Forge Virtue Podcast

My previous video on why I don't drink alcohol as a young man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-6iS-LXv34&list=PLNiMDAMs3mP4hu5KJE9rnUm7h7kLLOVPk&index=1&t=68sDefeating lust and pornography addiction requires more than abstinence. This breakdown covers the path from porn and masturbation addiction to true chastity and purity of heart through physical discipline, fasting, prayer, and warfare against sexual sin.Most men fail at overcoming lust because they don't address the root cause. Chastity isn't suppression, it's redirecting masculine energy through self-possession and denying the flesh in licit things before expecting victory over illicit desires.What's covered:-The biological and spiritual damage of pornography. -Why natural abstinence fails without virtue. -Fasting as the foundation for sexual self-control. -Cold showers, physical training, and mortification of the body. -Prayer weapons: Rosary, three Hail Mary devotion, St. Joseph, confession, and Holy Eucharist. -Vigilance, routine, and avoiding idleness. -Breaking silence and accountability systems. -The fruits of chastity: clarity, fortitude, rightly ordered love, self-possession.This isn't NoFap psychology. This is traditional teaching on lust, temperance, and building the virtue of chastity through spiritual warfare.Resources mentioned:Fit for the Kingdom Podcast Episode 20 - Lust and Chastity in Relationships: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9viUgPBznU&t=6sWhy Marriage Endures and Modern Relationships Fail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26JxoNxFd1E&t=1sIf You Want a Queen, Build a Kingdom First: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcLgHpKXraw&t=34s

Why I don't drink alcohol as a young man in my 20s.We have a drinking problem in the West. Not just alcoholism - though that's destroying families and careers at scale. The real problem is that drinking has become the default coping mechanism for an entire generation of young men who have no meaning, no mission, and no ability to sit with their own thoughts without sedation.It's normalized escapism. Stress relief after work. Social lubricant because you can't talk to people sober. Drowning sorrows instead of confronting what's actually wrong. The drinking culture you see today is a symptom of hedonistic pleasure worship and men having nothing worth building toward. It's easier to get blackout drunk than ask yourself hard questions about what you're actually doing with your life.What I cover:The neurotoxin nobody talks about - what alcohol actually does to your brain and why it doesn't healWhy "social drinking" is a lie - the real reason people become more talkative when drunkWhat you're actually running from - stress, anxiety, hard questions about meaningThe connection between hedonism, meaninglessness, and drinking cultureWhy sobriety builds self-awareness instead of destroying itHow alcohol possesses you instead of you controlling it - same pattern as porn and video gamesThe difference between temporary pleasure and transcendental goodsMy work:https://linktr.ee/tomas.monesFit for the Kingdom (FFTK):http://fitforthekingdom.com.au/

In this video I covered running our latest men's event, St Michael's Troops, and some of the bottlenecks and challenges in scaling this event accross multiple locations.. The marketing gets done in spare time between farm work, theology study, altar server training. Most projects die here. Not from lack of interest, but from lack of resources and willingness to sacrifice comfort for infrastructure.

This video breaks down why young men need to be unbalanced in their 20s and why the scaling problem in these movements mirrors the personal discipline problem. In this video I cover:

-the gap between running events and producing content people actually see

-why being unbalanced at 20 builds capacity you can't develop later

-how taking weekends off now guarantees harder struggle at 30

-the difference between maintaining and actually building something

-why it's hard to suddenly start hustling with three kids

-how discipline compounds when you sacrifice comfort early

My work:https://linktr.ee/tomas.mones

Fit for the Kingdom (FFTK):http://fitforthekingdom.com.au/

#discipline #events #masculinity #sacrifice #spiritual

Your 20s aren't for finding yourself. They're for building. Most people think finding yourself means Bali trips and road trips across Europe. That's garbage. You find yourself under pressure, through commitments, by doing difficult things, not on a beach.

The brutal reality: your trajectory at 25 becomes your trajectory at 50. If it's pointing down or sideways now, it stays that way. You don't suddenly reverse decades of comfort-seeking. The foundation you're building right now - stone or sand - that's what everything else gets built on.T he formula is simple but most guys won't do it: skills over income, education over entertainment, sacrifice over comfort.

