Path to Valhalla

Njord's Info Plot

2008-07-22T16:15:00.005-05:00

Sorry guys, but I've decided to drop the Nordic theme for a little while. Reason being that I found myself spending more time working with that than actually writing advice for you folks. I'll go back later and edit these future chapters so that they fit in with the old ones, but now, I just need to focus on getting the information out there. Right now though, instead of tidbits of Valhallan information, this post we get a little personal. I've created email and messenger accounts for you guys to contact me regarding your problems, the blog, what you want to see in said blog, or just to rant/start a conversation, etc..etc... I'll be on and checking them at various times of the day, and since most messengers now have a save offline messages feature, you can message me at anytime and I'll get back to you at least by the next day.
Email - njordrthewise@yahoo.com
AIM - Njordthewise
Yahoo - Njordrthewise (with an r on the end of Njord)
MSN/Windows Live - Njord@live.com
Leave me a little feedback about the blog as well. I have no idea how well I'm relating to you guys since you all are too lazy to leave comments. I'm an ancient god, so adapting to every lingo/dialog/trend that comes out every 20 years is a little difficult for me. Since I know most of you use at least ONE of these messengers, hit me up.

Now, as for the blog, I've decided to take an abstract planning to writing it. I've written down just about every element I can think of to write, relationship wise, and will just work from there. I tried working up a path of techniques to actually build you guys' confidence, but since none of you message me, and I doubt that any of you actually will do any of it, I'm just going to write on whatever I feel and in whatever order.

As for the little anecdotes, which a lot of you seemed to relate to, I'll be writing more on another blog as time goes. This week is a pretty major in Valhalla (Odin is gone, it's party time) so I don't have a lot of time to spread between the blog, ARG, the drunk Valkyries, and my own personal projects. Expect a bunch of stuff by next Friday though.

Girls, since I think a few of you actually read this. I'm sorry but most of my chapters will be directed towards guys, because I really relate to a lot of their problems and know what they need to see. However, don't think I'm just leaving you out in the cold. Feel free to message and email me about what you would like to see here, or problems you may be having. Most of my chapters come from questions people ask, or prominent threads on the forum, so you just might see a chapter dedicated/built around your problem if you can just let me know about it. You're not the only one going through it, so please help out by allowing me to help others as well.

Also, I'd like to thank you all for actually checking up and reading this thing. I've gotten messages, PMs, emails, etc. over the impact I've made on some people and I'm glad of that. That's what the point of this was for. If it was for glamour, I would've sold it a a book. Being up for barely a month, with hundreds of hits, I think were doing well here. Just bare with me as I try to make my advice a little more sound and secure before I get it out to you guys. I take this seriously and don't want my ignorance about anything to create havoc in anyone's life, which is why my chapters take so long to get out. Anyways, this is all for now since I need to finish working on the next one.

Again, thanks for reading
~Njord the Wise

Chapter 4 - Valkyrie

2008-06-27T18:27:00.009-05:00

Valkyrie

Choosers of the slain. The Valkyrie were beautiful women who rode upon wolves amidst the fury of battle. These female disir chose those who fought heroically, and upon death, took them to the hall that is Valhalla.
then appeared, in the field of air, a helmed band of Valkyriur: their corslets were with blood besprinkled, and from their spears shone beams of light.
Art by pascalblanche of DeviantArt.

The Raven

This is a problem that plagues a lot of people, and not just socially but personally as well. As humans who value themselves, which is what you are now if you've been staying with this path, we have certain rules that people must adhere to in order to be in our company. We define these as standards and they apply to everyone you meet. The women you want to date must meet certain standards, your close friends and companions must meet certain standards, your teacher/preacher/moral adviser must all meet certain standards in order to hold value in your eyes. At least...I hope so. We even hold standards for ourselves in how we must present ourselves to others, our personal health, our performance in school/work/sex. However, how do we know if our standards are too high or too low? Are you sure you have standards at all? We'll see. but first we need to know what standards are and why we have them.

So, what exactly does a 'standard' entail? There are many types, and many variations, but generally - A standard is a rule or trait a person uses that others must fulfill before gaining rapport with said person.
Why do we need standards? I want to accept everyone! Good luck with that, and fortunately, that standard may just work for you. However, some standards are even there for our safety/personal comfort such as your acquaintances should be clean, or not curse around you, etc.

