Man Rules: The Principles we Should Live By & 100+ Lessons To Teach our Sons

Planet number three continues to change, but one constant is the need for raising young men properly. We want these gentlemen to find purpose and contribute to society in a meaningful way. The days of neighborhoods collectively fostering kids seem to be numbered as we become more connected on the web than in person - so here are lessons you’d normally get in real time.. On the web.

These are man rules, still many lessons apply to the ladies, as well (I’m a father of two girls). Our experiences are more alike than unalike in this world, yet there are some specific topics that apply to the gents. 

SECTIONS:

• Carrying Yourself

• Communication

• Mindset

• Relationships

• Human Interactions

• Emotional Maturity

• Miscellaneous

• My Thoughts

If you’ve been following this blog long enough you’ll notice today’s post can be looked at as a piece that fits the puzzle started by my three pillars of success column. Whether you’re a: father, uncle, big brother, mentor, mentee, a grown man in need of guidance, a young man looking for some structure, a single mother wondering what to teach her son, or simply a bystander wanting to peek into the male psyche - here are the man rules.

Note: this is not the shortest read, I suggest you break it into parts and consistently refer back.

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How To Carry Yourself As A Man

The opinions of others shouldn’t be the stamps of approval you seek in life, but the impressions you make do alter the type of early interactions you’ll have. The way you carry yourself breeds something within, as well. Self-confidence can take you a long way. Carry yourself with dignity, be a gentleman, and spread good will:

• Hold the door. This isn’t gender specific. If the approaching party is within 5 seconds of the entrance, give the door a nice hold, elevator too.

• Say thank you. When you’re fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of a courtesy give thanks. “I appreciate it” is simple, yet effective.

• Clean and clip your fingernails. There’s a difference between looking rugged and looking dirty - unkempt nails is the latter. In addition if you try to give dap with those scissor hands you’ll start cutting palms Edward. Dap is a cross between a handshake and a high five by the way.

• Walk with your head held high. It innately exudes internal confidence and others can feel that energy, plus they get the visual effect.

• Give a good excuse me.. My bad.. Pardon me.. Something of that nature when passing closely by another, trying to squeeze through a collection of souls, when obstructing one’s vision, and so on. Manners my guy.. Manners.

• Be aware of your surroundings. This goes for safety and for being present in life. You miss a lot by being too occupied with thoughts or that communication device in your hands.

• Smell good. Or at worst neutral. Clean yourself and if you want you can add a little cologne, emphasis on the little. Too much is just as bad as skipping the shower. I shouldn’t be able to identify your “smell good” from 3 gas pumps away.

• Take care of your skin. This goes for the face on down, figure what works for you. Some universal tactics are to stay hydrated, use lotion, and exfoliate from time to time.

• See your folks to the car safely. The chances of tragedy taking place are quite low, but it’s a good gesture. The lady you're courting, moms, lil’ brother, daughter, son, pops - it’s just good will.

• Be cordial with those in positions of power. Your supervisors, your CEOs, cops, etc.. Don’t kiss ass or brown nose, but there’s a time, place, and appropriate channels to successfully challenge authority and/or achieve retribution for potential wrongdoings if they were to arise.

• No “pissing contests”. If you find yourself in a “who has the most testosterone?” Battle you already lost. You don’t need to prove you’re “more of a man” than the next guy. This goes for how you respond to the tough guy staring at you for a little too long, the dude unintentionally stepping on your shoes at the club, and all that falls in-between. Abiding by man rules is to be above such skirmishes.

• Drink responsibly. Arrange a ride, limit your intake to before you tend to get out of control, and never find yourself sloppy drunk. The only way sloppiness is allowed is when a reliable, sober friend that isn’t afraid to body slam you when he deems necessary, to keep you out of trouble, is around. When sloppy drunk you lose some of your faculties and along with that some of your control, a man rule is to always be in control.

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• Respect your elders. This is becoming a lost art, keep it alive. Ma'am and sir are good words to throw around. When an elder gets a little out of line, remain steadfast in your display of respect by removing yourself from the predicament. You’re a man with nothing to prove.

• Dictate the energy. Energy is transferable. When you enter the room you can bring it up, down, or leave it where it’s at. Regardless, dictate the energy with intention, you have that power.

• Maintain good posture when seated and when upright. Confidence is a benefit and it’s better for your back anyway.

