Don’t Go Too Far Too Fast
Inner game is based on your beliefs, what you are capable of, and how you feel about yourself with respect to the rest of the world.
Outer game is your actual skills. This can, of course, apply to almost any kind of skill. Martial arts, music, you name it. You can play the piano beautifully in your own home, for example, but collapse into a pile of mush in front of others.
The good news is about your social skills is that you can build up both inner game and outer game at the same time.
Now, most guys don’t consider game as something you can “practice” and “improve” like any other skill. If you were a martial artist, for example, you wouldn’t ONLY practice whenever you had a match. That would be silly.
Instead, when you consider all the time actually performing any kind of martial arts, 99% is training, and only 1% of it is in the actual ring in a competition.
What would happen if you practiced your social skills the same way?
Meaning that most of the time, you practiced, instead of doing it “for real.” Now, many guys say it’s practice, but that’s only after they get blown out and don’t get what they want.
But what happens when you consider it practice before the interaction begins?
First, you’d have to decide exactly what you’re practicing. Eye contact, conversations, number closing, whatever.
Once you’ve got that established, you ONLY practice THAT. Nothing else.
This is something many guys have a hard time getting. As soon as they find themselves in a conversation, they go as far as they can until THEY get blown out, or THEY blow the other person out.
But what happens if you ONLY practiced up to the level of comfort, and nothing more?
Until you are absolutely and completely confident starting conversations, and can do so without a second thought, ONLY practice starting conversations.
As soon as you start one, exit (politely), and look for the next one.
You may find that this skyrockets your social skills and game in a VERY short period of time.
Since you’ll be building up your experience of positive experiences, that ENDED on a positive note, rather than you or them getting blown out, your confidence would soar.
Having a step by step plan can help.