The Wolf

Alright, so I know what a standard is, but what's their value when it comes to relationships? People value those who have an aura of authority about them. Think of how you may feel about a Sergeant, your pastor, even your father. One key part of attracting women is showing that you are a leader. It shows that you are so secure with yourself, and valued so much by those around you, that you can actually dictate who is worthy of your company. Cliques. Like the Hot Girl click, when a beautiful girl is surrounded by 3-4 not as pretty friends - They value her looks, attitude, and control over guys while she may value their conversation, ability to listen, and emotional support. Now other girls are jealous of this Hot Girl clique because of the value trade-off they have. You MUST do the same when it comes to building solid, long-lasting relationships, because it makes sure that you have people around you that value you and you, them.

Valhalla

Confidence plays a big part in enforcing your standards, because you WILL have to confront those around you who may continually break your rules. It's not mean, or evil, to want people around you that make your life better. Why surround yourself with negativity? It's a good idea to start out early telling people what you expect from certain relationships. With women (maybe 20-30 minutes after I've met them) I say, "I don't really appreciate people who commit to things and then flake out. You're not flaky are you?" Now no one wants to say they have a negative trait, so of course she's going to say no. However, what if she did flake on a date we schedualed for that Saturday? Then I may call her and say, "Hey, listen. I don't know what type of friends you have, or what people you may hang out with that allow you to not consider others, but I won't be one of them. I value my time a little too much to waste it with people who aren't sucure enough to at least say, 'No.' in the first place...etc..etc.." I'm NEVER angry with what I say, but I'm completely serious. It's your job to do the same. If you don't want cursing around you, or smoking in your car, or people who are always late, then express that. You have a right to be happy, and you need to work to ensure that those around you do nothing but promote your happiness and well-being.

The Fourth Stone - Standards

How do I build my standards? You need to find out what is attractive to you when it comes to relationships, and what makes you unhappy. You are the lawmaker, and traits that make you unhappy are illegal in your book. Stand strong with your rules, and those who really value your company will make sure to obey them.

Plains of Asgard

Make a list with 3 columns: Friends, Family, Relationships. Under each, write down standards that you require each to have, such as your friends not cursing around you, or your uncle not drinking in you presence, and a guy knowing when to be funny and when to act mature. Make sure it's extensive and that you cover just about everything you can think of. Then highlight the 3 most important ones, these are your core values. A person is instantly shunned when they do not follow this rule.
Make sure those around you may know your rules. You don't have to explicitly tell them what they are, but when they break one, let them know that you don't approve of it. If they continue to break it, make sure they know that they could lose your company because of it. Stand strong and confident and don't be afraid to remove those around you who may be detrimental to your well-being.

Chapter 3 - Týr

2008-06-26T18:11:00.014-05:00

Týr

The god of single combat and the muse of courage and heroism in battle. Bold and brave, Týr was the only god courageous enough to feed the deadly Fenrir - a wolf, it was foretold, who would kill the great All-Father.
Tyr is a one handed god the leavings of a wolf and prince of temples.

Wolf-Joint

We can have all the self and/or social confidence in the world, however, there's still one thing standing in between you and that goal of a woman for your arm.
An Introduction.
Holy shit didn't think of that did you? That's why I'm here bud. I gave you a simple introduction for your Field Training in chapter 2, however, that was not really an appropriate way to entice a woman you're interested in.

Regardless of what we did in chapter 2, you'll still probably have that anxiety creep inside you again when you see a girl you really want to talk to. That's bullshit! Then why did I go through with embarrassing myself the whole weekend? Well, frankly, because you're an idiot (joking! holy fuck..). No, that confidence is needed and will play a crucial role when you do speak to this girl. However, the anxiety mentioned above has absolutely nothing to do with confidence.