• Be smart on social media. What you post, like, share, and comment lasts for as long as the internet lasts. Act accordingly and do nothing you wouldn’t want everyone to be privy to, for one way or another it can/will be known whether it’s near now or the distant future.

• Refrain from liking and commenting on those rear-facing bikini pics. Unless you are intimately acquainted with the lady that is. I know you and Sisqó may dance around your bedroom’s daydreaming about that thong, but single or not it won’t get you the gal. There’s only downside.. Every time I see one of my homeboys partake in this quite thirsty, desperate behavior I screenshot it and highlight the error of their ways 🤦‍♂️ - shaming works.

• Don’t follow the super popular attractive girl accounts either. Similar to the previous rule it’s a bad look. Unless you plan on shooting your shot or already know her, but if you’re going to make an attempt make the attempt. You don’t need to be the lurking follower number 6,000,001 and if you follow 1,700 accounts where their avatar highlights the glutes.. You’ll look like a creep my friend.

• Firm handshake. Nice grip, not a death grip, but enough to show presence. Grab on, give them 1-2 nice up down shakes, look them in the eye, and give a greeting. Never the scarf hand.. Ever.

• Understand a woman’s personal space. Women in general have concerns about safety whether overt or covert. Put them at ease by respecting space and boundaries, when in doubt ask.

• Don’t stare at people. This goes for the dude across the room and the fit chick on the Stairmaster, don’t make yourself look like a scumbag.

• Look folks in the eye when having a verbal exchange. Can it get awkward, in a way yes, but there are ways around the uneasiness. You can briefly break eye contact and return to the eyes, travel your eyes around by bouncing between their nose cheeks and eyes every few blinks, etc.. However you proceed, always bring it back to eye contact.. Builds trust and shows you’re sure of yourself.

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How To Communicate As A Man

How you give and receive messages isn’t focused on as intently as is deserves. We should have frequent enrollment in communication classes when growing, but there’s always time to learn. Communication is more than what you say, it’s how you say it. More than what you hear, it’s how you interpret it. It’s more than words, it's body language, context, and even tonality.

• Be direct. Say what you mean and mean what you say, don't give subliminal messages.. No hints. No beating around the bush; be direct.

• Find comfort in conversational pauses. Silence during a chat is natural. You don’t need constant noise to have a solid conversation.. Let it breathe a little.

• Put yourself in their shoes. This takes some imagination, but understanding another’s point of view is on the road of mastering the art of communication. You’ll gain insight into what can lead one to feel a particular way. Whether you agree or disagree you can find common ground with a simple: I see how you can feel that way because “x” and I agree or I disagree because of “y” - remember that.

• Sometimes, say nothing. If you can’t add to the conversation can it, put a button on it, my 3rd grade teacher used to say make a bubble. Don’t speak for the sake of speaking.

• Agree to disagree. This is another art that’s losing popularity. You can disagree without the opposing party being evil in your eyes or without having to cut all further communication with the person. Sometimes you won’t reach the same conclusions; that’s natural.

• Articulate your point. When speaking, picture yourself as the recipient of those words. If you were listening would you understand the message that was being portrayed? The ability to take the most complex topic and communicate it to someone with no knowledge of the subject is a super power you can obtain.

• Be a good listener. Practice active listening. This is where you engage the speaker at points for a couple reasons.. To let them know you’re listening with knowing nods, a few mmhmms or something reassuring, and interested body language. Then paraphrase what was said back to them to confirm you understood the meaning of their message.

• Don’t gossip. Don’t gossip and don’t talk bad about another man without that man present. Doing otherwise is less than honorable.

• Keep yourself from upspeaking. Upspeaking is when you end a sentence with a higher octave than you started with. It makes you sound unsure and isn’t pleasant on the ears.

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Develop The Right Mindset As A Man

The sky isn’t the limit; your mindset is. How far you go in any endeavor, including happiness, is about correctly and intentionally framing your thoughts. I thoroughly covered an intentional mentality on the keys to success blog. I won’t rehash any of those points, but the foundation is integrity. Here are the additional lessons:

• Understand nuance. Little in life is a or b.. Black or white. Most happenings are in the grey area. Be open to complicated possibilities and outcomes.

