Dating in 2026: Why Most Men Feel Lost, Disconnected, and Left Behind

I was talking with a client this afternoon about how much dating has changed over the last twenty years.

And the truth is…
It hasn’t just changed.
It’s warped.

Twenty years ago, if a guy struggled socially or felt insecure, he might put a woman on a pedestal in his own head.

Now?

That pedestal is literal.
Public.
and is being reinforced 24/7.

Phones.
Social media.
Dating apps.
Endless images of women being praised, validated, sexualized, and worshipped — constantly.

And the crazy part is most guys have no idea how much this is quietly wrecking their confidence and their lives.

What we’re actually watching happen

Online dating and all these social platforms are not just an “easier way to meet women” anymore.

It’s turned into overexposure and addiction.

Even average — and I mean genuinely average — women are being flooded with attention at a level no human nervous system was built to handle.

Likes.
DMs.
Co...

A life of obedience and regret vs. joy and aliveness

I woke up this morning thinking about something my grandmother said to me recently, and it wouldn’t let go.

My grandmother is 90 years old.
Her health is declining quickly.
Some days she’s lucid. Other days she has no idea where she is, what she’s doing, or why.

My mom is the only family member nearby, so she’s been carrying most of the weight of caring for her. Seeing how much it’s taken out of her, I offered to help when I could. For the last five months, I’ve been going over in the evenings—making sure my grandmother eats, taking her pills, sitting with her for a while.

One night, we were talking about my youngest son.

I was telling her how he’s doing.
Showing her pictures.
Sharing little moments—his expressions, his presence, the way he experiences the world.

My son has special needs.
He was diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy at a year and a half.
He’s nonverbal.
Low muscle tone.

We were told early on that he would l...

Hey brother,

Over the last 17 years, I’ve loved watching men transform.

Seeing a guy finally feel confident…
comfortable in his skin…
at ease and magnetic around women…
that never gets old.

But if I’m honest, something always frustrated me.

I couldn’t stop wondering why some men “got it” —
and others, just as smart and committed, didn’t.

That question has quietly driven my work for years.

If attraction were a thinking problem, you would’ve solved it by now.

You’ve read the books.
You understand confidence.
You know you “shouldn’t care so much.”

And yet…

Around a woman you actually want, something shifts.

Your body tightens.
Your mind speeds up.
You start monitoring yourself.
Trying to say the right thing.
Trying not to mess it up.

Confidence collapses — not because you forgot what you know,
but because attraction is not a thought process.

Now, here’s something important to say clearly:

For some men, changing their mindset is enough.

They shift a few beliefs, stop overthinking, and t...

Why Most Men Never Actually Change

And why trying harder keeps you stuck

There’s a moment every man reaches.

He becomes painfully aware that something isn’t right.

His life looks fine from the outside.
He’s functioning. Responsible. Capable.

But inside, he feels stalled.

Flat.
Restless.
Disconnected from the version of himself he knows is possible.

Most men assume the solution is obvious:

Try harder.

Be more disciplined.
Push more.
Consume better information.
Find the missing tactic.

That approach feels logical.

It’s also why most men never actually change.

Motivation Is a Terrible Strategy

Motivation feels powerful in the beginning.

You watch a video.
Read something that hits.
Have a late-night moment of clarity.

For a few days — sometimes a few weeks — you’re on fire.

Then life happens.

Stress.
Fatigue.
Old habits.
The familiar pull of comfort.

And motivation disappears.

This is where most men blame themselves.

“I’m inconsistent.”
“I lack discipline.”
“I just do...

Why Change Feels So Damn Scary

And the real reason you keep going back to old patterns

Ever wonder why change feels so damn scary?

Not just uncomfortable.
Not just inconvenient.

But exhausting.
Frustrating.
Almost impossible — even when you know what you want.

When men read stories of real transformation and success, there’s a quiet reaction that rarely gets said out loud:

“Yeah… that sounds great.
But that’s probably not realistic for me.”

Not because you don’t want it.

But because you’ve tried before.

The Loop Most Men Are Trapped In

You’ve watched the videos.
Read the books.
Applied the programs.
Gotten inspired late at night when everything felt possible.

For a short period, you probably even saw some results.
Enough to feel hopeful.
Enough to think, “Maybe this time is different.”

And for a moment… it was.

Then life pulled you back in.

Old habits returned.
Motivation faded.
Weeks passed.
Nothing really changed.

And slowly — quietly — a thought crept in:

“Ma

...

Hey bro,

I want to show you what’s actually possible when a man commits — not to a phase, not to motivation — but to real change.

This isn’t theory.
This is a real client’s lived experience after a year of doing the work.

He came to me wanting help with women.

That’s it.

What he didn’t expect was that everything else would start shifting too.

He started loving himself more — not in an abstract way, but in how he showed up.
He felt more attractive and confident because he was finally aligned with who he was becoming.
Not perfect.
But honest.

For the first time, he told me he felt like the main character in his own life — not someone watching from the sidelines while others lived boldly.

His dating life expanded.
Not from tactics or lines —
but from something deeper.

A sense of “I know I can have what I desire.”
Not entitlement.
Certainty.

That kind of magnetism isn’t about money or looks.
It’s an energy.
And once it’s felt, it keeps growing.

But here’s where it goes further than most m...

The Biggest Mistake Men Are Making in 2025

And why more information is making it worse

Hey bro,

One of the biggest mistakes I see men making in 2025 is the addiction to instant gratification.

It usually starts with awareness.

A man recognizes something is missing.

He doesn’t have the relationship with the woman he truly wants.
He doesn’t feel the confidence, courage, or grounded presence he once had.
His life feels flat — lacking excitement, adventure, and aliveness.

That awareness is actually healthy.
It’s the beginning of change.

But what happens next is where most men go wrong.

The Rush to Fix It — Fast

The moment a man feels that gap, he goes looking for a solution.

And not just any solution.

A fast one.

“How to build confidence quickly.”
“How to attract a beautiful woman easily.”
“How to make more money now.”

So he goes on a quest.

He reads the headline.
Watches the video.
Obsessively scrolls the article.
Buys the book.
Attends the seminar.
Starts the program.

Fo...

PART 9 — HOW TO REBUILD YOUR INNER COMPASS

From “The Liberated Man Initiation” Mini Coaching Series

By Cory Skyy

Hey brother —

Yesterday we talked about the danger of drifting into the herd…
about how easy it is to abandon your truth without even realizing it…
and how quickly life collapses when you stop leading yourself.

Today, we go into the antidote.
The reconnection.
The return.

Your inner compass.

Because every man has one —
a natural, built-in guidance system that tells you:

What’s right for you.
What’s wrong for you.
What energizes you.
What drains you.
Who to move toward.
Who to move away from.
What your next step is.
What your real path is.

But for most men?

That compass stops working.

Not because it's broken…
but because it’s buried under:

years of trying to please everyone,
years of ignoring your instincts,
years of self-abandonment,
years of fear-based decisions,
years of choosing comfort over truth,
years of collapsing into scarcity,
years of not listening to your own voice.

W...