As humans, we are animals, no matter what anyone says. You may believe in God (or not), but I believe he got lazy on that 6th day and said "Hey..this little 'instincts' thing works for everything else...Why not?" I mean..he did slob out on the couch the next day, so who knows? Regardless, our bodies react instinctively to certain situations. Examples include an incredible burst of speed when running away from danger; a baby crying when it's hungry or lacking attention; "fight or flight".
However, every animal has 2 basic instincts, underlying EVERYTHING else:

To survive
To procreate

In order to procreate, we must do as most other male mammals do - Find a suitable host for our seed, and woo her into mating with us. Now, how do animals know a suitable mother from a terrible one (sick, barren, or not fit for carrying children)? It's instinctive. An example being a dog sniffing ass. The sniffing tells a myriad of information about the dog such as eating habits, well-being, or pregnancy.
There are a number of ways male humans tell if a female is able to bear children as well:

wide hips for birthing (fat ass)
large, or full/firm breasts for feeding (big, soft, round, full tits)
toned body for able care and healthy well-being (why fat chicks are a turn off)

In other words, the "perfect woman" (36-24-36) is the ideal child bearer. Of course, each male has his taste, so what else can be used to alert the body that a worthy female is near? How about a feeling? Maybe in the pit of your stomach? As I said, the body moves on instincts. Mr.Sub works constantly to help you, however, he never explains shit and that usually ends up fucking you up. How is that?

Ever went past a bakery, and had a smell trigger a memory from early childhood? Or maybe a sound that makes you feel a certain way, like when your mother yells your full name instead of just the first. The psychotherapy NLP calls this "anchoring"- unconsciously tying specific emotions to an external stimulus like a smell, sound, sight, or even feeling. Okay, great. So what does this have to do with me and the anxiety I get? Glad you asked. Remember that "pit of stomach anxious" feeling? Well, what if everytime you had that feeling, you ended up getting rejected? Or your friends would go, "Hey man, she's way out of your league." If you yield undesirable results, of course your unconscious is going to anchor bad feelings to the anxiety (which is why it is called so). The fuck?? Mr.Sub comes and fucks me again? Damn Skippy, but it's not totally his fault. He has no logic, therefore, while he may alert you to the presence of the perfect woman - He can also tie emotions to that feeling, not knowing that it's detrimental to your social skills.

Gleipnir

Your mind is the only thing holding you back from meeting the girl/woman of your dreams. From fears of rejection to fears of approaching, Mr.Sub works hard to keep you from emotional harm. However, Mr.Sub is also easily fooled and re-trainable to believe what you want to believe, but after you break that restraint...what do you say? Who knows? Honestly. I've walked up to girls, said "pickles", and will come away with their number in 15 minutes. However, you don't have the confidence or probably the drive to even try that. So we'll work with what you do have, and that's WANT. You WANT to talk to this girl, and you WANT to get to know her for whatever reason, so you tell her so. This is where a lot of guys fuck up, they walk up after hours/days/months of staring at a girl and they say, "Hey umm...You're so pretty and I got this for you, and I think we should go out, maybe to the movies or somewhere to eat?" *and I've seen this happen* What was his problems?

He creeped her out with the staring first of all. Never stare. You see a girl you like? Move in for the kill. The longer you wait, the more that anxiety builds, and the more you try to logic yourself out of it. Plus, if she catches you staring nervously multiple times, you're now that "Creepy Guy".
He accepted her without any reason but her looks. We'll cover this in detail later, but when you introduce yourself to a girl with the purpose of getting to know her, GET TO KNOW HER! Never tell a girl she's pretty and that's the only reason why you're there talking to her. She gets HIT ON CONSTANTLY, and already knows that.
He offered to take her out, yet she has no basis on which to evaluate the fun/excitement/adventure/hilarity/passion/romance of said date. When you introduce yourself, you're showing a picture. You paint that picture in her mind, and she recalls it constantly when she thinks of you. So if you paint yourself as boring/nervous/scared or don't paint yourself at all, what do you think is going to happen? Your actions, attitude, confidence, looks, etc.. all make the difference between a Michelangelo or finger painting.
He didn't even tell her his name, or ask for hers.

And this is what we base our introduction on - Defining yourself with your confidences (ch1), spur of the moment action, qualifying a girl beyond her looks (or whatever you may be initially attracted to), and then painting a picture of yourself. So how do we put all of this into an introduction? Simple.