• Don’t compromise yourself. No amount of perceived success is worth compromising your morals and principles. If it’s not you don’t do it, but note the difference between being afraid of stepping out of your comfort zone and not partaking in an act because it is against your code of ethics.

• Be willing to change your mind when new information arrives. With added knowledge you make adjusted decisions, even with new perspectives you may pivot. Be open to those changes.. You sticking to your guns when you know deep down they can no longer fire is voluntary ignorance.

• They tie their shoes just like you. They drink water the same, breathe air in a similar fashion, and rub their tummies when they feel an ache.. Just like you. No person in a position you admire is above you, show respect, yet don’t diminish yourself as if you’re less than. This is where pride can be positive; if they can make it why not you too?

• Stay focused. You’ll rarely lose the girl chasing your dreams, but you will lose the dream chasing the girl.. And the girl too if she gets a hint of your subpar level of passion.

• If you fall, laugh. Don’t be so in your head that you lose your sense of humor. If you don’t have one, get one.

• Be decisive. Make decisions when decisions need to be made, don’t put them off, don’t lollygag.

• Outlook dictates outcome. It’s about how you look at things.. Perception is everything. Find the lesson, there’s always one lurking.

• Build your reputation by being a stand up individual. Don’t build your reputation by falling into a trend or a desperation to be first. A recent example is how prematurely ready the world was to say “RIP DMX” .. So ready that when it was falsely posted on social media that he transitioned half the population ran with it without confirming with reputable news sites. Then he actually passed the next day. You don’t always get cool points for being first, but you do get them from being exceptional.

• When courting women don’t be too aggressive, but be assertive. Be honest with your intentions, yet don’t press to where you scare the gal off. There’s a fine balance and each girl/woman differs in the way they like to be courted, so the best advice is to be keenly aware and read the tea leaves.

• Stay in your lane. What they do is for them, you can learn and even find motivation from another’s success, but there’s no time for jealousy, envy, and certainly no time to hate on their perceived success.

• Don’t follow the crowd. Unless they’re on the same page as you, which will be the case at times. Other times disallow peer pressure to sway you from what you see varies from their opinion or whatever the case.

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• Be honest. Keep it real, but not brutally honest.. That’s a childlike tactic. Be tactfully honest.

• No attempt is worse than a failed attempt. To try makes failure possible, to not makes failure assured.

• Materials can be replaced. Keep a mental note when bickering with others or when you find yourself in scenarios where you decide on how hard you want to fight for a physical possession.

• Don’t play with emotions. This goes from relationships outward. To toy with feelings is to lack integrity and integrity is the centerpiece of manhood.

• Be your authentic self. They’ll respect it and if they happen not to.. So? You can sleep well at night knowing you did it your way.

• Being a victim isn’t a badge of honor. Being a victor is. You might receive a few likes on the socials by wallowing in victimhood, but it won’t get you far.. History remembers those that overcome; not those that complain the loudest.

• Use your imagination. There’s a reason the supernatural is pushed to children. Imagination puts your mind in a place it hasn’t been. This place is where you come up with abstract ideas to enhance endgames. Imagination allows you to think outside the box.

• Bounce back. Failure is inevitable.. That doesn’t mean quit, it means bring more effort and knowledge the next time around if you really want it.

• Be realistically optimistic. This is about using your perception for the greater good. Realistic, for if you aren’t taking steps all of the positivity in the world won’t move you.

• Lose with dignity. When you lose in sports and out of sports be a good sport. Show character by taking your l with dignity and congratulating the winning party when applicable.

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How To Cultivate Relationships As A Man

Relationships can bloom from fertile ground, yet if you aren’t tending to the kinship garden the dirt will harden and so will your loved ones. The cultivation of your relationships is for romance, friendship, family, colleagues, and even friends of friends.

• Get comfortable with rejection. It’s a muscle that has to be worked and if you don’t work it you’ll be too scared to put yourself out there in the quest to find who you plan on spending your life with. When rejection surely comes don’t take offense and start the name calling, you look sloppy when you do that.. Take the l with dignity and move on.

• Find a unique approach. Chances are you’re after an attractive lady that gets hit on several times a week, so without compromising yourself be a stand out when making contact with an unfamiliar lady.

• If you invite her out, the bill is on you. Gentleman-like behavior. On that token take note if one decides to opportunistically take advantage of you with the goal of simply bleeding your pockets dry. You can tell when a person is more into your funds than your company.

