Being A Better Man

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; Dead Weight. 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 Dead Weight, is a story of friendship and about the importance of never taking anyone or anything for granted.

I’ll be honest with you…I did not want to talk about this topic today. It’s unsavory, disgusting, and kind of gross. My wife was very persuasive though. She made me understand that it is actually important enough, and pervasive enough, to warrant it’s own episode. A lot of men might not know that this is even an issue, because we are not the targets of this behavior. Sadly, it is men who are the perpetrators of this.

My wife sent me a link to an article about “Red pillers”. What are Red-pillers you ask? Good question. Basically, there is a community of men who claim to have taken the red pill, like in the movie “The matrix”. They claim to have disconnected from modern societal ideals about what men are, what they should be, and what their roles and functions in society are. They claim to focus on self improvement, and they loudly complain about all the injustices that men have to endure in these modern times. It is a community that is growing quickly, and that is why I’m talking about it. It doesn’t sound that bad on the surface I guess. I mean…I’m all for self improvement and I’m against injustice of any kind. However, upon closer inspection of this red pill community my opinion of it quickly changes.

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 Secret Project. 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 Secret Project, is probably not what you expect. It's a very unique story for sure, but one that I got a lot out of, and I hope you do too...even if its just a good laugh.

Remember, I didn’t start this podcast because I had all the answers. I started it to invite others to travel my journey with me; the journey of being a better man today than I was yesterday. So some of these answers and questions we may have to just talk about and come up with the answers together. Lately I have been thinking about the necessity for this show. This show obviously attracts a fair number of listeners, people like yourself, who want to be better men. So it would seem that I am not alone, that my quest to be a better man every day is shared by others. My question about that is; why? Why wouldn’t we naturally default to being better in the first place? Shouldn't daily improvement written into our DNA? Why is this podcast necessary?

It’s fine to know that you are good at something. I encourage men to feel proud about the things they do well, there isn’t anything wrong with that. However…it’s one thing to feel good in that knowledge, to know it and feel satisfied about it, and quite another thing to make sure everybody else knows it by bragging about your abilities whenever you get the chance. It’s a thin line between the two, and one that men too often stumble over, like I did today. There is something, an additional quality you can develop that will help temper your pride just enough, and keep you from becoming an arrogant jerk who brags and boasts until the moment you fail, and then you are embarrassed.

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; What Matters Most. 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 What Matters Most, is about a terrifying time when I almost lost everything. It served to set some priorities in my life that have served me well ever since. I think there is something here for everyone to learn.

You know how you feel when a friend lets you down? It feels crummy, and even if you forgive your friend, it has still lessened your respect for them just a bit. You may have less confidence in them and you know you can’t rely on them 100%. The same things happen when we let ourselves down, except instead of feeling that way about someone else, we feel that way about ourself. The more it happens, the more it erodes our self respect and confidence, and the longer that goes on the harder it is to turn it all around. This is the issue…this is the danger of allowing any excuses to alter your own convictions.

I cannot over state the truth and power of today. Today is the only chance you have, right now, this minute, of having any effect on the future that has not happened yet. Many people are victims of time. They lament and grieve about the past, and they wait for the future to happen to them without taking an active role in it. That is a choice you can definitely make, you can sit back and just let life happen to you. You can rejoice when it goes well and complain when things don’t go your way. I think that is a poor choice though. I don’t think that is a choice you can make if you actually want to be a better man.

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; Once Upon A Time, There Was A Man. 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 Once Upon A Time, There Was A Man, is a very personal story about an actual man. More than that...this story illustrates the awesome impact we can have in the world, as men.