The sacrifice is weekends, Netflix, "finding yourself" trips, early Friday clock-outs. Most guys won't make it. They trade their 20s for surface pleasure and wonder why their 40s feel empty. Everyone I look up to, everyone who wrote the books I read, they leveraged their young years when risk was low and time was abundant.

This isn't burnout culture. It's leverage. You exchange time for skills, skills for income, income for education. Then compound. But most guys stay comfortable, stay broke, stay stuck. Your 20s are low-risk, high-time. Use them or waste them.

In this video: - Why "finding yourself" in your 20s is a lie- Stone foundation vs sand: setting your trajectory

- Skills over income: the actual formula

- The 996 work formula vs Western 40-hour comfort

- Sacrifice, pressure, commitments as the path to your mission

- Time leverage and compound growth for young men

MY WORK:→ Linktr: https://linktr.ee/tomas.mones

FIT FOR THE KINGDOM (FFTK):→ http://fitforthekingdom.com.au/

My last video about sitting in the EXACT TIPPING POINT of continence to virtue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGkY5gkh0qM&list=PLNiMDAMs3mP4hu5KJE9rnUm7h7kLLOVPk&index=2Most people stay trapped in a cycle of trying hard, burning out, and starting over. You build good habits, you do the right things, you push yourself through the grind, but somehow you end up back where you started. The problem isn't your effort. It's that you don't understand the difference between being good and being virtuous. This video breaks down Aristotle's framework for virtue and why willpower alone will never get you to where you need to be. There's a point where pushing stops working and virtue starts pulling you forward. Most people never cross that line.In this video I cover:-the four types of people and where you actually are-why good people stay stuck in the improvement cycle-the critical difference between doing good and desiring good-why taking breaks before reaching virtue resets all your progress-how virtue pulls you forward instead of willpower pushing you-the real timeline for becoming virtuous (longer than you think)My work:https://linktr.ee/tomas.monesFit for the Kingdom (FFTK):http://fitforthekingdom.com.au/#virtue #habits #aristotle #character #spiritual

In 1200 AD, St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote a letter to Hugh de Payens, first Grandmaster of the Knights Templar. Hugh had asked Bernard three times for a pep talk to inspire his knights and recruit support for their new order, warrior monks defending Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land. Bernard's response became the blueprint for combining interior virtue with exterior capability.Bernard wrote: "A new knighthood has appeared on earth. It ceaselessly wages a two-fold war both against flesh and blood and against a spiritual army of evil." These weren't just soldiers. They were monks who fought. "They lacked neither monastic meekness nor military might."In this video:-Why worldly knighthood leads to sin regardless of victory or defeat-How the Templars armed themselves "interiorly with faith and exteriorly with steel"-The discipline system: obedience, simplicity, no personal property, no idle words-Why they rejected entertainment, vanity, and decorated armor-How they were "gentler than lambs yet fiercer than lions"-The ancient standard for Christian masculinity: meekness AND strengthBernard dismantled the objection that Christian men should be passive: "If it is permitted to bear the sword, to whom may it be allowed more rightly than those whose hands hold Zion?" The Templars lived without distinction of persons, carried each other's burdens, despised vanity, wore their hair short, stayed dust-covered from battle. They weren't show ponies, they were war horses. Meekness is not weakness. Physical capability without Christian virtue is not virtue, it's just strength. Christ came as the lamb but also said "I came not to bring peace but a sword." The dichotomy exists in Him, so it should exist in us.My work: https://linktr.ee/tomas.monesFit for the Kingdom: https://fitforthekingdom.com.au

Most men think discipline is about forcing reps or hitting weekly streaks. Wrong. Discipline is the byproduct of interior transformation, which is training your mind to sit in friction instead of seeking the exit. If you're white-knuckling cold showers while fantasizing about comfort, you're building on sand.In this video:-Why exterior discipline collapses without interior peace-The distraction instinct that sabotages every virtue-How to stop mentally escaping while physically performing-Why willpower runs out but character doesn't-Training your soul to rest on the cross, not wait for Sunday-The friction test that separates boys from menStop seeking consolation. Start building presence. When you're comfortable in pain and faithful to duty, virtue becomes natural. The yoke does become easy.My work: https://linktr.ee/tomas.monesFit for the Kingdom: https://fitforthekingdom.com.au#masculinity #discipline #virtue #interiorlife #christian

