Over the course of Seinfeld, George dated a lot of different women.
For a short, stocky bald guy with glasses and more neuroses than dollars, he did okay for himself.
But out of all his relationships, his best was with Noel.
Can’t keep all his mayfly relationships straight?
Noel was the pianist from “The Pez Dispenser”. She’s beautiful, talented and has the upper hand in the relationship.
George hates that, so he breaks up with her. She begs him to stay together, thus giving him the upper hand.
Jerry, let me tell you something – a man without hand is not a man.
I got so much hand I’m coming out of my gloves.
He’s in the position of power. She wants him more than he wants her, which makes her eager to please.
It works, right up until she ends the relationship.
GEORGE: You can’t break up with me. I’ve got hand!
NOEL: And you’re going to need it.
It’s funny – George’s power came from indifference. He didn’t care about the relationship and that gave him power.
But, as his reaction shows, that power made him care. He wanted to be with her only when he didn’t.
Say it like that and it doesn’t make much sense – yet you can track the logic there. Psychology is a strange thing, filled with seeming contradictions.
Indifference gives you an edge, which makes it hard to stay indifferent.
Wanting something makes you needy, which makes you less likely to get it.
Overtraining can dull your edge.
That’s why, if you want to succeed, it takes more than hard work. It definitely takes more than talent.
What you need is an edge that can’t backfire – and is useful in every context.
Like, say, better self-awareness and self-control.
Like, say, what’s waiting at the other end of this link: