18 Ways to be a Better Man
Being a man doesn’t just mean being macho. Being a better man means wanting to develop the qualities of inner strength, confidence, having moral qualities, possessing honesty and integrity and being a positive example. A better man wants to be courageous and bold, challenged and to feel a sense of contribution. Here’s our list of 18 things to help you achieve, better man status.
1. Learn to Lead
Even if you don’t necessarily want that mantle, study it so that whenever a situation needs someone to take charge, you can implement your new skill set.
2. Be Unique
Asserting your individuality in a good way can also increase your professional value and significance. In the right measure it can be an admired quality. Sometimes you need to bend or break the rules (within reason) because conformity destroys uniqueness.
3. Pay Genuine Attention
User Experience expert and consultant, Indi Young says that “attention like this is probably why we remember certain experiences in a better light”. This can happen at home or on the job. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
4. Gratitude
It takes 15 seconds to thank someone but it takes 15 years for them to forgive you when you don’t.
5. Read More
As your mind is a tool, it needs to be sharpened often. If reading bores you then try informative podcasts or interesting documentaries to watch.
6. The Power of Personal
Etiquette expert Thomas P. Farley adds, “There’s something overtly personal about a handwritten letter or note as it’s so rare these days”. It’s a small investment but you’ll stand out – always.
7. Stop Objectifying People
We do this with women especially. It’s ugly and unprofessional. Respect all human beings who deserve respect. If you can’t be respectful and appreciative, then go back to living with the dinosaurs.
8. Dress to Impress
It’s important to a person’s self-respect and composure with fashion stylist Lindsey Shores stating “that it is vital to communicating the impression of who you are and who you want to become, and ideally, it should be the first thing on your mind each morning.”
9. Stop projecting negative
A blamer is one that usually tries to gain power over a situation. Learn how you can control your own life, how to be stronger and to face life’s many challenges without playing the blame game.
10. Work out first thing every morning
There are so many ideas about when the best time to exercise is, but we’re not just talking about going to the gym. Simply roll out of bed and stretch, before launching in to some push-ups, star jumps, reverse sit-ups and pull-ups.
11. Keep your Mind Ajar
Let an open mind be your navigator. Sometimes you need to look at things differently to get the good stuff. Your mind is a superhighway and if you always travel the same route you’ll miss what else is part of the landscape.
12. Stay informed with world affairs
To live and function in this world requires you to have a breadth of knowledge about what makes the world tick. Decisions you make today could have a domino effect on what might happen globally.
13. Date your wife
Don’t simply re-enact that first meeting with your significant other but rejuvenate those first feelings of attraction. Refresh your relationship by recalling those emotions.
14. Grow a pair.
Simply put, be courageous. There are many situations we can be fearful and suppressing it only heightens it. Courage is an essential ingredient in helping us to reach new milestones. Courage can be physical or moral, but exposing yourself to that fearful situation can actually help the brain become desensitised to it.
15. Know Balance.
If there was an app for this the creators would be gazillionaires. Men have it down in theory but in practise we don’t quite have it sussed. Compartmentalise work and home and never mix them because what really matters in life, is how you react to what really matters in life.
16. Remember a person’s name
We all do it. We get introduced to someone then immediately forget their name. How impressed are you with the person who still remembers your name after one chance introduction? I bet your opinion of them just flourished.
17. Plan for the future
No-one has a crystal ball for the future. Martin Kurtz a Financial Planning expert says “When moments of ‘economic reckoning’ occur, those who feel the calmest are those who work with planners to offset risks”. Planning gives peace of mind for you and your family.
18. Become a volunteer
Overall there is a great sense of contributing to the community. Robert Segal Managing Director of Helpguide.org, “Volunteering strengthens your ties to the community and broadens your support network. It also provides mental and physical benefits. Your role as a volunteer gives a sense of pride and identity for you and your family”.