've come a long way, and learned some important lessons that I think I should share with others. What I'm saying is by no means something that hasn't been said before; it's just what seems to have worked for me. I also don't claim to be a master PUA or to be able to sleep with any chick the night I meet her. Nor do I claim to be perfect; I have my shortcomings as well. That said, in the past half year, i've dated way more women than I ever have in my entire life.

Story:

Over a year and a half ago, my first real and long-term girlfriend cheated on me. We got back together for half a year before I called it off. I was pretty emotionally fucked up for a while, dealing with depression, anxiety, regret and anger. All of this took a few months to get over with. After the relationship, I immediately began reading into seddit material. I hit on many chicks, and dated a chick for a few dates, but they'd be repelled after initial attraction. I chased women not because I wanted a partner in my life, but because I needed someone to fill a gap in life and make me happy. Skip forward 6 months later, and women have been coming into my life with little to no effort. In the past half-year, I've gone on dates with at least 12 women, and I've slept with half of them. I have a FWB for a few months now, and she's aware I'm dating other women.

Reading:

I highly recommend Mark Manson's Models. Definitely worth the read. I think truly implementing the advice in that book will take you a long way. Although, he emphasizes always appearing to be less committed. IMO, being straight up and authentic about how you feel is better. She's likely feeling the same way you do.

Some lessons learned:

1) Women are people too

It seems a bit obvious. This isn't going to be some feminist diatribe. The point is they aren't objects to be manipulated. Hell, they're probably more in a rush to find the right person than we are. They're human beings just like we are, with feelings of happiness, loneliness, desire, horniness, confusion, hope, ambition etc. If you treat them like people, rather than someone to play emotional chess with, you'll do better in relating to them and building meaningful relationships. A lot of guys are bitter about women, but it's a natural reaction from previous unsuccessful and painful relationships. Manipulating someone into liking you will only work for so long. Besides that, if they don't want to be in your life, why bother? Manipulation implies that you believe you're not good enough as you are to get her. This leads me to:

2) Develop the lifestyle that you want to live

You're living the life you want to lead. You are developping your career, your education, your hobbies, you're getting fit, trying something new, socializing, developing friendships with guys and girls. You're constantly improving yourself and reaching for the kind of life you imagine you deserve. That said, things in the here-and-now are not that bad. You're happy where you are, but you want more.

Look at yourself in the mirror. Would someone want to go out with you, fuck you, or be in a relationship with you? Would someone want to join you for the ride? If the answer is no, you better change that. You can't expect to get anything better than your female equivalent. How do you find that female equivalent?

3) Be authentic

Being authentic (and hence vulnerable) will allow you to build relationships with people that you actually mesh well with.

Don't put on confidence. A lot of guys do this. It comes off as douchey, cocky and insecure. Be confident. Be true to yourself and to others. Express yourself truthfully, boldly and clearly. Know what you want and go after it. The things you like are awesome because you like them. Other people don't like them? Well that's too bad, they probably haven't properly developped an appreciation for them.

Tell people that you're angry with them, that you appreciate what they've done, or that you like what someone is wearing. But don't say these things expecting anything in return. Express them because you're expressing yourself. Tell the girls you like that you're attracted to that you're attracted to them. But don't be needy about getting anything back. There's nothing that turns someone on more than being desired. But before you tell them how you feel:

4) Make moves

You need to act early and when the time is right. Wait too long, and attraction will die. Make a move too early, and you'll get rejected. You also need to act before she begins to see you as just a friend. Trust me, no girl worth your time will go out with only you just without being somewhat interested in you. Make sure you escalate the kino ladder (this has been written about elsewhere, which I won't get into here). The further you go with a girl physically, the more likely she's going to believe that she actually likes you. Basically, her mental state will readjust to her actions.

I like to go caveman when I make moves. When I'm just feeling that strong sexual attraction, I won't even think, I'll just go for it. I have a 100% success rate this way. You can ask if they want to kiss you / if you can kiss them, but that leads to awkward responses.

Have the balls to attempt the move. If you get turned down, there's no loss at all. The girl will likely be flattered.

5) Women are the ocean, men are the sun

Despite what some may say, there are some pretty generalizable differences between men and women. Most importantly, women are a lot more emotional. They may test you, be unsure of you, manipulate you, go hot/cold. At the end of the day, be true to yourself, know what you want and don't get too caught up in their emotional swings. Like the sun, be the stable and enduring figure that you are. Take the high road, and they'll realize that and appreciate it later. If a girl is really unstable, manipulative and needy, it's probably better that you don't have her in your life anyway.

6) Feeling frustrated? Take a break.

I find that women come into my life when I've decided to stop actively pursuing them. When I invest into myself, lead a good life and have fun, they come to me.

7) Noone is perfect, but some people are better for you than others

Everyone is flawed, and no girl you will ever meet will match everything you ever wanted in a mate. If you do find someone that seems absolutely perfect, you're likely idealizing them and not seeing the for who they actually are. Accept other people's flaws. It seems we're attracted to imperfections in others. That said, recognize where to draw an acceptable limit. If a chick will cheat on her boyfriend with you, she'll do the same to you. If a chick will leave her boyfriend for you, she'll leave you for another guy. If a girl talks shit about all of her exs, she'll talk shit about you too. If all her relationships are dramatic, problematic and unsatisfying, it's likely she's the source of the problem. Find a partner worthy of sharing your life. Date someone because you like who they are.