No, you are not perfect just the way you are, nor are you special, though you are unique. To be perfect how we are would nullify the need for improvement, and improvement is necessary. To be special would be to place ourselves above the masses, when it’s humility that will allow you to learn. What […]
Why You Don’t Need a Mentor
I get a fair number of emails asking amount finding the right mentor; fellas asking if I can tell them how to get a mentor or if I can in some way mentor them, it’s after reading the question that I break the news that I’ve never really had a real, solid mentor before, just […]
Are You The Strong Man or The Critic?
In Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena” speech, he talks about “the critic”, the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, but is he addressing the critic or the strong man, the “doer of deeds”, or is it both? Many a year ago now while I was in high school, admittedly only […]
Your Life is Won In Battles That Last But Seconds
I’m still seated as a long day nears its end. My eyes are fixed on my computer’s screen, having only moments ago finished my newsletter, I check that off my to do list and start to stand up. It’s then, just as I’m about to proclaim the day a success, my adversaries defeated, both laziness […]
If You Want to Be Successful, Never Look Forward
I light my cigar, one of the few remaining from the batch I brought back from a recent trip to Argentina, and take a sip of cognac. It’s been a long week in hours worked but it seemed like it lasted only a few days. I had my head down all week, working, writing, and […]
Find Trouble
The other day I was on the phone with a pal of mine. We were talking about work, we both run our own businesses, and also adventure. We talked about the past year, the places we’d each been. I’d traveled throughout Argentina and Italy and a handful of other places. I’d hiked glaciers and rode […]
The Most Important Days to Train…
It’s been a lethargic day. For the past week I’ve been toying with a sickness that would neither fully take hold nor completely go away. My bed times have been earlier, I’ve spread out my training a bit more and it appears that I’ve finally beat the bastard. And then today happened. There are no sniffles, […]
How to Create Your Own Strength Program
When it comes to building strength, there are countless approaches that can get the job done. 10 years ago, if you were to talk to 10 powerlifters about what type of training they follow, you were likely to get 10 different answers. But walk into a powerlifting gym today and ask 10 powerlifters about what […]
Manliness Was Once Our Greatest Virtue
There are three books next to me on my desk and all three are written by or about great, wise men. Reading through each, I notice a consistent referral to a virtue that’s no longer spoken of in our society, or at least not as openly or as freely as it has been throughout human […]
The Event Doesn’t Matter. Your Reaction to it Does.
We are all given a hand in life, a set of cards that we have to play. Some hands are perceived to be better than others while others seem nearly impossible to rise from. The reality is that the hand you’re given matters little, your reaction to it is everything. Your reaction to failure can […]
The Two Ways to Get Rich
There are two ways to get rich. One way, and this is what most people focus on, is to make a lot of money so you can buy the things you want. The second way is to want less and make enough money to pay for this minimalistic lifestyle. One way is good. One way […]
The System Is Set Up For You To Succeed If You Choose To See It That Way
The problem that many people face in their lives that keeps them from improving and growing is that there’s a disconnect between the truth, and their perception of the truth. Never before in our history as humans has there been more opportunity. Never before in our history has our fate been more in our control. […]
American Sniper vs 50 Shades of Grey: opposing views of manliness
I can’t remember a time when two books turned movies have led in the box office back-to-back with such opposing values and views of what it means to be a man. One hits the nail on the head, the other sends men down a dark and dangerous path, a path that many of us feel […]
5 Life Lessons Every Human Needs to Learn The Hard Way
The two weeks previous to this lovely day were long; wake up at 4:30 am and work until 8:00 pm, then off to bed and do the same the next day. They were days filled with excitement. I was finishing up a new product, the culmination of months of work and the excitement of launching […]
How to Be Old School in 10 Simple Steps
Those of us who praise a previous generation don’t necessarily do it out of an ignorant fondness for what was, but because of a relationship with someone from a time that reflects the values that made a people both successful and proud. There is no time that’s perfect, no space in our history that was […]