Check out my previous video on building an environment that works in your favour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJIzUrbxL-E&list=PLNiMDAMs3mP4hu5KJE9rnUm7h7kLLOVPk&index=1Most guys think confidence is about talking better or faking it. Wrong. Confidence is the byproduct of capability, when you've put in years of work building yourself physically, spiritually, professionally. If you're seeking validation from girls, friends, or social environments, you're building on sand.In this video:-Why confidence comes from capability, not charisma-The difference between false bravado and inner stability-How to stop seeking validation from social environments-Why gym bros and entrepreneurs still lack confidence-Building from duty and calling instead of attachment-The two-year process of becoming internally validatedStop chasing approval. Start building competence. When you're faithful to your commitments and progressing in what matters, social confidence becomes easy.My work: https://linktr.ee/tomas.monesFit for the Kingdom: https://fitforthekingdom.com.au#masculinity #selfconfidence #faith #detachment #mindset

Check out my previous video about the lonely chapter of life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE3_gW_W4-E&list=PLNiMDAMs3mP4hu5KJE9rnUm7h7kLLOVPk&index=3 [LINK]I've spoken a lot about environment and inputs, but here I go deeper into how controlling your environment is the foundation of lasting change. Too many people rely on willpower alone and wonder why they keep failing. The truth is your environment shapes your decisions more than you realize.In this video, I break down what actually worked for me, how I changed my life at 17 by controlling my inputs, and why most people fail at self-improvement because they ignore their environment.In this video I cover:-why your environment determines your behavior more than willpower-the difference between trying to change vs creating conditions for change-how your friend group actively sabotages your goals-what "controlling your inputs" actually means in practice-where you're likely (and unlikely) to succeed based on your environment-how social media, entertainment, and content shape your mindsetThis isn't motivation content or self-help fluff. It's about systems, environment design, and becoming the kind of man who operates from the right foundation. Control the inputs. Build the right environment. Let the results follow naturally.My work:https://linktr.ee/tomas.monesFit for the Kingdom:https://fitforthekingdom.com.au#selfdevelopment #discipline #environment #masculinity #improvement #motivation

Check out my previous videos on relationships and preparation for marriage linked below.

Why Modern Relationships Fail (And Marriage Endures): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26JxoNxFd1E&list=PLNiMDAMs3mP4hu5KJE9rnUm7h7kLLOVPk&index=28&t=1s

You Want a Queen? Build a Kingdom First: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcLgHpKXraw&list=PLNiMDAMs3mP4hu5KJE9rnUm7h7kLLOVPk&index=27

This video was highly requested. I’ve spoken before about marriage and relationships, but here I go deeper into how a man should actually approach finding a wife, without losing his mission, discipline, or peace of heart. Too many men hyper-fixate on women and relationships, and in doing so undermine the very qualities required to become a good husband and father. A woman is not your mission. She supports it.

In this video, I break down what actually worked for me, how I met my wife at 21, and why chasing relationships too early or from the wrong mindset almost always backfires.

In this video I cover:

-why a woman cannot be your mission as a man-the difference between living for marriage vs chasing girls

-how validation-seeking ruins dating and discernment

-what “stability” actually looks like before dating

-where you’re likely (and unlikely) to meet a future wife

-how discipline, prayer, and purpose attract the right woman

-why peace of heart matters more than dating strategies

This isn’t dating advice for attention or entertainment. It’s about order, maturity, and becoming the kind of man worthy of marriage. Trust the process. Do the inputs properly. Let God handle the timing.

My work: https://linktr.ee/tomas.mones

Fit for the Kingdom:

https://fitforthekingdom.com.au/

#catholic #relationships #marriage #masculinity #faith #dating