Knowledge For Men

Jay Elliot was a senior member of the original Macintosh development team and helped Steve Jobs develop the original user interface inspired by Xerox PARC. Becoming Senior Vice President of Apple reporting directly to Steve, Jay ran all corporate operations including business planning, IT operations, Facilities, and HR for Apple worldwide.

As a mentor, Jay was able to guide Steve in learning and utilizing the management principles Jay had learned at IBM and Intel, which helped make possible building Apple into a multibillion company and in turning Steve into the kind of leader who was able to inspire and create the society-changing Apple products.

1. You Need to Balance Your Life 

One of Steve Job’s greatest strengths was the fiery intensity he had for his vision. However, this was also one of his greatest weaknesses. Jobs was never “off” he was always focused on his company and vision.

As amazing as the results are that Jobs achieved, it is essential to your long term health and happiness that you find a way to balance all four pillars of your life.

Never get so caught up in your business that you forget to show up in your health, relationships and spiritual life.

2. Fill Your Mind with New Ideas

One of the qualities that made Steve Jobs great is that he was an innovator. He constantly surrounded himself with the newest ideas and modalities of thinking.

If you want to change the world and create great things, you need to become an innovator. Always be searching for new ways of solving the worlds problems.

3. Tap Into Your Passion

If you want to change the world, you must find what you are passionate about. Find that thing that sets a fire in your belly and gets you up out of bed each morning before the sun is up.

You only have one shot at this life, you can either waste it, playing it safe and living someone else’s life, making someone else rich, or you can live a life of passion, doing something you believe in, something that matters.

4. Dont Get Caught up in an Institutional Structure

One of the biggest mistakes any young professional can make is getting caught up in an institutional structure. When you get onto a ladder designed by someone else, you are stuck in a linear path with very little room to innovate and create.

The best thing you can do is to work for yourself or a startup that allows you the freedom to build and create the world as you see fit.

In 2006, Aaron Marino started a men's image consulting firm, alpha m. Image Consulting, to help average men with simple common sense advice; aimed to enhance their image, style, grooming, fashion and most importantly their confidence. Aaron Marino has been featured in countless publications, as well as guest appearances on various television and radio programs, both locally, as well as nationally.

Throughout the past 7 years, Aaron Marino has worked with thousands of men from around the world, helping them with their personal style, grooming, fashion, image, wardrobe and even dating. Through his weekly YouTube posts, Aaron Marino covers a host of topics in the area of men's style, fashion, grooming and even personal responsibility.

Aaron Marino has not only expanded his reach with his viral videos but also with a variety of products such as the stylesystem that was featured on the ABC's Shark Tank.

1. Focus on Fit

No matter what your clothing budget is, always focus on fit first. A $20 shirt from Old Navy can look better than a $300 Tommy Bahama shirt if it the fit is better.

Be sure to try on different sizes of clothing for different brands and styles as a medium in one brand name may be too small in another. Realize that a tighter budget is not an excuse for bad style. Look for those few key wardrobe items and buy a quality article of clothing that fits like a glove.

2. The Goal of Style is to Increase Confidence

The ultimate goal of improving your style and your grooming is to increase your confidence. When your body looks great and your clothes look great, you are going to feel great.

When you put your best foot forward, you will have increased confidence and self esteem, and this will lead to an increase in opportunities and relationship successes.

3. Learn to Differentiate Between Constructive and Deconstructive Criticism

Any entrepreneur, businessman, or public figure is going to attract a far amount of controversy, and with this controversy always comes criticism. This criticism typically comes in one of two forms either constructive or deconstructive.

Constructive criticism, although uncomfortable, will help you to grow and improve yourself as a man and a leader. Deconstructive criticism on the other hand will do nothing but toxifiy your life and lower your self esteem.

Seek constructive criticism and cut out as many sources of deconstructive criticism as you can.

In 2006, Aaron Marino started a men’s image consulting firm, alpha m. Image Consulting, to help average men with simple common sense advice; aimed to enhance their image, style, grooming, fashion and most importantly their confidence. Aaron Marino has been featured in countless publications, as well as guest appearances on various television and radio programs, both locally, as well as nationally.