Fenrir

The goal of the introduction is to let the person we wish to know get a vivid picture of us in just a few minutes, but first you have to have the will to fight through the anxiety that may be holding you back. You have to remember that ALL rejections just boil down to "No." and you shouldn't fear a 2 letter word. The confidence you show when you just walk up to a girl and let her know the real you without hesitation puts a myriad of colors in that picture you're painting, and you want to make it as detailed as possible. Any girl will tell you they can at least respect a guy who does so, even if he doesn't earn their interests. Don't be afraid to stick your hand in the wolf's mouth, because without that test, you'll never know the results.

The Third Stone - Introduction Confidence

What are the steps to an introduction?

Framing yourself with your confidences, which we will also talk about in detail later. You want to have a frame for your picture to sit in, so make sure your confidence is unshakable. Remember the traits, mental and physical, and you'll be set.
Give reason as to why you're there, let her know you're there for her.
Ask her to give you reasons as to why you may be interested in her, beyond the quality that initially attracted you (or a major quality). If she's pretty, say she looks like an "interesting person." Every other guy hits a hot girl with the pretty line, and most want to be valued for more than that.
Paint a picture of yourself. Be funny, witty, or whatever you are. Remember those strengths? Portray them. Don't brag about them, but show her that you have them. Your flaws? Forget about them. She can know them, but not during an introduction or anytime near then.
Have fun! It's okay to be nervous initially, but to be nervous and stumbling the whole way through is irritating to a girl, even if she already likes you. Be confident, and brave.

Note: I know I'm leaving you with a lot of information and not enough detail, but we will cover all of this, I promise. For now, remember the basics and try to incorporate them on your own.

Plains of Asgard - Field Test/Homework

Write a simple script to use as an introduction, along the lines of.. -Hi, I just had to come over. You seem like such an interesting person and something told me that maybe I should get to know you. My name is (Name). What are you here for? - etc. It doesn't have to be hilarious or anything, just enough to START a conversation.
Go out again, with the intent of introducing yourself to 10 people. Try to use the basics of the Third Brick in your path to paint yourself for others.
Introduce yourself within 3-5 seconds of seeing someone. DO NOT WAIT.
Remember your first two bricks before going out (Ch1 & 2), and before you introduce yourself. They are your greatest weapons.

Note: The purpose of the Plains of Asgard is to fight through the battles you're facing in your mind. If you don't want to do them, fine, but don't expect to yield results without practice. Cliche, sure, but you have to crawl before you walk. I've done each and every one of these, and still do them to this day. It's why I can sit here and tell you about confidence, women, and social relationships. So please, try to fight through the fear of embarrassing yourself, because in the end, it all works out for the best.

Chapter 2 - Baldr

2008-06-26T05:37:00.006-05:00

Baldr

The second of Odin's sons, and the wisest of the Æsir, Baldr was admired for his beauty, graciousness, and fairness.
[Baldr] is best, and all praise him; he is so fair of feature, and so bright, that light shines from him.
However, Baldr had a prophetic dream of his untimely death, and was troubled by this vision. The Mother of All, Frigg, made every object across the worlds vow never to bring harm to Baldr. All objects swore except for mistletoe.

Mistletoe

So, we've started to build our inner-confidence for social encounters, but what killed that confidence in the first place? No person is born an introvert, without friends, or socially inept. Even if they are highly intelligent (nerd), that person is still born with the abilities to interact with other humans. There was a mistletoe somewhere along the line, be it in 1st grade when you had braces on your legs wth Jenny screaming behind you "Run Forrest!" - or in 6th when you peed on yourself because you held it in too long. Whatever the circumstances, something killed your social confidence. Now where does this social cofidence REALLY come into play? What's the most important thing to everyone reading this blog? The opposite (or same) sex.

One of the biggest blocks to total confidence comes in the form of people we want to date, have sex with, or just get to know. It's the mistletoe to damn near every unconfident person out there, because we're all trying to please someone, and that someone is usually a woman (or man...or both..) Okay wait..

Note: Fuck politcal correctness from now on. Use some goddamn comprehension and logic when you read this if you are not a male (or straight). Just change the wording to suit your needs.

