Being A Better Man

In the course of our life we might attain balance occasionally, but just for a moment. Before you know it some other area of your life will get out of whack and you will have to tend to it. That is just the nature of things, and we shouldn’t fight it, or complain about it, we should actually celebrate it. Because it is in this pursuit of mythical balance that we have our experiences, it where our actual life is, its where joy and victory is found. It is in these most challenging of times that we learn how to appreciate the better times.

OK, so I got a letter a couple days ago from a guy named Mike, in Georgia. It was a letter thanking me for the podcast, and he went on to explain the ways in which it has helped him in his mission of being a better man every day. He said he has listened to every single episode…which is pretty impressive. Like a lot of us, Mike has gone through some challenging times in the past few years. He had a divorce that left him a half-time single father, on top of that he had a host of medical things going on and a major surgery. It’s easy to start feeling down when it seems like the whole world is out to get you, and understandably, Mike was starting to feel pretty low. In the middle of his despair, he remembered an analogy I used in one of my very first episodes. He is using that analogy to turn his life around a little bit.

Every Wednesday I regal you with a story from somewhere in my unusual and interesting life. It could be funny, sad, serious or disturbing, the important thing is that every story has a lesson. The name of today’s story is; The Rage Inside Us. Even though these are my stories, you can apply these lessons to your own life, or perhaps they will remind you of your own similar story and the lessons you learned from it. Either way, you should be entertained. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told around campfires the world over are what eventually shaped our species into what it is today. Today’s story, called The Rage Inside Us, is kind of three stories in one, but they all coalesce to a profound lesson that I refer to often in my own life.

I did not share this today because I like talking about myself. I don’t particularly enjoy exposing my flaws to the world. The reason I shared this, was to illustrate how it is done. You can apply this formula to any area of your life that you want to improve in. Start by being objective with yourself and recognizing the issue exists. Then focus on it and make it a priority. Next, come up with a way to measure your improvement against the day before so you can remain accountable to yourself. Eventually, this new behavior will become a habit, and you will have become a better man.

At any moment, you should be aware of the things in your life that propel you, things that quicken your spirit and your mind and provide you with forward momentum. If you can’t readily identify what these things are…that’s a problem. You better start creating them if they don’t exist.

Every Wednesday I regal you with a story from somewhere in my unusual and interesting life. It could be funny, sad, serious or disturbing, the important thing is that every story has a lesson. The name of today’s story is; It Looked Good On Paper. Even though these are my stories, you can apply these lessons to your own life, or perhaps they will remind you of your own similar story and the lessons you learned from it. Either way, you should be entertained. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told around campfires the world over are what eventually shaped our species into what it is today. Today’s story, called It Looked Good On Paper, you know those times when something seems like a really good idea? You go over it in your mind, on paper, everything checks out...and then you are 100% wrong? That's kind of what this story is about.

We obviously cannot all be George Washington. I don’t expect to become the father of a nation. However, his life illustrates how a single man can influence and shape his surroundings through focused, dedicated action. Our lives, on a much smaller scale, are no different. Through our actions and choices, guided by a dedication to our individual principles and a focus on that which matters…we can shape and influence our worlds, each one of us. What one man can do, another can do. We may not alter the world or the country, but we can influence our families and our communities. We can leave the part of the world we inhabit, in better shape than we found it in. We can do this, we have the power to do this, because we are men.

Where other people see failure, you should try seeing opportunity. Because every single one of these times is where you will learn the most stuff. We learn very little outside of the realm of mistakes, or what some people would call failure. We learn very little when everything is going great.

Every Wednesday I regal you with a story from somewhere in my unusual and interesting life. It could be funny, sad, serious or disturbing, the important thing is that every story has a lesson. The name of today’s story is; The Unwelcome Passenger. Even though these are my stories, you can apply these lessons to your own life, or perhaps they will remind you of your own similar story and the lessons you learned from it. Either way, you should be entertained. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told around campfires the world over are what eventually shaped our species into what it is today. Today’s story, called The Unwelcome Passenger, is about a lapse of judgement, and the consequences of not following your gut. As usual, I would love to hear your feedback on this, or any of the other episodes. Your feedback and input is greatly appreciated.

You know I’m always talking about looking for opportunities to be a better man in your daily life. I realize that just saying that might seem kind of nebulous…like what does it mean exactly? Today I’m going to give you a practical example of what I mean by seizing opportunities to be a better man, from my own life.