• Looks may bait you, but only personality will keep you. You have to be attracted to your companion, that’s a given. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but no matter how good she looks with those Instagram filters, if her personality doesn’t match each day she’ll become less attractive to you and it won’t work out.

• Whether you agree or not, as the man you dictate the energy in the relationship. You being a person of integrity, you being a man of your word, you handling business, and being confident will bring your lady a sense of comfort and free her subconscious to be as amiable as your wildest dreams. That coin has two sides though, the reverse is undoubtedly true, as well.

• If she has a man, skedaddle. Despite how good taking another man’s girlfriend sounds on the radio it’s not an honorable move. If she has a man she’s not for you jack. Only downside comes with dabbling in other people’s relationships.. Results may vary and could lead to death, or whatever those pharmaceutical commercials say.

• Anticipate needs. You may not always be able to stay ahead of your partner’s wants and desires, but if you keep your ear to the ground you’ll be able to anticipate her needs just like tom brady can read a defense before the play starts.

• Set boundaries. This falls in line with not compromising yourself. You have boundaries, let those be known in the beginning of any relationship or potential relationship, especially romantic.. It’ll facilitate your happiness and in turn theirs since you won’t have bubbling resentment.

• Give her your phone number. This was one of my best moves as a single lad. I’m out of the dating pool, but it works. Don’t ask for the number when you approach, give her yours. For one it prevents you from doing the whole “when should i call?” Mental exercise and two when/if she makes contact you know there’s some interest. I gave my wife my phone number, for the record.

• No dirty macking. I feel filthy even saying the term it’s so bad. I know it’s not the most popular of phrases so you’re probably wondering “what the heck is dirty macking”. The definition of the dirty mack is to sully the reputation of another gent a certain gal may have an eye for, with hopes that it’ll raise your chances of getting with said gal. “He can’t really dress”, “I heard he’s a cheater”, “I saw him talking to this other girl”. You walk by both of them and yell out, “I would’ve made her my girlfriend already!”.. Tisk, tisk, just a few examples of the less than manly dirty mack, it gets deeper. Refrain from this tactic, it’s low-ball, far from stand up guy behavior, and ultimately makes you appear less confident. Preserve your honor at all times and if you win the girl do it on your own merit, not by standing on another man’s back.

• Real game is no game. Hold off on ever swooning a gal with false pretenses. For one you can only fake for so long. Two each day it’ll be harder and harder to look at yourself in the mirror. Three you may not really be compatible.. That’s just a waste of time - be you.

• Be faithful or be single. Integrity is to honor your commitment. If you’re not ready to be in a monogamous relationship, don’t enter one where your loyalty is expected. If you’re in one and your struggles to be a one woman man are greater than your will power: end it or have that honest conversation with your partner.

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• Protect loved ones. We’re still visceral creatures and you are a protector. Ensure you secure the family.

• Tell your folks when they are wrong. Part of being close is being able to have tough talks. They’re an extension of you, so when they’re out of line you should let them know, as they should you. You don’t want to be and don’t want to surround yourself with yes men and women. Make one another sharper by holding one another accountable.

• If she’s intoxicated avoid intimacy. The less you know her the stronger this statement becomes. Yes, there are legal ramifications, but even more so it’s against the principles of being a stand up gent. If her decision making ability is compromised you don’t want deciding for her in the slightest on your to-do list, it’s sit down behavior.. It’s taking advantage. Keep your pants pulled up until you get full consent on a sober day my friend, no matter how bad she may seem to want you.

• Be honest in relationships. Casual relationships too, let your intentions be known. This falls in line with not toying with emotions.

• There’s no reward for having a long list of sexual partners. You can start popping out kids before you’re ready and then the higher likelihood of infection or worse. I spent a lot of time avoiding this rule in my youth, in turn a lot of time was wasted; avoid that route.

• Perfect your.. Craft. Pay attention to detail in life and in the bedroom, if you follow the subtle cues you’ll be fine. It’s physical, but emotional so relax and your calm/appropriately deliberate energy will enhance the collective experience. Keep in mind the interaction begins well before you close those bedroom doors. Wink wink time starts hours and days before the official show. Women’s bodies differ from ours, their build up and possible decline begins way beforehand.

