Having spent over 20 years in the world of personal growth and development, I’ve tried a lot of modalities and practices.  Of everything  I’ve done, being part of a Men’s Group has been hands down the most impactful thing on my life.  So much so, that I truly believe every man should be part of a group in some capacity.  I’ll share a bit about why in a moment, but first you might be asking, what is a men’s group?

Quite simply, it’s a group of men that gather together with the explicit intention of supporting and challenging each other to be the most vital, expressed, and powerful versions of themselves they can be. There are many different styles of men’s groups, but all in essence boil down to that idea.   Life is short and men’s groups help us make the most of it.

The benefits to being part of a group are countless, but let me share 5 of the most important reasons I think you should join a group now.

1) Loneliness is dangerous

More and more research data is pouring out that shows how social isolation and a lack of social connection can be devastating to our health.  In fact, this epidemic may increase your chance of dying by as much as 30%!  It rewires our brains, keeping us in a state of chronic-stress. It’s also theorized that social isolation (lack of connection) is one of the root causes of most major addictions.

So much of modern society is conspiring against us in this regard, with more and more people working remotely, living alone, and communicating over email and text message. Many of the cultural institutions that provided our social glue and fabric are fading away, made even more extreme here in the United States with our strong bent towards private spaces over public ones.

Joining a men’s group is a POWERFUL tonic to social isolation. Sitting in circle with other men gives us community, connection, and can go a long way to lowering our stress levels. In person face-to-face contact is more important now than ever.

2) The masculine grows through challenge and feedback

Whether you call it feminine and masculine, Yin and Yang, being and doing, communion and agency, we all have two of the most primal energies active inside of us. For many (though not all) of us men, we have more masculine energy in our systems.

The masculine grows most quickly and powerfully through challenge and feedback. This is a truth that is crystal clear in sporting culture, where coaches, our teammates, and rival teams constantly provide the information and push to make us better. Improving at anything in life is easier when we have trusted people along side us offering us what they see in service of our transformation. We can often be totally blind to pieces of our behavior and ways of being in the world, which is were fellowship becomes so important. Other men can point out to us what we aren’t seeing ourselves and call us on our bullshit from a place of deep service and love.

3) It’ll improve your intimate relationships

This one is huge, and might seem like a bit of a surprise at first, but I’ve seen it change relationships for men of any sexual orientation. For us men that are attracted to women, I am a FIRM believer that the quality and depth of our connection with women is almost always determined by the quality and depth of our ...