Aside from the aesthetic anatomical differences, there is in men the predominance of testosterone. We have it in far greater quantity than women. It is what brings about the anatomical differences, as well as the mental. If there is one thing that represents the difference between a man and a woman it is testosterone.

Look it up, read about it, understand what it does and how it makes us different.

I take one quality, that of strength. Testosterone makes men inherently stronger, muscularly, than women. On another level, I like to think of other qualities of men that are strong and which, traditionally, represent a man's role - when we are required to be mentally and emotionally 'strong' we are considered manly, for example. When we take responsibility and stand up for ourselves or others, we are considered as having strong character and being 'manly'. When we act as providers for those we love and care for, and when we take responsibility for others and for ourselves (not passing the buck onto someone else, for example) we are considered strong and manly. Regardless of whether these are exclusively male qualities and attributes, they are traditionally considered 'manly' and associated with strength, so they may help you in reflecting upon how you define your own masculinity.

But for me, I only really began to feel like a 'man' after about the age of 30-35 years. After I'd done a fair bit of travelling and had a number of adventures when I tested my courage and fortitude and had tried my best to be a man in every way I could imagine - drinking hard, partying, chasing women, getting into fights and dangerous situations, you know how it goes.

But it was only after all that when I was in my 30's that I observed that women I was with would often say they felt more 'feminine' around me. I don't know why, and I have no idea if it was anything I did which caused the change. Or maybe it was always there but my insecurity made me deaf to it. But it was this which made me feel like a man, more than any of the other things I had done. Just making a woman feel like a woman when she was with me. Maybe it is that simple.