The biggest blow to anyone's self-confidence is rejection. Again, your mind is an extremely powerful device and rejection can sometimes be an emotionally harmful experience to go through. Why? Because, as humans, we are brought up with the ideas that our self-worth is determined by others liking us (caring, loving, friends, etc.). Because of that, when someone (or many people) rejects us, it's an extremely big deal because that means we're unacceptable in some major way. That's depressing as hell. So what does your mind do? It protects you from that bad/harmful experience subconciously while fucking you up socially in the process. Now why would my mind do that? Im glad you asked. The subconscious of your mind cannot tell the difference between reality and non-reality. Whatever you think, it intreprets as good or bad (this is a very, very, very condensed analogy).
Example: A scary movie. You know it's not real, yet you're scared anyways.
So, you get rejected, horribly. Your mind now works to guard you from that fear/danger/hurt of rejection. You get a growing fear, or anxiety, everytime you may want to speak to a girl. You keep to yourself instead of going out socially in order to avoid that rejection.

Höðr

Slaying the ignorant who killed your confidence will not be easy. This is where your Járngreipr come in handy. If you don't happen to know what that is, or don't have yours yet, please do read the last chapter. Self-Assuredness covers EVERY aspect of social confidence - No questions asked, no doubts about it. However, that bastard of a brain takes a while to rewire when we're taking such smalls steps as these (A big step would be some random hot girl laying you). In order too fool Mr.Subconscious, we have to play his game. Remember when I said Mr.Sub can't tell between reality and non? Haha fucker, we got you beat. So what do we need to portray in our minds, in order to kill the idea that rejection is a death sentence? Complete and utter lying bullshit. What happens when you want to talk to a woman? You get hit with so much logic your brain reels:
She won't like me.
I don't know what to say.
I have pimples.
She'll laugh.
I'll die if she laughs
What would we do anyways?
She's a cheerleader! I can't do it.

What else happens? As we said before, you may get an extremely deep feeling of anxiety, or fear. Even if you do talk to her, you may stumble over your words, have absolutely nothing to say, forget what you wanted to say, say something shitty that you didn't want to say, do something extremely stupid you woulnd't normally do, etc. This is your Mr.Sub fighting with Mr.Con(scious) and he's winning each and everytime.

Váli

Again, know your self and be proud of who you are. With your Járngreipr, alone, you can get through any rejection. If you know your worth, and your values, quirks, habits, hobbies, flaws, strengths and weaknesses - and you are PROUD of them, no rejection could ever penetrate that sheild. They obviously don't know what they're missing, because you are you - and you'll never down yourself because of what others think of you again when you think you are awesome. However, it isn't that simple. We have one foe standing in our path, and that is Mr.Sub, the ultimate agent in the Matrix.

The Second Stone - Social~Confidence

How do we rebuild social confidence? Get out, rinse, repeat. Then we play mind games, because that's all this is.

Plains of Asgard

Arm yourself with your Járngreipr each day before going out. Put it in your wallet, or back pocket, where you'll see it often. Remind yourself that you have them on and what they represent.
Go to a public/social gathering, or place, and introduce yourself to as many different women as you can handle, working to get their number. Don't stop and wait for chapter 3 until you've been rejected by 10 women. This will get Mr.Sub thinking that rejections aren't that bad. Why? Because you didn't die from any of them. You're going to have to fight your mind to do this one, and you may damn well think I'm crazy. Stop reading my shit if you can't butter my toast.
After a rejection, go and write down (in detail) the situation. Try to find out exactly where you may have earned that rejection, and then work on fixing it. Then, move out again and go for rejection #2 (and so on..)

Simple
Note: Again..Look up the names if you don't know them. They have a purpose, and let's the blog click nicely if you knwo the background behind them. I'll post an index maybe later on.

Chapter 1 - Thor

2008-06-24T10:16:00.012-05:00

**Note: Research the names unknown to you. They have a point for being in the post.

Thor

Odin's first son, and the greatest of all warriors, Thor was renown for his great strength and his legendary hammer -Mjolnir. Made at the command of the trickster, Loki, Mjolnir was the most feared weapon throughout the worlds of Yggdrasil.
[Thor]... would be able to strike as firmly as he wanted, whatever his aim, and the hammer would never fail, and if he threw it at something, it would never miss and never fly so far from his hand that it would not find its way back, and when he wanted, it would be so small that it could be carried inside his tunic.
However, the legendary hammer could not be wielded on Thor's will alone.

