Some advice to my younger brethren.

Soon to be 64 year old short guy (just under 5’3”). I’ve been around a lot longer than most of you. Heck probably a lot longer than a lot of your parents.

It makes me very sad when I read post from those of you in your 20s or younger talking about hopelessness.

You have your whole lives in front of you, so much to see and experience. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Being short has disadvantages and unfairness. Trust me I know, I’m 1st percentile for height as a man in the US.

I’ve been married, she’s 5’9”. And no height had nothing to do with our breakup.

I’ve had a very good career. It’s had ups and downs.

Dating will be , or is, brutal. Many many women will not want to date you. It’s not fun, we want the people we want to want us and when they don’t it hurts. I’ve been rejected numerous times because of my height. Several rejections were super cruel. I cried after some. Cried a lot.

But here’s the thing. I never let my height define me, and I never got defensive about it. It’s who I am.

Some advice:

Don’t make your height the first attribute people think about when describing you. Be the kind, smart, funny guy that happens to be short. Not the short guy that happens to be smart. There’s a big difference between those two.

Do dress nicely. Get a good haircut, care about how you look. People will notice.

Do treat women politely and respectfully.

Do stay physically fit.

Do get a good education.

Do get involved in your community, you can make a difference. You can make the world a better place.

Don’t focus on the on-line world, get out into the real world. Touch grass as the kids say.

Do make friends. Be loyal to them. Nothing tops having people around you who care.

Don’t be bitter. Bitterness begets more bitterness. It’s reasonable to be disappointed at setbacks, that’s just being human.

When girls or women see that you’re a good person some will be willing to date you. Will it be all of them? Of course not. Will it even be most? Probably not. Will it be none of them? Absolutely definitely positively not.

My best advice is don’t let the haters get to you. Next time someone remarks on how short you are just respond with a sincere (not a sarcastic) “Ain’t it great”. Trust me they won’t know what to say. Once you start not letting them get under your skin the insults lose all power over you.

If a girl turns you down, whether she mentions your height or not, just say “no worries”