Archives for posts with tag: mindset
“Never let all the things you want make you forget about all the things you have.”
– everydaylifelessons.com
Be the man. Be the calm in the storm.
Be the man in an emergency.
Every single one of us has bad days. No matter how stoic we are, we all have to deal with bills, traffic, flat tires, leaky pipes and a whole list of miscellaneous things that pop up and make you want to pull your hair out. It’s called life.
I clench my teeth and drop my head back against my headrest more times than I can count throughout the week. But my role at work does not allow me to lose my cool and scream at the top of my lungs to blow off steam. It’s the sign of a mature man to keep his cool and handle the situation. Nothing gets fixed when you lose it. The coolest most in control men stop, breath, and work the problem.
But being a man brings on even more responsibility. You’ll find yourself surrounded by friends, girlfriends, wives, kids and everyone else who is stressing because of the situation at hand. And it’s easy to see that screaming, crying, and worrying about every “what if” isn’t going to help anything. This is when you really have to “man up”. I’ve found that in stressful situations, the mob mentality spreads fast. So, take the leadership role and stay calm and start to work with what you have. The tires flat – punching your steering wheel won’t fix it. Your son didn’t get to play as much in his sports league as you wanted – making a scene and cussing out the coach won’t make you the father of the year. Be a man and stay calm.
I’ll be the first to admit, when I’m solo and something like a flat tire happens unexpectedly… I allow myself a moment to grab the steering wheel and grrrrrrrr!!! But then you have to breath and analyze your options and work through the problem at hand. But that’s when I’m alone. When you’re a guy, and your loved ones are around, or anyone who is counting on you to be the leader in the situation, the grrrrrr goes out the window.
No matter what the outcome, whether you can rectify the whole situation or not, you become the lead guy by keeping your cool and not losing your head. And if you do fix the issue, you become the coolest most level headed hero on everyone’s eyes.
So aim at being the hero instead of a screaming hot-headed lunatic. Your man-factor will grow by leaps and bounds.
“Weak men wait for opportunities; great men make them.” — Orison Swett Marden
Throughout the day I see people in real life and on the news making some very bad decisions .. I like to refer to them as short sighted decisions. But in reality it comes down to just being immature – so immature decisions if you prefer that.
See, here is how I get there: children act without thinking. They only know instant gratification. When they don’t get it, they scream, cry, and throw tantrums. They don’t think about the consequences or possible ramifications of their actions. It’s up to their parents to “teach” them that they can’t always have it their way. They are also teaching them patience, and problem solving skills.
BUT, not everyone gets these lessons apparently. We see people getting in fist fights over parking spots, walking away from fights only to return with a gun, or lashing out and striking someone. Sadly these aren’t even the worst reactions and short term decisions.
People lose their job and come back to shoot up their former office. In my town we recently had a man essentially kill two people (both who had families) over a $2500.00 lawsuit. He ended committing suicide as the police searched for him. What a sad outcome all around.
These short term decisions come to mind because these people don’t think about their actions. Lives ruined, people sent to prison all over things that can be so temporary, things that can be worked through or walked away from without the chaos.
Part of being a true man is being able to control your actions. You have to be able to see the big picture and think before you act. You have to realize the wave of consequences that come with your actions.
Remember children throw tantrums. Men are able to step back, take a breath, and choose their battles wisely.
Can you make big pictures decisions ?
“A shark can never give up, the moment it stops swimming it drowns
. Maybe that’s why it’s the most feared creature if the sea”
– everyday life lessons
Recommended book: The Shark and the Goldfish by Jon Gordon
“We [Navy SEALS] tried to never fall in love with a plan because that breeds complacency”
“One of the key lessons learned early on in a SEALS career was the ability to be comfortable being uncomfortable”
– Mark Owens in “No Easy Day”
“Every man dies, not every man truly lives” – braveheart
GrowingUpGuy 