Something I've noticed recently is that alpha/beta characteristics are all relative to your environment. The AMOG in one situation could very easily be a weak beta in another, and in order to play to your strengths you must understand your environment fully.

I grew up in a small town. Everyone waved and smiled at each other all the time, yield to others and apologize unnecessarily. These were just the done things and even the baddest motherfuckers engaged in this behavior so I obviously adopted it as the norm.

Having moved to the city, I've realized these characteristics did not represent my small town upbringing, they represented weakness and fear. What was culturally normal in the city would have people think you were rude, undesirable, and low class in the small town. What was culturally normal in the town would have people think you are weak and not to be respected in the city.

Smiling at strangers suggests appeasement. When seeing a stronger man, a weaker man will smile politely to make it clear his intentions are not to challenge the alpha in any way. In a small town, it is the behavior that is expected, and anything else may suggest conflict.

This is a narrow example, but the point still stands. When entering a new environment you are unsure of, keep your mouth shut and figure out how to best proceed before overt action.

If anyone else has similar examples I would like to hear them. If we don't realize some of our behaviors show weakness, we won't address them or improve upon them.