• Use condoms unless ready to procreate. Whether she says she’s on birth control or not my g. You didn’t see her use the contraceptive each time, so you have no way to confirm. Take matters into your own hands and if you’re a lady reading this you do the same; take control for your sake.

• Put yourself on child support. Hard, but necessary topic. Life isn’t always sunshine and with the best intentions things sometimes fall apart, that thing could leave you with a broken family. In the event your family parts, you never marry the mother of your child, or anything of the nature that has you with a kid without custody or a marriage license; put yourself on child support. This gives you legal visitation rights, so regardless of how you or the mother feels you have set dates to see the young ones because..

• You aren’t fulfilling your duty as a man if you don’t take care of your kids. Nothing further your honor.

• If your friend wants the girl, let him go after her. Don’t risk a friendship over a girl you don’t even have a connection with, but..

• If you connect with a girl your friend fancies, be forthright. Save the friendship.

• Refuse to be a play thing. Say no to being emotionally manipulated. If they come to you hot one day.. Cold the next and continuously bounce from in to out of your life - it’s likely manipulation my guy. Have a certain standard for yourself to where you’ll put your foot down and demand consistency or you’ll chunk the deuce.

• Want, but never need. You should desire your partner, strongly. It should never cross from a want into a need. Needing someone is a crutch, it’s unhealthy, and it’s not exactly love.. It’s comfort like a pacifier. You wanting a person’s companionship when you know how to be just fine alone is the biggest compliment. You needing a mate is your fear of being without a partner.

• No such thing as out of your league. Any lady can be had if you’re in tune with yourself and unabashedly taking care of business. Again.. Be comfortable with rejection, but there is no impossible.

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How To Optimize Human Interactions As A Man

There’s a phrase you may be familiar with: treat others how you want to be treated. You know it for a reason, not only does it apply in that you receive immediately positive feedback - it’s good juju. You’ll mix with people in wildly varying scenarios here’s how to navigate:

• Be able to work within a team. Sometimes you have to play a role, to do only what’s necessary for success. You won’t always be needed to run the whole show. Knowing what position is best for you to accomplish a particular task at a particular time is a necessary skill.

• Optimize conflict resolution. Your confidence should drop you off at “I have nothing to prove” Blvd. There lives walking away from fights and avoiding pissing contests as mentioned before. There may come a time where you aren’t able to avoid a physical confrontation and walking away is removed from the table - in that case..

• Be able to defend yourself. Learn how to handle yourself when in physical duress. You don’t have to turn into money Mayweather, but you need to have the know how to at minimum do enough damage, or damage prevention, to get out of harm’s way.

• Never jump. To jump somebody is for one or more people to physically assault a single person. Don’t jump people, it avoids integrity and isn’t a stand up activity. If your friend finds himself in a one on one brawl, let it be.. If your friend is on the losing end of a pounding, break it up, but don’t come in swinging.

• Learn how to speak to a crowd. By crowd I’m naming a group of 3 or more. Public speaking scares many, but with this skill you’ll separate yourself while obtaining a sense of competence. Try an improv class or mock presentations in your living room.

• Respect everyone. Show each person a default level of respect. When they display they aren’t deserving of that baseline respect you kindly presented, remove yourself from the situation.

• Pass along knowledge. When you have a few life jewels you have a duty to put them on the necks of others. You make the world a better place by mentoring.

• Pick your battles. On a scale of 1-10 you can’t ignore a 10 and many 5s should be addressed, but you can’t address them all. You run the risk of becoming a broken record.. Lecture after lecture.. Complaint after complaint. Choose wisely or you’ll lose the audience’s attention. Still the boundaries you set are to always be addressed when crossed, no compromises there.

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• How to react to being hit by a woman. Get out of there with swiftness.. No good can come from a physical confrontation with a lady. The best you can do is brace yourself and escape. Worst case hold her down, then escape, but barring a life or death predicament you need to be backing out of that driveway.

• Don’t hit a woman for Pete’s sake. It’s corny, it’s soft, it’s rinky dink behavior.

• Never bully. If you’re confident and in tune with yourself bullying won’t even cross your mind. You aren’t to tear another down, it won’t build you up and the crowd it pleases is a less than principled crowd. When a crowd lacks ethics they’ll eventually turn on you too.

• Be aware of those being bullied. Stand up for them when applicable. You don’t have to become best good friends, but be amicable. Give them the friendly head nod and make small talk here and there. People go through a lot.. As a person of principle you help make the unwelcome feel welcomed.

