Most will agree that the most talked about subject among women is relationships – usually the relationship (or lack thereof) that we have with a man in our life. So Ladies, this one is for you.

It is what I perceive to be some of the highlights of a book that I recently read containing valuable info about men. In my opinion, the fact that it is written by a man gives the book more merit. The book is called Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man and the author’s name is Steve Harvey.

In short, Harvey points out what a good man (in relationship terms) is all about. According to Harvey, men are simple creatures. He writes, “Men are driven by who they are, what they do, and how much they make.” Until a man is content in these three areas, he will be too busy to focus on his woman (whether he is dating her, committed to her or married to her).

These three areas help define him as a man, and unless he is where he wants to be in those aspects, he can’t be to a woman what he wants to be. Evidently, in Harvey’s experience, most women have a hard time understanding that. Harvey also writes that a man’s love is different from the love a woman gives. In Harvey’s words it is ‘more simple, direct, and a little harder to come by.’

So how do we know when a man loves us? Harvey writes, “Simple: he will do each of the following three things:

1) Profess
2) Provide
3) Protect.”

Let’s elaborate.
1) Profess: A man will want to tell you, and everyone else, that he loves you. He will give you a title. In other words, he will introduce you as his lady, girlfriend, partner etc. rather than just introduce you as a friend or by your name. If he does the latter, Harvey writes, “have no doubt that’s all you are.”

2) Provide: Harvey states that a man won’t feel like a man if he can’t provide. We are talking financially or otherwise. “This is the very core of manhood – to be the provider.” A man may be broke, but if he loves and cares for you, he will provide otherwise. For example, if your back is sore, he will massage it until it is better (especially if he can’t afford to send you to a masseuse). If your faucet (tap) is leaking, he will fix it, or at least try to.

3) Protect: To protect implies keeping you safe from hurt or harm. Harvey writes, “When a man truly loves you, anybody who says, does, suggests, or even thinks about doing something offensive to you stands the risk of being obliterated.” However, there is more to it than that. He will also protect you in other ways, such as giving advice or doing a task that he deems too risky for you.

If what Harvey writes is true, then if a man does each of these 3 P’s, we can rest assured that he truly loves us. However, it’s only natural that he’d like something from her in return. Harvey writes that a man pretty much only needs three things from his woman. Support, loyalty, and what he calls ‘The Cookie.’ (Hint: it involves nudity).

To support a man essentially means to ensure he feels special and appreciated. Loyalty is that you will love and stand by him, and only him – no matter what. Even if he loses his job or your favourite male movie star wanted to date you. To a man, loyalty is equal to love. As far as ‘The Cookie’ goes, men love it and need it, according to Harvey, and if a woman isn’t doing these three things for her man, he will find somebody who will. To sum up the above, it seems that men will do three things for us if they love us, and to reciprocate, we need only give three things back. Simple. Right?