GoodGuys2GreatMen Video Podcast

What Holds Most Men Back From Creating The Marriage They Really Want

Dan Dore & Steve Horsmon • 4m 59s • 19 August 2024

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What Holds Most Men Back From Creating The Marriage They Really Want
Video overview: If you’re confused about how to create the marriage you actually want, you’re not alone. The spark does not come back because you keep trying harder to make her happy — it comes back when you stop abandoning yourself and start leading from clarity, confidence, and truth.

Most men don’t get married hoping it turns into a lonely, tense, disconnected roommate situation.

You wanted something better than that.

You wanted a marriage where there was warmth. Playfulness. Touch. Laughter. Flirting. Sex. Respect. A feeling that the two of you were on the same team and actually enjoyed each other.

Then life happened.

Kids, work, stress, money, fatigue, resentment, disappointment, and years of little moments that never got fully repaired. Somewhere along the way, the spark got buried. The fun disappeared. The conversations became practical. The affection became rare. The house still functioned, but the relationship stopped feeling alive.

And now you’re confused.

You may be asking yourself, “How do I create the marriage I really want?” You may have tried helping more, being nicer, staying quiet, avoiding conflict, doing what she asked, initiating conversations, planning date nights, or trying to be more patient.

But it still feels off.

That can make a man deeply unhappy.

And in this episode, I talk about what I see as the number one cause of an unhappy man in an unhappy marriage.

He has stopped being honest about what he wants, who he is, and what he is willing to create.

That may sound simple, but it runs deep.

A lot of good men become unhappy because they spend years trying to keep the peace instead of telling the truth. They adjust, tolerate, manage, wait, and hope. They don’t want to upset their wife. They don’t want to seem selfish. They don’t want to create another argument. So they keep swallowing little pieces of themselves.

Then they wonder why they feel resentful.

They wonder why attraction has faded.

They wonder why their wife doesn’t seem inspired by them.

Brother, a man who has abandoned himself does not bring much spark into the room.

He may be nice. He may be responsible. He may be helpful and loyal and dependable. But if he is no longer clear, alive, playful, honest, and grounded in his own self-respect, the relationship starts to feel heavy.

That heaviness kills intimacy.

A woman can feel when a man is trying to get happiness from her because he has stopped creating it in himself. She can feel when he is waiting for her to become warm before he becomes confident. She can feel when he is quietly resentful but pretending everything is fine.

That does not create trust.

It creates pressure.

And pressure does not bring back fun, flirtation, or desire.

This is where many men get stuck. They think the answer is to figure out how to make her change. How do I get her to want me? How do I get her to be more affectionate? How do I get her to stop criticizing? How do I get her to care again?

Those questions keep a man focused on the wrong place.

The better question is, “What kind of man am I bringing into this marriage every day?”

Are you bringing a man who knows what he wants?

Are you bringing a man who can speak clearly without attacking?

Are you bringing a man who creates energy, direction, humor, honesty, and calm?

Are you bringing a man who respects himself enough to stop waiting for permission to be alive?

That is where things start to change.

Not because you suddenly control the outcome. You don’t. Your wife has her own experience, her own wounds, her own responsibility, and her own choices to make.

But you have yours.

And your choices matter more than you may realize.

If you want a marriage that feels inspired and connected, you have to become a man who is inspired and connected to himself first. If you want playfulness, you have to stop living like a man under constant judgment. If you want flirtation, you have to bring more relaxed confidence. If you want intimacy, you have to create emotional safety without becoming passive or needy.

This is not about performing for her.

It’s about returning to yourself.

A man who returns to himself becomes more attractive because he is no longer trying to earn his wife’s approval before he stands tall. He becomes easier to trust because he tells the truth cleanly. He becomes easier to relax around because he is not carrying hidden resentment and disappointment into every room.

That kind of man can lead.

Not by controlling.

Not by demanding.

Not by pretending everything is fine.

He leads by becoming clear about what he wants and taking responsibility for the energy, honesty, and courage he brings home.

That is how change starts today.

You don’t need to solve the whole marriage tonight. You don’t need the perfect speech. You don’t need to wait until she softens before you become a man you respect.

Start with one honest action.

Tell the truth cleanly. Stop complaining silently. Do something that makes you feel alive. Make a decision you’ve been avoiding. Bring warmth without pressure. Bring desire without neediness. Bring leadership without control.

The marriage you want is not created by confusion.

It is created by a man who stops waiting and starts becoming clear.

And when you become clearer, stronger, and more honest, your marriage finally gets a different man to respond to.

Create something better at home

If your marriage feels flat, confusing, or disconnected, you don’t have to keep guessing what to do next. We can help you become clearer, calmer, and more confident so you can start leading yourself and the relationship in a better direction.

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About the Hosts

Steve Horsmon & Dan Dore | Certified Professional Men’s Coach

Steve Horsmon and Dan Dore have spent over a decade supporting good men who are confused, frustrated, and afraid that their marriages and families are falling apart with no idea what to do about it. We've both experienced the same emotions that you're going through now. We know what it feels like to try all the mainstream try harder, be nicer advice while watching things continue to get worse. And that's exactly why Goodguys2Greatmen exists. Since 2012, we've coached thousands of men through some of the hardest periods of their lives; marriage breakdown, emotional distance, sexless relationships, fears of divorce or separation. We focus on practical solutions to help you survive some of the most challenging and painful experiences that a man can go through. This podcast is for men who are done waiting for their life and relationships to improve and are ready to make some bold decisions so that you become more calm and confident and start moving toward what you really want.