The Measure of a Man
Since the end of the Industrial Age, men have lacked proper
male role models. Pampered by our cushy white-collar jobs, our
hands had become soft and our will has turned to mush. We have
become the proverbial 'yes man' of the corporate world lacking a
spine, slithering around with a knife behind our backs, looking
for someone to stab so we can climb the snakes and ladders of
financial success. Perhaps we think, Maybe the girls will like
me now that I have my cool new car and luxurious bachelors pad.
Where are the real men of yesterday? The ones who worked hard
all day till their muscles burned; the ones with blisters on
their hands and calluses on their feet, the man that women swoon
for at first sight? The answer is, Theyre all dead, Jim. All
thats left is us backstabbing, spineless, slithering yes-men.
The real men may be dead, but their lessons from the past, live
on. Let's learn from our forefathers, what it means to be a mans
man.
#1 A Man Must Be Bold In Chinese philosophy, a man's body
composes mainly of Yang chi the essence of male energy,
representing vigour and vitality. Yang is forceful, the
aggressor, and symbolised by fire and heat. Women on the other
hand, compose of Yin chi, the cooling, receptive energy that
surrounds everything. Yin is subtle, the receiver, and
represented by flowing water. Being a man, it is your duty to
represent the essence of Yang chi. There is no time for beating
around the bush, being too shy to ask for what you want, and
being unsure of yourself. You have to be bold; it is your duty
to be bold. You are the Yang, the aggressor. If you want to know
a woman, you have to make the approach. You cant possibly wait
for her to make the approach, shes Yin. Shes the shy, receptive
one who is waiting for you to approach her. Let her be the Yin,
dont try to reverse roles and be the shy man who cant even say
Hi. Ive never heard someone say, Hah, hes such a wuss for
thinking she would even talk to him What you will usually hear
is, Wow man, youve got guts! I wish I could do that. Women are
attracted to men who can be their pillar of strength, someone
they can lean on, a shoulder to cry on; boldness is a
representation of that inner strength. You can define boldness
as the courage to act, turning your fear into strength,
accepting rejection and pain as a natural consequence for daring
to achieve your dreams. Boldness also applies to business and
life in general. The British Special Air Service (SAS) has a
famous motto: Who Dares Wins. If youve got the brains, the guts
and the tenacity, then chances are, success is yours. Listen to
what German Philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said,
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has
genius, power and magic in it.
#2 A Man Must Live with Honour Honour is a virtue of the
Gentleman. Having honour means that you commit yourself to
following a specific set of moral guidelines. People trust an
honourable persons word as a guarantee of future moral
performance. Nowadays, we sometimes use the word Integrity to
represent honour. Learning to live with honour will make you
more of a man than ten years of corporate snakes and ladders
can. Your promise must be a solemn commitment that you will keep
to, no matter what. Your word must be as good as gold, if not
better. Building an honourable reputation is no easy task. It
means total commitment to upholding your integrity and living
your life by defined moral principles. If you are successful,
your good name will spread. People will recognize you as a
trustworthy individual, whom they can count on to take care of
the largest responsibilities, and entrust with the most
confidential secrets. Taking on more responsibilities and
secrets, can raise your life to new levels of prosperity and
plenty. But be warned if you ever breach that trust by
committing just one selfish or perverse act, what could take you
a lifetime to establish, you can destroy overnight. In the
present Communication Age, good news travels fast and bad news
travels even faster. The only way to stop the bad news is to
never allow it to be created. So mind your actions because
people listen to what you say, but they watch what you do.
Place your hand over your heart and say Let my principles be my
guiding light, distilled from my highest wisdom about what is
right. Let my morals stand tall and true, let them choose what I
do. Now touch your head and say So Be It!
Make a difference today, put your foot down and be bold about
upholding your honour. Adhere to your principles. Never do
anything that would compromise your integrity and the trust
people have in you. In return for your efforts, you will create
more flow in your life; opportunities will come faster and more
abundantly. You will have the chance to live your life to its
fullest potential and splendour. So be a man of honour, your
life depends on it.
#3 A Man Must Be Magnanimous Magnanimous means to have a
generous, forgiving and noble nature. Simply put, magnanimous
people have a big heart. They are gracious and kind,
philanthropic and benevolent. A magnanimous gentleman gives
generously and expects nothing in return. He takes joy simply in
seeing those around him happy. He is an intriguing
conversationalist and tells jokes to make others laugh. A mans
magnanimity does not allow him to easily take offence at the
words and actions of others. Anything potentially offensive is
simply seen for what it truly is wind passing through the trees.
Like bamboo, he will never break, but only bend with the
direction of the wind. When you have mastered magnanimity, you
will intuitively understand that there is a Law of Increasing
Returns in the universe which states, Whatever you give out will
come back to you ten times stronger. For example, if you look
down on someone, ten more people will look down on you. If you
cheat $500 from an old woman, sometime down the road, you will
lose $5000. Likewise, if you contribute $200 out of the goodness
of your heart, $2000 will be available for you to earn back.
Perhaps through your business or in a sudden lottery windfall.
If you choose to let your greed get the better of you,
manipulate others to your benefit, and refuse to help the needy,
you can only expect poverty, hate and disappointment to head
your way. You reap what you sow; you get whatever you give out.
This is a universal law. A magnanimous man knows that helping
others does not exhaust his resources, but rather because of the
Law of Increasing Returns, it increases his resources tenfold,
allowing him to do more good for the world. He knows that in
helping others, he is also helping himself. Develop the habit of
solving other peoples problems and you become a more generative
person. You produce and contribute more than the average guy,
and thus earn more because you deliver more value to others.
Take little steps starting today, to make these characteristics
a part of your character. Help someone in need, keep a promise,
dare to speak up. Challenge yourself to become a mans man: Be
Bold, be Honourable, Be Magnanimous.