Throughout the past 7 years, Aaron Marino has worked with thousands of men from around the world, helping them with their personal style, grooming, fashion, image, wardrobe and even dating. Through his weekly YouTube posts, Aaron Marino covers a host of topics in the area of men’s style, fashion, grooming and even personal responsibility.

Aaron Marino has not only expanded his reach with his viral videos but also with a variety of products such as the stylesystem that was featured on the ABC’s Shark Tank.

1. Focus on Fit 

No matter what your clothing budget is, always focus on fit first. A $20 shirt from Old Navy can look better than a $300 Tommy Bahama shirt if it the fit is better.

Be sure to try on different sizes of clothing for different brands and styles as a medium in one brand name may be too small in another. Realize that a tighter budget is not an excuse for bad style. Look for those few key wardrobe items and buy a quality article of clothing that fits like a glove.

2. The Goal of Style is to Increase Confidence

The ultimate goal of improving your style and your grooming is to increase your confidence. When your body looks great and your clothes look great, you are going to feel great.

When you put your best foot forward, you will have increased confidence and self esteem, and this will lead to an increase in opportunities and relationship successes.

3. Learn to Differentiate Between Constructive and Deconstructive Criticism 

Any entrepreneur, businessman, or public figure is going to attract a far amount of controversy, and with this controversy always comes criticism. This criticism typically comes in one of two forms either constructive or deconstructive.

Constructive criticism, although uncomfortable, will help you to grow and improve yourself as a man and a leader. Deconstructive criticism on the other hand will do nothing but toxifiy your life and lower your self esteem.

Seek constructive criticism and cut out as many sources of deconstructive criticism as you can.

Jayson Gaddis is the breakthrough marriage and relationship coach for smart, successful, people. He will teach you how to use conflict to transform your life and your relationships for good. He's a husband and part-time stay-at-home dad getting schooled by his two cosmic kids.

His family is the center of his universe and when he tries to wiggle away from what he teaches, his wife and kids hold him accountable to living it, daily. Jayson is also passionate about masculinity. He has run dozens of men's groups, men's leadership experiences, and founded the Men's Leadership Training, Boulder Men's Experience, and BoyStrong.org.

Jayson is looking to provide his 5- year old son a smooth, conscious path toward manhood.

1. You Have to Work on Yourself

You cannot expect to have successful fulfilling relationships if you are not first investing in yourself. If you aren't going anywhere or working towards anything; if you dont have your stuff together…then why would a woman want you?

Before you can have the relationships you are looking for, you MUST get your own life in order. Meditate, eat healthy and hit the gym, read, and build your personal brand. Become the man that women want to be with, and the quality and quantity of your relationships will increase exponentially.

2. Take Full Responsibility

In relationships, men often struggle in accepting the responsibility for conflicts or problems. We throw out b.s. justifications and excuses as to why it's our girlfriend or wife's fault.

By doing this however, we relieve ourselves of the ability to take the blame and fix the problems we are facing in our relationships.

To truly succeed with women, you must accept the blame, take responsibility and work together to fix any problems.

3. Admit Your Need for Help

Most men hate showing emotion. And with good reason. Men who wear their heart on their sleeves are often perceived to be weak and incapable. Unfortunately, this often leads to a large number of men refusing to ask for help even in their darkest times.

In our society, we have taken this to an extreme, bottling up emotion and never letting anyone in for fear of what they would think. By doing this, however, we cut ourselves off from people who have the tools, knowledge and resources to help us with whatever we are facing.

One of the best things you can do to find a healthy place to discuss your struggles and trials and get the help you need is to find an all men's mastermind and become a regular contributor.

Surround yourself with other men in the same shit and you will find an overwhelming amount of support in much needed areas of your life.

4. Cut Out the Garbage

If you are filling your mind and body with garbage, that is what your life will put out.

On your quest to become the type of man that women want to be with, you must begin by cutting out everything in your life that a woman would not want to be with.

