And here's my personal advice: There are women who will tell you that they hate the manly types. However, by this they usually mean all the bravado-macho disingenuous stuff. Ignore those objections. You will go off the rails if you take them seriously. Bravado and macho is just fine so long as it is sincere and rooted in respect for women as women. (If this brings on the down-votes please note that I don't care.)
But it may not be a part of your personality. Men who avoid conflict usually do so because it is not in their emotional makeup to do otherwise. They are driven by fear of rejection, and do not want to take the lead in a relationship, and often do not know how. This is becoming more and more common as men in our society are more and more feminized. (See parenthetical note above.)
The good news is that you can change, but it takes time. A lot of time. How you react is based upon how you think. But changing how you think, counterintuitively, is most effectively done by changing what you do, your personal habits. It is like teaching your children to say "please" and "thank you." Does this in itself make them grateful? No, but instills a habit of gratitude that guides their thinking. By acting grateful they become grateful.
http://www.amazon.com/Feelings-Practical-Managing-Impossible...
And here's my personal advice: There are women who will tell you that they hate the manly types. However, by this they usually mean all the bravado-macho disingenuous stuff. Ignore those objections. You will go off the rails if you take them seriously. Bravado and macho is just fine so long as it is sincere and rooted in respect for women as women. (If this brings on the down-votes please note that I don't care.)
But it may not be a part of your personality. Men who avoid conflict usually do so because it is not in their emotional makeup to do otherwise. They are driven by fear of rejection, and do not want to take the lead in a relationship, and often do not know how. This is becoming more and more common as men in our society are more and more feminized. (See parenthetical note above.)
The good news is that you can change, but it takes time. A lot of time. How you react is based upon how you think. But changing how you think, counterintuitively, is most effectively done by changing what you do, your personal habits. It is like teaching your children to say "please" and "thank you." Does this in itself make them grateful? No, but instills a habit of gratitude that guides their thinking. By acting grateful they become grateful.