• Avoid using people unless they’re voluntarily in on it. This falls in line with being honest about your intentions.

• Stay alert to when you’re being used. Decide if it’s okay with you or not. If someone is attempting to use you, you have some value, but it’s on you if you’re kosher with the usage.

• Assess people based on their actions more than words. Grammar is cute, I love language. Language is worth about as much as usher bucks without the results that were implied. When the words and deeds tend to not add up, make mental notes.

• Brown nosing doesn’t work. It’s see through and turns your peers off. You won’t capture long-term success via ass-kissing.. This goes for social settings, career, and romance. A woman won’t respect you, but for so long if you keep agreeing just to agree.

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How To Establish Emotional Maturity As A Man

We all grow, yet we all don’t grow out of less than beneficial habits. Particularly those involving internal stress and conflict. The earlier you get a grip on your emotions the better version of a man you become:

• Control your temper. Testosterone’s flowing in your veins, you may feel macho and maybe you are, but true machismo is controlling your emotions. Part of mastering manhood is keeping your temper in check. Being a hothead will get you nowhere fast. I lost a scholarship being a hothead. Find ways to cool off.

• Evaluate your feelings. They are not always right or wrong. Take a mental note of the emotional impulse and objectively evaluate its legitimacy.

• Take a joke. You’ll get roasted sometimes and sometimes it’ll be hilarious.. Laugh. Be able to laugh at yourself, you don’t have to take yourself too seriously. When the poking is done with the intent to get under your skin, laugh even harder. A man rule is to be unfazed by harmless verbal attempts.

• Apologize. And do it adequately. When you’re wrong, admit it: “I apologize, I was out of line when I x, y, and z.” Say what your mishap was, ensure a my bad, I apologize, I’m sorry or something is in there, and avoid making the same mistake twice.

• Look within. With any issue, quarrel, problem, or conflict, first look inward. “what could I have done better?” Is what you ask before pointing a finger. You can more readily change your behavior, before someone else’s. Check yourself.

• No holding of grudges. Address the situation, come to a resolution, which may be to agree to disagree, and move on.

• If you forgive, then forgive. If you accept an apology and extend forgiveness don’t continue to relive the past, it’s immature. If you can’t let go you have to consider ending that relationship.

• If someone forgives you, give them time. However if weeks and months go by and they keep holding you to the mistake, understand that your mistake may have permanently broken something, but you don’t have to stay around to suffer.

• When problems occur, address them immediately. Don’t let the unsolved fester, the earlier you get it out in front the earlier you can gain clarity and move along.

• Heal your darkest wounds. There may always be a scar, but your life will improve when you do. We aren’t defined by our deepest pain, yet our definition can stem from how we react. Find peace in whatever it is for you: bad breakups, miscarriages, dad wasn’t around, lost someone close, etc.. If you don’t heal you’ll harm yourself and others emotionally.

• Develop emotional IQ. Be aware of how others close to you feel in certain situations, so you can react and act accordingly. Particularly important when raising your own kids and with your partner.

• No permanent decisions on temporary emotion. Any decision that’ll produce long-term impact shouldn’t be made on a whim. Think it over and give it some time.. When those bubbling emotions subside and you still want to go through with the plan, make it happen.

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Miscellaneous Lessons

The brainstorming/outlining process brought a flood of ideas - I put them down and many fell in specific categories. These didn’t quite fit a theme, but I’d be stingy if I didn’t include them:

• Keep your socks together. Once they divorce it’s over, can’t rekindle that relationship. Have to buy a whole new pair.

• Check your oil. Car maintenance keeps you from digging into your checking account more often than you’d like to.

• Powder the boys down south. Namely when you plan on getting sweaty, jock itch is real.. Corn starch powder is prevention.

• Air dry your gym clothes before you put them in the hamper. Clothes won’t dry in the hamper home slice and you’ll create mildew, then your $50 Nike tank will retain a smell that would keep goodwill from accepting the donation.

• Learn how to change a tire. Yes you may have insurance, but even the advertisements tell you cell towers don’t cover the whole land.

• Change your fire detector alarm.. Please.. I don’t want to hear your beeps and you shouldn’t either.

• Maintain a rainy day fund. Shit happens, put a little aside at a time until you have a stash of cash you can pull from when the aforementioned shit occurs.