Megingjord

When building social relationships, I've noticed that one thing is needed for all new successful encounters:
Confidence.
Regardless of what Hollywood movie tells you the shy nerd gets the girl for being himself, or the introverted girl gets the hottest guy in school for being herself - Learn this:
It's all BULLSHIT!
True, these instances do happen. However, it's probably the work of God, fate, destiny, luck, or whatever. I wouldn't depend on those to come through for you when it comes to meeting new people. Whether you're meeting women, a potential new boss, or your long-lost father, CONFIDENCE in any situations shows the dominance you hold over your life. It defines you as a person who is so COMFORTABLE with everything around him, that he seems to MAKE it happen. You can pick a Marine out of a crowd, just by the way he walks, because of the confidence he EXUDES all over the place. So how do we translate our weak-ass into a confidence spewing bastard? Simple...we fake it.
Njord, you're one hilarious bastard. You can't fake confidence!
Yes I can! Yes.. I.. Can! (cool points if you can tell me the source; hint- movie/comedy/remake of classic)

Your mind has done something incredible with social interactions you've had over your lifetime. It's detailed and analyzed each one, comparing each against each other for patterns and repetitions. Because of that, certain actions, postures, vocal tones, and words/phrases are programmed in our minds as CONFIDENT. What is confidence? It is the belief in oneself and one's abilities. This is why you can pick the Marine out of the crowd, because he believes he's a kick-ass man killer who has nothing to fear. Now, you may be wondering..
What exactly are the patterns for confidence?
Glad you asked:

Good Eye Contact - Anyone who is able to HOLD the gaze of those around him automatically gains a confidence point. I had a hard time shaking someone's hand and holding eye contact, which exuded unconfidence. Because I had no father, it was awhile before I was reprimanded on it.
Stands Upright - This position shows you are ready to take the world on, and not try to slump through it. You command attention throughout the room, because you are not trying to shy away from it.
Walks Broadly - Taking wide steps exudes confidence. Why? Because the subconscious mind works against you when you're nervous or afraid. You take slower, smaller steps towards that fear. Confident people have no fear, at least not in most situations.
Self Assured - One of the biggest ones. A confident person doesn't give justification or reason behind every action he takes. If one makes a mistake, a confident person knows that it was just a mistake. Also, he wouldn't respond harshly to criticism, because he knows who he is and his abilities. His short comings are not short, but actually what makes him great. He is assertive, and knows that he has a right, as a person, to be accepted for who he is. He works to make what he wants happen.

Járngreipr

So your actions may show you're confident, but when it comes to interactions, you still seem afraid. Remember point four above, Self-Assured. How sure of yourself you actually are will ALWAYS show in your speech. Think about how one sounds when they're nervous or afraid. Their voice quivers; it may be too light, or too loud; Their words are confusing or they stumble over them. Even the words we use show just how confident we are. Ain't that a bitch? The English language actually translates our emotions without us even knowing it. How do we translate our words, the most deadliest of weapons, into a confident talk?
Glad you asked:

Self-Knowledge - Know about yourself, what you do, and why you do it. That alone will show your confidence. People ask me all the time, why do you play video games? What if I said, "Well I have nothing better to do, and it's fun." How do I sound? I'll tell you..I'm excusing myself. I'm giving an excuse as to why I play video games. Now try this answer, "I like taking my mind to different places, exploring what could be called a new art medium, and soon I hope to make my own one day." Now how does that sound? Like a reason. I know why I play video games, and why I enjoy them. If you know the reasons behind WHY you do something, you'll always be confident in doing what you do, no matter what others may question about it.
Self-Judgment - Again, know who you are, and the reasons behind the actions you take. Examine your personality and learn why you say "Cowabunga!" all the time. You don't allow others to judge you, because you're solid with who you are. You need no social approval, and you don't compare yourself to anyone but yourself. Remember that Marine in the crowd? Now walk up to him and say, "You're a pansy." Now depending on his rage factor, he may kick your ass because of the insult. But honestly, it wouldn't affect his self-confidence, because he knows he's a BAMF. Someone says, "You think you're the shit huh?" You look them in the eye, smile and move on. What could they possibly think?
Self-Worth - After judging yourself, know your limitations. A confident person knows where he's at in the world, and though he may strive to move up, he doesn't make impossible goals (Pefectionism). He doesn't beat himself up over his limitations or faults, he simply accepts them and moves on, or works to improve them. Fears are not a problem, because fear causes unconfidence. Everyone has fears, but a confident person knows when to face them.

