Art of Manliness: Becoming a Better Man in 2009 | The Art of Manliness
Chris
· 12 months ago
Brett, another fantastic post! You continue to cut out the crap and get right to the heart of how to continually be a better man. Keep up the great work with this site.
James Riggs
· 12 months ago
Pussy generation. That's awesome.
Brett Legree
· 12 months ago
This is the solid kick in the ass that everyone needs. Seriously.
Especially the Eastwood stuff (that guy still scares the crap out of me), I read that interview when it came out and thought, "amen".
NZR (the Plainsman)
· 12 months ago
Good work. I am a self-admitted navel gazer but I am ready to get started on changing that.
Robert Cupper
· 12 months ago
Great post, as usual. The end of the year is always my favorite time of the year to find articles on becoming a better man/person. It seems like goal setting is huge, and visualizing is even bigger (or it's just a fad). Not sure on that one yet.
But, I am obsessed with books on success and setting goals and visualizing your goals is crucial. Ask any golfer, or NFL champion if they imagined in their mind what it would be like to win it all. Oh course they did.
Using a vision board is a great tool. I found a way that you can use Mac OS Dashboard to create a vision board quickly using Safari and you can sync it to your iPhone. I created it today, and mine looks great. Thought this might help you guys.
That's a great tip for Mac users - thanks for sharing :)
(I do use a vision board, but I also "get on with it" more often than I look at it...)
Valerio
· 12 months ago
"-I don’t know if I can tell you exactly when the pussy generation started. Maybe when people started asking about the meaning of life."
Thousands of years of Philosophy shred by an idiot.
Brett Legree
· 12 months ago
@Valerio,
An idiot who did very well for himself by doing rather than thinking ;)
ced
· 12 months ago
HAPPY NEW YEARS be safe and see you all in the next year
Santa
· 12 months ago
I'm going to start referring to all these young pansies like Clint does... the "pussy generation." They deserve it.
Jay
· 12 months ago
What an inspiring post! I have but one small bit of criticism to make, and that is I think you underestimate the value of thinking and reflection in achieving goals. Thinking is important in making sure you select the *right* goals. Nothing is worse than putting Herculean effort into something that isn't actually in your best interest, or based more on ego-gratification than true self-improvement.
Of course, once you *have* decided what the right goal is, there's no excuse for continued analysis and theorizing. If I could write a guest post on this website, I would discuss what I call the "talkin' about it" phase and the "actually doin' it" phase. That is the real distinction I think people get caught up in - they spend far too much time in the "talkin' about it" phase and not nearly enough in the "actually doin' it" phase.
"Too often, the goal-directedness embodied by New Year’s resolutions is the exception in lives ruled by passively accepted forces--unexamined routine, short-range desires, or alleged duties. It is the passive approach to happiness that makes so many resolutions peter out, lost in the shuffle of life or abandoned due to lost motivation. More broadly than its impact on New Year’s resolutions, the passive approach to happiness is the reason that so many go through life without ever getting--or even knowing--what they really want
This New Year’s, resolve to think about how to make your life better, not just once a year, but every day. Resolve to set goals, not just in one or two aspects of life, but in every important aspect and in your life as a whole. Resolve to pursue the goals that will make you successful and happy, not as the exception in a life of passivity, but as the rule that becomes second-nature.
If you do this, you will be resolving to do the most important thing of all: to take your happiness seriously."
Spencer Nickson
· 12 months ago
"santa", i think it's awesome how you mentioned that you're going to call this generation the "pussy" generation. what are you going to call people who sit on their asses, reading ABOUT manliness, and then put their thoughts anonymously into "reader comments"? you might want to consider doing what real men do - keep their mouths shut, get something constructive done, and recognize that to live in a great country like this, everyone is allowed an opinion, and everyone is allowed to ignore opinions. AND that one of the pussiest things possible is to get insecure about yourself and look to someone like clint eastwood (who, by the way, gets manicures) for advice. go build something, par'dner...
Dave
· 12 months ago
I have to say, I find it hilarious when commenters try to say that reading a blog about manliness isn't very manly. Yeah, I guess guys who work out shouldn't read health blogs, scientists shouldn't read science blogs, people who are into politics shouldn't read political blogs.....riiiiiight.