So remove what is unnecessary in your life or holding you back from being the man you want to be and start moving towards the man you want to be.

5. Stop Having to Prove Yourself

One of the marks of a true man is that he doesn't feel the need to prove himself to anyone. He is totally self confident and sure of himself, and he doesn't need anyone else's approval.

Learn to be ok with just being you. Don't feel the need to validate yourself before anyone, be happy being you because you are enough. As long as you are growing and expanding, you are enough, and always will be.

Jayson Gaddis is the breakthrough marriage and relationship coach for smart, successful, people. He will teach you how to use conflict to transform your life and your relationships for good. He’s a husband and part-time stay-at-home dad getting schooled by his two cosmic kids.

His family is the center of his universe and when he tries to wiggle away from what he teaches, his wife and kids hold him accountable to living it, daily. Jayson is also passionate about masculinity. He has run dozens of men’s groups, men’s leadership experiences, and founded the Men’s Leadership Training, Boulder Men’s Experience, and BoyStrong.org.

Jayson is looking to provide his 5- year old son a smooth, conscious path toward manhood.

1. You Have to Work on Yourself

You cannot expect to have successful fulfilling relationships if you are not first investing in yourself. If you aren’t going anywhere or working towards anything; if you dont have your stuff together…then why would a woman want you?

Before you can have the relationships you are looking for, you MUST get your own life in order. Meditate, eat healthy and hit the gym, read, and build your personal brand. Become the man that women want to be with, and the quality and quantity of your relationships will increase exponentially.

2. Take Full Responsibility

In relationships, men often struggle in accepting the responsibility for conflicts or problems. We throw out b.s. justifications and excuses as to why it’s our girlfriend or wife’s fault.

By doing this however, we relieve ourselves of the ability to take the blame and fix the problems we are facing in our relationships.

To truly succeed with women, you must accept the blame, take responsibility and work together to fix any problems.

3. Admit Your Need for Help

Most men hate showing emotion. And with good reason. Men who wear their heart on their sleeves are often perceived to be weak and incapable. Unfortunately, this often leads to a large number of men refusing to ask for help even in their darkest times.

In our society, we have taken this to an extreme, bottling up emotion and never letting anyone in for fear of what they would think. By doing this, however, we cut ourselves off from people who have the tools, knowledge and resources to help us with whatever we are facing.

One of the best things you can do to find a healthy place to discuss your struggles and trials and get the help you need is to find an all men’s mastermind and become a regular contributor.

Surround yourself with other men in the same shit and you will find an overwhelming amount of support in much needed areas of your life.

4. Cut Out the Garbage

If you are filling your mind and body with garbage, that is what your life will put out.

On your quest to become the type of man that women want to be with, you must begin by cutting out everything in your life that a woman would not want to be with.

So remove what is unnecessary in your life or holding you back from being the man you want to be and start moving towards the man you want to be.

5. Stop Having to Prove Yourself

One of the marks of a true man is that he doesn’t feel the need to prove himself to anyone. He is totally self confident and sure of himself, and he doesn’t need anyone else’s approval.

Learn to be ok with just being you. Don’t feel the need to validate yourself before anyone, be happy being you because you are enough. As long as you are growing and expanding, you are enough, and always will be.

Marc David, M.A. is the Founder and primary teacher of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. He's a leading visionary, teacher and consultant in Nutritional Psychology, and the author of the classic, groundbreaking and bestselling books Nourishing Wisdom and The Slow Down Diet. For over 3 decades Marc has been an innovator in eating psychology and nutrition.

Marc's work has been featured on CNN and NBC, and in publications such as The New York Times, Chicago Times, McCall's, Glamour, Elle, Yoga Journal, WebMD, and hundreds more. His books have been translated into over 10 languages. Marc has presented at a long list of professional settings, including Harvard University, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine.

1. Turn Your Anger into Fuel

Everybody is pissed at something. Some circumstance, political group or international event. Whether you are pissed at the government, the decline of masculinity, or simply the confusing times in which we find ourselves, everyone is angry at something.

