Sometimes when young men begin their journey into manhood, they start in on the gentlemanly side of things. They dress in stylish, classic attire, don a fedora, and focus really hard on manners and etiquette. They hope that by doing so, others will recognise them as grown men, good men.

Yet oftentimes others cringe and chuckle at these would-be gents instead, and they become the fodder for “m’lady” memes on the internet.

Why do these well-meaning but hapless guys elicit this reaction?

In this episode, I talk about a popular topic-self improvement. Self-improvement is popular because everyone wants the good life. But then they're confronted by what it takes to get the good life. Everyone sees the accolades of self-improvement: better health, stronger body, improved confidence, but nobody sees what it takes: confronting anxiety, overcoming self-doubt, consistently putting in the work. 

So much of self-improvement is simply mastering yourself and getting control of your worst tendencies. A lifelong exercise in resisting emotional, mental, and physical entropy. Take a listen.

An adult in today’s world, simply cannot exist in a monolithic paradigm. He cannot exist exclusively as a master in one but must be well versed in varying disciplines. His antennae must be turned to receive financial and monetary information; he /she must understand the fluctuations in the world markets whether they deal in commodities, securities, shipping, insurance, or other goods and services; he must take account of the tax position, both national and international; he must au courant with the political risk and the perceptive of the shift in social power-in brief, in addition to being a man of law, he must be an homme d’affaires. 

In a world where conformity reigns, the exception rules. Today’s world is fluid, sometimes way too often for us to understand or find our place in the circle of life. We’re willing to create the kind of selves we’ll be happy to live with for the rest of our lives, but we don’t know how to. 

Most of us at some point, feel like we’ve been thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with no life jacket. Existential crises are the norm. Self-image is the prison. Other people are the guards. 

In Adul-try, we’ll be talking out of our behinds, helping each other become the best versions of ourselves. My grandma used to say, “Zvikomo zvikuru zvinotambidzana mhute.” This loosely translates to, mature/wise people share ideas. Be it as it may, I and many others will be sharing our thoughts and knowledge ‘trying’ to add value to your adulthood journey.

Be good.

-Ghost