Mjolnir

All of this leads up to completely knowing yourself, and realizing who you are. Your faults are you, your mistakes are you, your strengths are you, and there is absolutely NOTHING you can do to change that you are who you are here and now. You can change later, but now is what matters and now is what you must accept. Learning to program each of these traits into your subconscious is hard, trust me, I've done it. You have to have the Megingjord and the Járngreipr to have the strength to heft the mighty Mjolnir. And it begins with simple steps.

The First Stone - Self~Confidence

How do we rebuild our confidence? Rebuild? I never had it. Yes you did. As a child you learned to walk, and to do so, you had to fall and fail hundreds if times before you finally gained the abilities to do it. You had confidence in your body, and because you did, you were able to learn the most complicated of human actions. Now, you are so confident you can walk, that you don't even think about it. Just as your personality affects your behavior, your behavior affects your personality. We want to translate this confidence to other areas of our lives, and we do it the same way as learning to walk. Over and over.

Plains of Asgard

First, we must work on the physical aspects (Megingjord):

Practice standing straight up against a wall, head straight, so that your body is completely erect.
Hold eye contact with every person you talk to, go to the mall and introduce yourself to 10 people. Shake their hands and hold eye contact as you speak. You don't have to do anything more than offer your hand and say, "Hi, I'm -name-. What's yours?" blah blah "That's a nice name, well it was nice meeting you."
Practice walking broadly. I used old westerns as a model for myself. Walk sort of like a cowboy pulling up to a draw, except with out the major bowleggedness. Take long strides with your arms at your sides, not in your pockets. Do this in front of a mirror until you get the look you want, and then practice it in public. (Remember the aforementioned tips)

And now mental (Járngreipr):

Write down your hobbies, and what you do for fun. Then write a paragraph on why you do that activity and what's fun/enjoyable about it.
Write down your quirks, habits (in speech and actions), and general emotions. Now write beside it, THIS IS ME. Remember that.
Write your strengths. Then write a sentence as to why that strength is a strength and where it will get you in life. How will you use it? Then write your weaknesses, and write down why it is a weakness. What does it prohibit you from doing? Now under both of these lists, write THIS IS ME. Remember that.

**Note: Keep your lists for later, you'll need them.

Prologue - Valgrind

2008-06-24T00:54:00.006-05:00

The gate to Valhalla, Odin's hall built for the warriors of Midgard, stands in the path of any warrior wishing to enter the All-Father's grand halls. More spiritual than literal, Valgrind begins at the beginning of every warrior's life. It is his path, his walk, his struggle, until finally he earns his glory, through death.

Through my 17 years in this particular incarnation, I've witnessed my peers, friends, and even myself, struggle to adapt to this century and the SOCIAL pressures it entails. I figured it was time, for the sake of this generation, to share my knowledge. Compiled from almost a hundred lives will hopefully be the information that leads you to a BETTER life, and the abilities to pass through your Valgrind. As teens, it's our job to have as much FUN as possible, however, we still hold the RESPONSIBILITY of looking to the future. Our actions are now beginning to make MAJOR impacts in the path that is our life. We make that path smooth, or bumpy; curvy, or straight; slick, or muddy. My goal is to help as many people as possible BUILD their path before they walk it, and build it exactly how they want it.
This is my guide to help make you successful with:

Relationships (Dating)
Lifestyle
Women/Men
Social Events/Problems

Self-helpish? Sure, but only if you dedicate your time to actually helping YOURSELF. I can only provide ideas, suggestions, and most importantly, my OPINIONS. However, it's up to you to take my building blocks (stones), plus your own, and pave your own yellow brick.

♠ Njord ♠