The key is to use this anger as motivation, as a driving force to achieve your goals. Do not allow your emotions to control you, but rather take control of your emotions and use them as fuel to bring about change.

Find what makes you angry and commit to changing it.

2. Live a Life You Feel is Worth Living

Too often we find ourselves living the life of someone else, a life that is not ours. We set so many goals based off of our parents, friends, or society's aspirations for our lives without ever giving much thought to what it is we really want out of life.

Figure out what you have a passion for, what you want to change, and focus your efforts on it. Ignore everyone who tells you to be realistic and follow the traditional path.

Live a life that *you* are happy living and not that you are living for someone else.

3. Trust Your Inner Voice

As cliche as it may seem, there is real wisdom in the advice to trust your inner voice. It is often that child like intuition that directs us towards the path we need to be on.

Trust your gut and do what feels right. Ignore what society and your friends say, follow your instincts and you will create a life worth living.

4. You Need to Earn What You Want

We live in an age of entitlement, people believe that they deserve a free pass simply for existing in this world. If you want to live a life of purpose and excellence, you must realize that life owes you nothing.

If you want anything in this world, you must earn it, fight for it, bleed for it. Nothing worth having will come for free, you must earn it.

5. Money is a Tool not a God

Our society has deified money. Giving it power over life and death and our freedom. Few people pause and reflect on what money truly is.

Money is neither good nor evil, it is merely a tool, a form of exchange between two individuals. You must realize that while money can grant you freedom, fitness, and more time to spend on relationships and hobbies, it can also become your master, crushing the joy out of your life as you abandon everything in pursuit of it.

Accept money for what it is and use it to create your ideal life.

Marc David, M.A. is the Founder and primary teacher of the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. He’s a leading visionary, teacher and consultant in Nutritional Psychology, and the author of the classic, groundbreaking and bestselling books Nourishing Wisdom and The Slow Down Diet. For over 3 decades Marc has been an innovator in eating psychology and nutrition.

Marc’s work has been featured on CNN and NBC, and in publications such as The New York Times, Chicago Times, McCall’s, Glamour, Elle, Yoga Journal, WebMD, and hundreds more. His books have been translated into over 10 languages. Marc has presented at a long list of professional settings, including Harvard University, the Institute for Functional Medicine, and The National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine.

1. Turn Your Anger into Fuel

Everybody is pissed at something. Some circumstance, political group or international event. Whether you are pissed at the government, the decline of masculinity, or simply the confusing times in which we find ourselves, everyone is angry at something.

The key is to use this anger as motivation, as a driving force to achieve your goals. Do not allow your emotions to control you, but rather take control of your emotions and use them as fuel to bring about change.

Find what makes you angry and commit to changing it.

2. Live a Life You Feel is Worth Living

Too often we find ourselves living the life of someone else, a life that is not ours. We set so many goals based off of our parents, friends,  or society’s aspirations for our lives without ever giving much thought to what it is we really want out of life.

Figure out what you have a passion for, what you want to change, and focus your efforts on  it. Ignore everyone who tells you to be realistic and follow the traditional path.

Live a life that *you* are happy living and not that you are living for someone else.

3. Trust Your Inner Voice

As cliche as it may seem, there is real wisdom in the advice to trust your inner voice. It is often that child like intuition that directs us towards the path we need to be on.

Trust your gut and do what feels right. Ignore what society and your friends say, follow your instincts and you will create a life worth living.

4. You Need to Earn What You Want

We live in an age of entitlement, people believe that they deserve a free pass simply for existing in this world. If you want to live a life of purpose and excellence, you must realize that life owes you nothing.

If you want anything in this world, you must earn it, fight for it, bleed for it. Nothing worth having will come for free, you must earn it.

5. Money is a Tool not a God

Our society has deified money. Giving it power over life and death and our freedom. Few people pause and reflect on what money truly is.

Money is neither good nor evil, it is merely a tool, a form of exchange between two individuals. You must realize that while money can grant you freedom, fitness, and more time to spend on relationships and hobbies, it can also become your master, crushing the joy out of your life as you abandon everything in pursuit of it.

