How to be a Man

This has been on the internet for a while, and I believe it originated on Craigslist, but I am not completely sure. It is something I saved for a time when I would want to share it with the young men I come to know, be it my brother, my son, or my grandson. Like much of this site, this is not something to follow without caution. There is very good advice here and some good ideas, but everyone must use their discretion and cynicism as to when to heed this advice.

1. Don’t pick on the weak. It’s immoral. Don’t antagonize the strong without cause, it is stupid.
2. Don’t hate women. It’s a waste of time
3. Invest in yourself. Material things come to those that have self actualized.
4. Get in a fistfight, even if you are going to lose. (more…)

Being a man is about being stable. Stability is often measured through your finances. It may not be the best unit of measure, but it is definitely a common one. You may have gained all the knowledge and experience you need to keep you off the streets (or out of your parents basement), but once you have a family and some responsibility, that is not enough.

People often talk about saving money, not having enough money, not making enough to save, and various other monetary problems. The problem with being frugal is that it can only take you so far. You have your basic living expenses and once you cut spending down to just the necessities, there is no more to cut. These effects can be felt in various ways, but it really boils down to a loss of your quality of life.

You will no longer be a happy, stress free individual. Going out to a nice restaurant and a movie once or twice a month is something we all should look forward to and it keeps us in good spirits. A man should know how to solve this problem. A man knows that you have to step up to the plate and just make more money. (more…)

This is the first post in a series of articles dedicated to the lives of Real Men. These are men, who in our opinion, have done or are doing great things for humanity.

Dean Kamen – Inventor, Genius, Real Man, (April 5, 1951-present)

If you do not know who Dean Kamen is, I am sure you have heard of or seen one of his inventions. He is a man who sacrifices his time and money and uses his knowledge, experience, and ability into making the world a better place. No one asked for this, but he saw a need for improvement and heeded the call. Dean Kamen may not adhere to all that is man, as we all have our faults, but he is the closest to the pinnacle of men who are alive today. (more…)

The best way to increase your income without overextending yourself by getting a part time job is to ask for a raise. This is a hard thing for a man to do, because on one side, he feels he would be complaining or ungrateful for his current pay; and complaining is never manly. On the flip side, he knows he is worth more than his current wage.

I have compiled 5 tips to go about asking for and getting a raise without behaving like a needy, ass-kissing child. Always remember that you are not in any way indebted to your current employer. You sell your services/knowledge/experience/labor in return for a salary.
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Money is a topic in which I will be writing extensively about. I have no formal education in business, finance, or any type of money management for that matter. All that I have is a desire to succeed and a checkered financial past in which I have learned a great deal. As this is the first post on money, I will try to keep them short, helpful, and to the point. Today is about what money means to me, and what it should mean to you.

Henry Ford once said, “If money is your hope for independence you will never have it. The only real security that a man will have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience, and ability.” (more…)

“There was never a good knife made from bad steel.”  – Benjamin Franklin

It is impossible to try to accurately define Man. But what we can do is put our ideas down as to what we think it takes to be a man. With all the information out there and all that I have gathered, be it through research or personal conversations, I probably have enough material to write a novel on the topic of defining Man.

Everyone has different opinions and there are many websites out there which try to define men. I could make this an incredibly long post with all the ideas in my head, but I will choose to keep it short and to the point. Here are a few things I think go into making a man – a MAN. (more…)

“There is nothing more uncommon than common sense.” – American Architect Frank Lloyd Wright

I decided to start this blog for two reasons. First, to make real men out of all the ignorant guys out there who think they are men, but most definitely are not.  Secondly, I would like this to be a place where young men and teens can come and get the advice and tips needed to succeed as real men. There  are other sites, blogs, and TV shows out there dedicated to teaching men various things, yet none of them have the substance needed to actually help today’s men and young men to become a real MAN.

The Art of Manliness aims more at teaching men how to become proper Gentlemen. While this blog is well written, in great demand, and has plenty of manly tips, it is not hitting the essence of what I am trying to get at with this blog.

Just a Guy Thing is a site dedicated to manly things. They have plenty of manly tips, some eye candy, and some humorous manly content, but it also falls short of what men really need.

Spike TV is great at what it does; create stereotypes of what a man should be. To Spike, man is a primitive, easily amused, unintelligent, dirty, fat slob. Their programming includes only shows which are heavily based around women, alcohol abuse, fart humor, fighting, spying, and explosions. Although entertaining, it is the man’s equivalent of the Lifetime channel (in which most women find exhaustive).

Today’s world has created two types of guys. One type is the guy who wears brightly colored tight clothes and spends money on “hair products,” “fashion accessories,” and jeans that cost $200. They watch Reality TV alone and love to chit chat on the phone. They have no idea what WD-40 is and would rather just call a handyman than try to figure things out themselves. The other guy is the one who sits on the couch watching sports and drinking beer while thinking they are the ultimate man’s man. They fix things with duct tape and think sweatpants are the perfect garment.  Both guys have lists of faults that go on for days, but the main point is a lack of common sense. Today’s man has devolved from being the pinnacle of human nature to just another useless species roaming Earth with no sense of direction.

I am not so much trying to change the appearance of today’s man; I am trying to change the mindset which creates the appearance, thus possibly changing the appearance altogether. I want all men to become real men and proper role models for the next generation. I want someone who has been told, “You are not a man;” to come here and learn, grow, and become a real man’s man through proper self growth and newfound common sense.

The purpose here is not to swear like a pirate or provide fart jokes or demean women. It is about true self evaluation and learning what it takes to be a Man, in the greatest sense of the word. In terms that Ayn Rand wrote about in Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.  I want to teach guys how to be a self sufficient, self motivating, and selfless individuals.

I hope you enjoy.