A man with a positive, upward worldview typically branches into two paths: one leading to the alpha male, the other to the sigma male.

These two terms are usually used in the context of dating and marriage preferences. An "alpha male" refers to someone who, in this era, defines success by what women approve of—he becomes exactly what they value. If women approve of the "three big items," he pursues those; if they approve of being promoted to cadres, he works hard to climb the ranks; if they approve of jumping into the sea of business, he goes into entrepreneurship to make money; if they value high education, he becomes highly educated; if they value owning a house and a car, he buys a mansion and luxury vehicles. Similarly, if women demand a man who is both wealthy and talented, both rich and influential, he pursues all of those. In short, different eras have different social standards, and he aims to be the top winner under those standards.
This is the classic alpha male.
So, what is a sigma male?
He starts from his own needs, completely disregarding how others see or think about him.
A sigma male isn't unmotivated—he can be very ambitious—but his eyes are only on himself. Others' opinions mean zero to him.
Whether you like him or despise him, he won't even glance your way.
He can also be very wealthy, but he only spends money on himself, to make himself happy.
So, from the alpha male's worldview, he may not appear to be an outstanding man.
Of course, he might be successful in his own domain, but he doesn't participate in your ranking system.
He isolates himself from your evaluation framework—only insecure people crave approval.