Accept money for what it is and use it to create your ideal life.

Ben Fedder is the former CEO of Take 2 Interactive, the video game company responsible for producing Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2k, Max Payne, and many others. He's now is a senior executive at Tencent, the Chinese global conglomerate that owns WeChat and dominates China's internet-related media and technology industries. Ben is also the author of the book Take Off Your Shoes: One Man's Journey from the Boardroom to Bali and Back. You can learn more about Ben and his mission at benfederauthor.com

1. Develop Your Sense of Presence

One of the most powerful ways that you can improve your relationships, career, and life is to cultivate a deep sense of presence.

Most people live in a state of constant distraction.

They're constantly thinking about what they said yesterday or what they need to do tomorrow, but they never slow down and focus on what's happening around them right now.

When you slow down and learn to get present in this moment, right now, you open yourself up to an entirely new way of being.

All great work, all great relationships, and all well lived lives require high levels of presence.

When you are completely focused on what you're doing in this very second you can give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. You can be more compassionate and considerate in your conversations, perform faster and more effectively at work, and truly enjoy the quiet moments that you have for yourself.

Whether you choose to cultivate this sense of presence through meditation, yoga, or mere awareness, following a simple mindfulness practice will have profound and far-reaching benefits in every area of your life.

2. Engage in Activities that Help You See the World in a New Way

As much as we would like to believe otherwise, the world is not black and white.

There are thousands, even millions, of perspectives through which you can choose to view the world, but most people live their entire lives through the same lens that they adopted as a child.

By engaging in new activities such as art, travel, and music, you can teach yourself to view the world in a new light. You'll gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of life and learn to spot patterns and details that you would otherwise have missed.

I strongly encourage you to identify a small handful of new activities and hobbies to pick up that will challenge the way you think and your current paradigm.

Whether you pick up painting, playing the guitar, dancing salsa, playing strategy games, or doing standup comedy, find something that you truly enjoy that will help you cultivate new perspectives and a fresh outlook on life.

If you do this, it will radically transform the way that you approach your life, business, and pursuit of success.

3. Make Deliberate Choices About How You Want to Live Your Life

Every single one of us has the ability to deliberately choose the way we want to live our lives.

While there are undoubtedly constraints and extenuating circumstances that might prevent you from having total autonomy over your path, in this very moment, you can choose to live your life (even in a small way) more deliberately.

Ask yourself who you want to be, how you want to think, and how you want to see the world.

Make the deliberate choice to live a life by design. A life of virtue and value of your own making.

Then go and do it.

Thanks for listening! If you found this content helpful, please pay it forward by sharing it on your favorite social media channel so that other men can benefit from the lessons and strategies we've discussed.

If you'd like to learn more about the concepts and strategies I've shared here today, then you can get my FREE 3 part video training series on becoming a stronger more Grounded man so that you can build a life of freedom, success, and happiness. Just click here to claim your free training today.

Ben Fedder is the former CEO of Take 2 Interactive, the video game company responsible for producing Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2k, Max Payne, and many others. He's now is a senior executive at Tencent, the Chinese global conglomerate that owns WeChat and dominates China’s internet-related media and technology industries. Ben is also the author of the book Take Off Your Shoes: One Man's Journey from the Boardroom to Bali and Back. You can learn more about Ben and his mission at benfederauthor.com 

1. Develop Your Sense of Presence

One of the most powerful ways that you can improve your relationships, career, and life is to cultivate a deep sense of presence. 

Most people live in a state of constant distraction. 

They're constantly thinking about what they said yesterday or what they need to do tomorrow, but they never slow down and focus on what's happening around them right now. 

When you slow down and learn to get present in this moment, right now, you open yourself up to an entirely new way of being. 

All great work, all great relationships, and all well lived lives require high levels of presence. 

When you are completely focused on what you're doing in this very second you can give 100% of yourself to the task at hand. You can be more compassionate and considerate in your conversations, perform faster and more effectively at work, and truly enjoy the quiet moments that you have for yourself. 

