Dr. Robert A. Glover - No More Mr. Nice Guy!

This book is dedicated to Elizabeth. You are my partner, my muse, and my best friend. If not for you, I would still be a hopelessly clueless Nice Guy. You are truly a gift from God. Thank you.

For David, Jamie, Steve, and Grant. You are the greatest kids a parent could want. You are each so different and unique that you make parenting a never-ending joy. Thank you for all the times you asked,

"When are you going to finish your book?" Don't ever stop being just who you are.

For the countless men and women who have invited me into the most personal areas of their lives. I have written this book for you. Thank you for your input and support in writing No More Mr. Nice Guy!

Especially for all the men who have been a part of my No More Mr. Nice Guy! men's groups. You will never know how much being a part of your lives and has changed my own life. Thank you.

For Dr. Anne Hastings. Your wisdom and insight can be found on every page of this book. You have helped me believe that it is OK for me to be who I am, just as I am. Thank you.

For Debby Duvall. Your editorial skills have covered a multitude of my sins. Thank you for helping make this a better book.

Table Of Contents

Five decades of dramatic social change and monumental shifts in the traditional family have created a breed of men who have been conditioned to seek the approval of others.

I call these men Nice Guys.

Nice Guys are concerned about looking good and doing it "right." They are happiest when they are making others happy. Nice Guys avoid conflict like the plague and will go to great lengths to avoid upsetting anyone. In general, Nice Guys are peaceful and generous. Nice Guys are especially concerned about pleasing women and being different from other men. In a nutshell, Nice Guys believe that if theyare good, giving, and caring, they will in return be happy, loved, and fulfilled.

Sound too good to be true?

It is.

Over the last several years, I have encountered countless frustrated and resentful Nice Guys in my practice as a psychotherapist. These passively pleasing men struggle in vain to experience the happiness they so desperately crave and believe they deserve. This frustration is due to the fact that Nice Guyshave believed a myth.

This myth is the essence of what I call the Nice Guy Syndrome. The Nice Guy Syndrome represents a belief that if Nice Guys are "good," they will be loved, get their needs met, and live a problem-free life.

When this life strategy fails to produce the desired results as it often does Nice Guys usually just try harder, doing more of the same. Due to the sense of helplessness and resentment this pattern inevitably produces, Nice Guys are often anything but nice.

The concept of the Nice Guy Syndrome grew out of my own frustration of trying to do it "right," yet never getting back what I believed I deserved. I was the typical "sensitive new age guy" and proud of it. I believed I was one of the nicest guys you would ever meet. Yet I wasn't happy.

As I began exploring my own Nice Guy behaviors caretaking, giving to get, fixing, keeping the peace, avoiding conflict, seeking approval, hiding mistakes I started noticing numerous men with similar traits in my counseling practice. It dawned on me that the script guiding my own life was not an isolated incident, but the product of a social dynamic that affected countless adult males.

Up until now, no one has taken the problem of the Nice Guy Syndrome seriously or offered an effective solution. This is why I wrote No More Mr. Nice Guy!

This book shows Nice Guys how to stop seeking approval and start getting what they want in loveand life. The information presented in No More Mr. Nice Guy! represents a proven plan to help passively pleasing men break free from the ineffective patterns of the Nice Guy Syndrome. It is based on my own experience of recovery and my work with countless Nice Guys over the last twenty years.

No More Mr. Nice Guy! is unashamedly pro-male. Nevertheless, I have had countless women support the writing of this book. Women who read the book regularly tell me that it not only helps them better understand their Nice Guy partner, it also helps them gain new insights about themselves.

The information and tools presented inNo More Mr. Nice Guy!work. If you are a frustrated Nice Guy, the principles presented in the following pages will change your life. You will:

• Learn effective ways to get your needs met.
  
• Begin to feel more powerful and confident.
  
• Create the kind of intimate relationships you really want.
  
• Learn to express your feelings and emotions.
  
• Have a fulfilling and exciting sex life.
  
• Embrace your masculinity and build meaningful relationships with men.
  
• Live up to your potential and become truly creative and productive.
  
• Accept yourself just as you are.
  

If the above traits sound good to you, your journey of breaking free from the Nice Guy Syndrome has just begun. It is time to stop seeking approval and start getting what you want in love and life.

"I'm a Nice Guy. I'm one of the nicest guys you're ever going to meet."

Jason, a chiropractor in his mid-thirties, began his first session of individual therapy with this introduction. Jason described his life as "perfect" except for one major problem his sex life. It had been several months since he and his wife Heather had been sexual and it didn't look like anything was going to change soon.

Jason spoke openly about his marriage, his family, and his sexuality. An affable man, he seemed to welcome the opportunity to talk about himself and his life.

More than anything, Jason wanted to be liked. He saw himself as a very generous, giving person. He prided himself on not having many ups and downs and for never losing his temper. He revealed that he liked to make people happy and that he hated conflict. To avoid rocking the boat with his wife, he tended to hold back his feelings and tried to do everything "right."

After this introduction, Jason took a piece of paper out of his pocket and began to unfold it. While doing so, he stated that he had written a few things down so he wouldn't forget them.

"I can never do it right," Jason began, looking over his list. "No matter how hard I try, Heather always finds something wrong. I don't deserve to be treated this way. I try to be a good husband and father, but it's never good enough."

Jason paused as he looked over his list.

"This morning is a good example," he continued. "While Heather was getting ready for work, I got our baby Chelsie up, fed her breakfast, gave her a bath. I had her all ready to go and was about to get ready myself. Then Heather walked in and got that look on her face. I knew I was in trouble."

"'Why'd you dress her in that? That's a good outfit.'" Jason mimicked his wife's tone. "I didn't know she wanted Chelsie to wear something different. After everything I did to get her ready this morning, it was still wrong."

"Here's another example," Jason continued, "the other day I cleaned the kitchen and did a real good job.

I loaded the dishwasher, did the pots and pans, and swept the floor. I thought Heather would really appreciate all that I was doing to help out. Before I was finished, she walked in and asked, 'How come you didn't wipe off the counters?' I wasn't even done, for goodness sake. But instead of noticing all that I had done and thanking me, she focused on the one thing I hadn't finished yet."