What does it take to make a life, not just a living—and how do I re-engage when life starts to feel flat, numb, or overly burdened?

Anyone can make a living—but it takes adventure to make a life. Many men settle into half-life manhood: successful but unsatisfied, responsible but restless.

Four core life adventures define whole-life manhood:

Family Adventure – Reproducing life in your children through intentional, hands-on fatherhood that shapes their character and future.

Noble Cause Adventure – Fighting for something bigger than yourself that contributes to others’ lives, moving from mere success to significance.

Man-Size Adventure – Making space for fun and rejuvenating experiences; planning for joy and making memories that sustain you.

Spiritual Adventure – Experiencing a relationship with God that brings eternal perspective, peace, and purpose.

Time for a "timeout": This session was intentionally a pause to reflect, process, and realign with the journey so far. Life is like mountain climbing—you need rest stops.

Tension is a gift. The restlessness many feel isn’t something to run from—it’s a signpost, revealing areas of needed growth or change.

Fun must be reinvented. Especially as men age, meaningful recreation becomes something you must plan and pursue with intentionality.

Finding your unique design matters. Robert introduces a future exercise (led by Bill Wellons) to help men discover what makes them come alive and how they’re wired to thrive.

Work is a means, not the end. Work should serve your life’s adventures—not be the thing that swallows them whole.

It's okay to need change. For some, that may mean adjusting work roles; for others, it might require the bold step of changing jobs entirely.

For younger men: Be realistic, pursue wise mentors, and take God seriously. Avoid chasing a dream version of manhood that leads to burnout or boredom.

Not religion—relationship. Robert clarifies he’s not pushing religious tradition, but offering the Bible’s wisdom and the reality of a spiritual life with God.

Genesis 1:28 – The foundational call to be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth, revealing God’s original design for man’s adventures.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 – God has set eternity in the human heart.

Ecclesiastes 2:24, 5:18, 9:9 – Emphasize enjoying one’s work and life as gifts from God.

Third John 1:4 – “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.”

John 10:10 – Jesus promises life, and life abundantly.

Augustine (quoted): “There is a God-shaped vacuum in every human heart that can only be filled by God.”