Whether you choose to cultivate this sense of presence through meditation, yoga, or mere awareness, following a simple mindfulness practice will have profound and far-reaching benefits in every area of your life.  

2. Engage in Activities that Help You See the World in a New Way 

As much as we would like to believe otherwise, the world is not black and white. 

There are thousands, even millions, of perspectives through which you can choose to view the world, but most people live their entire lives through the same lens that they adopted as a child. 

By engaging in new activities such as art, travel, and music, you can teach yourself to view the world in a new light. You'll gain a deeper appreciation for the nuances of life and learn to spot patterns and details that you would otherwise have missed. 

I strongly encourage you to identify a small handful of new activities and hobbies to pick up that will challenge the way you think and your current paradigm. 

Whether you pick up painting, playing the guitar, dancing salsa, playing strategy games, or doing standup comedy, find something that you truly enjoy that will help you cultivate new perspectives and a fresh outlook on life. 

If you do this, it will radically transform the way that you approach your life, business, and pursuit of success. 

3. Make Deliberate Choices About How You Want to Live Your Life 

Every single one of us has the ability to deliberately choose the way we want to live our lives. 

While there are undoubtedly constraints and extenuating circumstances that might prevent you from having total autonomy over your path, in this very moment, you can choose to live your life (even in a small way) more deliberately. 

Ask yourself who you want to be, how you want to think, and how you want to see the world. 

Make the deliberate choice to live a life by design. A life of virtue and value of your own making. 

Then go and do it. 

Thanks for listening! If you found this content helpful, please pay it forward by sharing it on your favorite social media channel so that other men can benefit from the lessons and strategies we’ve discussed.

If you’d like to learn more about the concepts and strategies I’ve shared here today, then you can get my FREE 3 part video training series on becoming a stronger more Grounded man so that you can build a life of freedom, success, and happiness. Just click here to claim your free training today.

Tom Cronin spent 26 years as a broker in finance trading inflation swaps and bonds for the banks. After suffering a lot of stress in his job, he turned to meditation to help manage the symptoms. This was life changing for Tom! He recently walked away from the industry at the height of his 26 year successful career to fulfill his mission of spreading calm and stillness across the globe.

The portal to access this stillness is meditation. Tom has been teaching meditation for many years now and has inspired thousands of people all over the world as a teacher, author and keynote speaker to unlock their brilliance and calm with meditation.

1. When You Begin Meditation Learn to Relieve Stress in Your Body

One of the biggest keys to success in meditation is to learn to relax your body. A significant amount of the mental stress that you feel is linked to the physical stress in your body.

When beginning your meditation practice find a quiet, dark room with a comfortable padded chair, sit upright and relax your body. Focus on relieving physical stress before focusing on mental stress.

2. Meditation is the Portal Not the Goal

Meditation should never be a goal, it is merely a portal to increased health, mental clarity, and spiritual connection. Before begging the practice of meditation, ensure that your focus is an increased quality of life and not to merely sit down with an empty mind.

3. Meditation is Proven to Enhance Your Biochemistry

For many men, meditation is seen as unmanly or cooky, however, numerous scientific studies have proven that meditation positively affects your biochemistry in a way that few other activities can.

Meditation acts in a very similar way to sex, releasing powerful neurochemicals like oxytocin, dopamine, and many other "feel good chemicals"

Regular meditation has also been shown to reduce inflammation, risk of disease and increase mental agility and performance.

4. The Goal is to Leave a Place of Need and Go Into a Place of Service

The ultimate goal of meditation and, in fact, of life is not any one action or goal, but rather a process of leaving a place of need and entering into a lifestyle of service.

Too often, we focus on ourselves and what we can do for us. We focus on our goals, our dreams, our ambitions; and while many of these may be worthy causes, it is advantageous to take time out of each day and simply serve.

Volunteer at a local church, soup kitchen, or children development program, pay for someones lunch, give compliments to a stranger. Live your life with a servants heart and it will not be a life wasted.