an “iron pumping alpha male.”
This sounds like a scary person to me. I would likely avoid such a man.
Markness, I’m fearful that there are people in your life that give you terrible advice. Anyone who tells you you should be anything other than yourself is giving you bad advice. Like Aspychata said, what else could we be, but ourselves? We can make ourselves better in ways that we want, but we cannot change to please others because it will be false an inauthentic.
If I had to determine the sexiest quality in a man, it would be authenticity.
I think and hope that you have found acceptance here… There are people that care about you and respond to you and talk to you with love because it feels like you are very honest here and we like that. Regardless of your experience with some unkind people, even here, there are some of us that like you just as you are. Even if you always feel down and are struggling, you see that we are here for you. So, this is acceptance. You’ve got it, and I hope it makes you feel better and more confident and less willing to yield to others’ poor suggestions. I think the good suggestions are the ones that encourage you to be more yourself.
I understand that you seek changed because you feel like things you have done do not work, so have you ever tried total love and acceptance of yourself? I mean radical, full on acceptance, believing you are enough just as you are. It’s difficult, but it’s worth a shot.
I do understand wanting a partner and not having one. But, I also understand essentially going through life as a living dead person… Not even living because we don’t have the things that we want. We must just live in the meantime, and find happiness even in our loneliness. As you know, as usual, I am talking as much to myself here as I am to you, because I do understand what you’re talking about.