• Pay your bills on time. Credit matters and you may think it’s no big deal, especially while young, but it is buddy ol’ pal. You’ll be aggravated with yourself later otherwise.

• Don’t bite off more financially than you can chew. It’s a good practice to bet on yourself when you have something in the works, yes, but within reason. Exercise a financial surplus, your spending should not outpace your earning.

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• Lift the toilet seat. I’m tired of toilet seats at the gym looking like a Pittsburgh Steelers’ away jersey. Lift the seat, aim your portal to life, and hit flush.

• Use your left hand. Or right if you’re left handed. Utilizing different sides of your body works different parts of your brain, but also gives you a sense of coordination on the off-side.

• Read. Being able to take in and comprehend information is high on the needed life skill list. It’s also an underreported idea-inducer.

• Take news organizations with a grain of salt. The news is a for-profit business, so their goal is clicks and eyeballs.. Refer to this fact when checking your breaking alerts, the full truth may not always be there. Do some digging before you form an opinion.

• Never start a car fight. They cut you off? Give a light honk to let them know, maybe it’ll increase their future awareness, but don’t take it personally. Don’t speed up next to the fellow engine runner, so you can throw up the long finger - emotional maturity.

• Keep your toilet clean. A quick way to have your number blocked by that lady you’re courting is for her to come in to a toilet that looks like it just returned from a mudding adventure.

• Vote your best interest. But don’t fall in love with a politician. Your attachment should be far from emotional, you can hope they make the moves you want to be made, yet when the boil is done.. It’ll always be about what you can make happen for yourself in this life. And if you and your friend disagree about politics.. So?

• Use mints and mouthwash. You hate talking to one with bad breath right? Others hate it too.

• Straighten your room and vacuum your car. Order provides a mental playground and along with comes a boost in your imagination.. I don’t want to exaggerate, but being somewhat organized will essentially make you more money. Clutter clutters the mind, a free mind has wiggle room to create, creativity breeds money making opportunities.. Clean the car my g.

• Going bald. If your hairline starts to recede.. Let it go my guy. I took it all off at about 25, so I know the feeling, but believe me when I say that comb over or that patchwork you have going is a lot less appealing than rocking the baldy.

• If it’s hot take a hand towel. This is big in the south, that sun shows no mercy and you don’t want to walk around looking like the bottle in a coke commercial.

• Harden your knuckles. Hopefully not, but there may come a time you’re forced to punch somebody in the face. I will now alert you, it hurts. Hit the heavy bag, floor, counters, etc. With a little intensity now and again, then over time your knuckles will be able to take a some punishment.

• Strengthen your chin. In the same vein as the previous tip there may come a time where you get your chin tested. Being punched in the jaw or anywhere on the face is no fun. It’s even less fun if one blow takes you down. Do chin strengthening exercises to raise your chances of surviving a hook to the chatterbox, so you can defend yourself.

• Don’t believe everything you hear in a song. Music sounds good and you can listen all day into the night, but that doesn’t mean what’s going in your ear is fact or a sensible what to think and/or live.

PLANS

Honorable Mention:

• Keep a slow jams music playlist.

• Put the tv remote and the car keys in the same spot.

• Get a strong case for your phone.

• Use fabric softener on workout clothes.

• Wash your bed sheets.

• Keep the avocado in the fridge.

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My Thoughts

I have to reiterate the importance of striving for greatness on your path in life and happiness. More lessons to teach and abide by live on habits of successful people.

Material things come and go, but what is constant is that shell housing your soul. Take care of it, you only get one:

• Maintain testosterone

• Manage stress

• Lift weights and do cardio

• Get annual check ups with the doc

• Drink water

• Get your sleep

• Spend time outdoors

• Buy grocery

• Keep bad food out of the house

These rules are your guide to be a good dude. Yes you’ll slip and I can’t say I always follow each rule to a t, but even putting this together reminded me of some areas I’ve started to slack.

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So, It’s About That Time

Life comes around once, you don’t get redos so you won’t travel through it unscathed. Mistakes are part of the dialogue, but when you navigate the timeline with integrity and a code of ethics you’ll get it right a lot more than you get it wrong. Be an asset to the world and pass these man rules along. When others get better you get better too. Be a stand up guy, put those muscles to use, and as always Be Great.

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