what really makes a man a man
Men have lacked adequate masculine role models since the end of the Industrial Age. Our hands had gone mushy and our will had gone to mush as a result of our comfortable white-collar occupations. We’ve turned into the business equivalent of the proverbial “yes man,” slithering around with a knife behind our backs, looking for someone to stab so we can climb the snakes and ladders of financial success. Maybe we assume, now that I have my snazzy new automobile and opulent bachelor house, the girls will like me.
Where have all the true men gone? The ones who toiled until their muscles ached; the ones who had blisters on their hands and calluses on their feet, the one who made women swoon at first sight? Jim, the answer is that they’re all dead. We backstabbing, cowardly, slithering yes-men are all that’s left.
Although the genuine men are no longer alive, their lessons from the past live on. Let us learn what it is to be a man’s man from our forebears.
Checkout this great book on masculinity
1. A man must be fearless.
A man’s body, according to Chinese philosophy, is mostly made up of Yang chi, the essence of male energy, which represents vigour and vitality. Yang is the aggressor and is represented by fire and heat. Women, on the other hand, are made up of Yin chi, the grounding, receptive energy that pervades the universe. Yin is the receiver and is symbolized by flowing water.
It is your responsibility as a man to represent Yang chi’s essence. There is no time for waffling, being afraid to ask for what you want, or being insecure about yourself. You must be bold; it is your responsibility to be bold. You are the aggressor, the Yang.
If you want to get to know a woman, you must approach her. You can’t wait for her to approach, since she’s Yin. She’s the shy, responsive one who’s just waiting for you to come up to her. Allow her to be the Yin, and don’t try to play the shy male who can’t even say hello. I’ve never heard somebody say, “Hah, he’s such a sissy for even thinking she’d talk to him.” The most common response is, “Wow, guy, you’ve got guts!” That’s something I’d like to be able to do.
Men who can be a pillar of strength, someone they can lean on, a shoulder to weep on, are attractive to women; boldness is a sign of that inner strength. Boldness can be defined as the bravery to act, the ability to transform fear into strength, and the acceptance of rejection and pain as a natural result of pursuing your dreams.
Boldness can be applied to both business and everyday life. Who Dares Wins is the renowned motto of the British Special Air Service (SAS). If you have the intelligence, the guts, and the determination, you have a good chance of succeeding. Listen to what Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German philosopher, said: “Whatever you can accomplish or dream you can, begin it.” Boldness contains genius, strength, and magic.
2. A man must live honorably.
The gentleman’s virtue is honour. Honor entails a commitment to adhere to a set of moral principles. People believe that a person’s word is a guarantee of future moral behavior. Nowadays, the term “integrity” is frequently used to denote honor.
Learning to live honorably will make you a better man than ten years of corporate snakes and ladders ever can. Your promise must be a solemn undertaking that you will keep regardless of the circumstances. Your word must be worth its weight in gold, if not more.
It’s not easy to establish a good reputation. It entails a whole commitment to maintaining your integrity and adhering to a set of moral ideals. Your good name will spread if you are successful. People will see you as a trustworthy individual who they can entrust with the most sensitive information and entrust with the most important responsibilities.
Taking on more duties and secrets can help you reach new heights of prosperity and abundance in your life. But be warned: if you ever break that trust by doing anything selfish or perverted, what took you a lifetime to build can be destroyed in an instant.
Good news spreads quickly in the Information Age, and negative news travels even quicker. The only way to avoid bad news is to never allow it to be made in the first place. People pay attention to what you say, but they also pay attention to what you do.
Say “I love you” with your hand over your heart.
Allow my ideals to serve as a guiding light, distilled from my deepest understanding of what is good. Allow my morals to stand tall and genuine, and allow them to dictate what I do.
Now, put your hand on your head and exclaim, “So Be It!”
Make a difference now, be firm in your convictions, and be fearless in defending your honor. Keep your principles in mind. Never do anything that jeopardizes your integrity or the trust that others have placed in you. You will experience more flow in your life as a result of your efforts; opportunities will come faster and more abundantly.
You will have the opportunity to enjoy your life to the utmost extent possible. So, if your life relies on it, be a man of honor.
3. A Man Has to Be Magnificent
Having a kind, forgiving, and noble nature is what it means to be magnanimous. Simply simply, folks who are magnanimous have a huge heart. They are cordial and courteous, benevolent and altruistic. A generous gentleman contributes without expecting anything in return. He is happiest when he sees others who are happy. He’s a fascinating conversationalist who cracks jokes to make others laugh.
A man’s magnanimity prevents him from being easily offended by the words and acts of others. Anything that could be considered offensive is merely regarded as wind moving through the trees. He will never break, but will merely bend in the direction of the wind, like bamboo.
When you grasp magnanimity, you will intuitively realize that the universe operates on the Law of Increasing Returns, which holds that whatever you give out will return to you 10 times stronger. If you look down on someone, for example, ten more people will look down on you. If you defraud an elderly woman of $500, you will lose $5000 in the future. Similarly, if you give $200 out of the goodness of your heart, you will be able to receive back $2000. Maybe it’s through your business or a lucky lotto win.
You can only expect poverty, hate, and disappointment if you let your greed get the best of you, manipulate others for your own gain, and refuse to aid the poor. You reap what you sow, and you receive what you give away. This is an unbreakable rule.
Helping others does not deplete a magnanimous man’s riches; rather, the Law of Increasing Returns multiplies his resources tenfold, allowing him to accomplish more good in the world. He understands that by assisting others, he is also assisting himself.
You will become a more generative person if you develop the habit of solving other people’s difficulties. You generate and contribute more than the ordinary person, and as a result, you make more money since you add more value to others.
Start today by taking little actions to incorporate these traits into your personality. Help someone in need, uphold a promise, and speak up when necessary. Challenge yourself to become a man’s man by doing the following: Be Courageous, Honorable, and Magnanimous.