It's also rather funny Spencer, that you would call someone else out for making a comment, right in the middle of your own! Like I said, hilarious....
Mike
· 12 months ago
Another excellent post Brett...
1 tip for reaching fitness goals that worked for me was to "put my money where my mouth was." This past year I couldn't seem to get my ass in shape so I signed up and paid for a triathlon and bought all the gear too. It worked! I lost 10 lbs and have continued to stay in decent shape. My goal for 2009 is to do 2 tri's.
Happy new year men!
Spencer Nickson
· 12 months ago
dave....DAVE! you got it!! you are the MANLIEST!! the irony and sacrasm was right there and you missed the whole thing. i hope 09 is better for you or you're going to have it rough. "riiiiiiiiiight"...i think my 5'1" girlfriend used to say that...
Parthiban
· 11 months ago
surely..the simple stuff that most self-development books preach..! few takers.. Great article.
Santa
· 11 months ago
Spencer Nickson, I'm not sure what you are trying to say... it sort of sounded just like a woman. But you know what they say, better to be a dick than a pussy.
Gangrene
· 11 months ago
The end of the year is always my favorite time of the year to find articles on becoming a better man/person. It seems like goal setting is huge, and visualizing is even bigger (or it’s just a fad). Not sure on that one yet.
Charlie
· 11 months ago
The pussy generation started in the 60's, when you had to be 'soft and sensitive" to get laid, and extended into the feminist movement where getting to know you femine side could get you laid. That's why it's called the pussy generation, be cause men changed their basic manliness to get laid.
Mitchel
· 11 months ago
I especially liked the part about Ben Franklin's personal quest for morality and how he broke it down into a chart to measure his progress every day. As a matter of fact I researched it more online and created my own 52 week chart of the 13 virtues that I use to highlight my daily shortcomings and give me something to work on for the next day. For 2009 I want to live with the mindset that my actions affect more than just myself and try harder to be a better man starting from the inside.
tim
· 11 months ago
Brett!
Thanks for including the link to my weekly STP worksheet. I am glad you found the resource useful and made it known to your readers. What a great MANLY site you have here. I've bookmarked it and will now be better prepared to increase my manliness.
I like how you've put the focus back on getting to it rather than sitting around and thinking about it, planning for it, and dreaming about it. Let's go...time to move on. One of my favorite quotes from Karen Lamb - "A year from now you will wish you had started today."
Blessings on a great 2009!
Jason
· 11 months ago
Another great post. Time to get things in order and accomplish my goals.
hayati
· 11 months ago
thanks very good
LJ
· 11 months ago
totally agree! I love the coined term 'pussy generation', I was actually saying same thing for some time now, but I used to call it 'weaklings generation'.
I have many good friends that are weaklings inside, they have never faced a real ordeal and they wouldn't take care of it alone, they'd expect someone else to do the job for them, whatever it'd be. I don't want to dwell on the matter too much. You get the gist I suppose.
Anyway I think that knowing (and understanding) what to do is the most important step to self-improvement. Thanks to that, any time you slip you'll be able to pull yourself back together again, and get back on the track.
All Comments
Especially the Eastwood stuff (that guy still scares the crap out of me), I read that interview when it came out and thought, "amen".
But, I am obsessed with books on success and setting goals and visualizing your goals is crucial. Ask any golfer, or NFL champion if they imagined in their mind what it would be like to win it all. Oh course they did.
Using a vision board is a great tool. I found a way that you can use Mac OS Dashboard to create a vision board quickly using Safari and you can sync it to your iPhone. I created it today, and mine looks great. Thought this might help you guys.
http://pjcomplete.com/2008/12/30/free-vision-bo...
That's a great tip for Mac users - thanks for sharing :)
(I do use a vision board, but I also "get on with it" more often than I look at it...)
Thousands of years of Philosophy shred by an idiot.
An idiot who did very well for himself by doing rather than thinking ;)
Of course, once you *have* decided what the right goal is, there's no excuse for continued analysis and theorizing. If I could write a guest post on this website, I would discuss what I call the "talkin' about it" phase and the "actually doin' it" phase. That is the real distinction I think people get caught up in - they spend far too much time in the "talkin' about it" phase and not nearly enough in the "actually doin' it" phase.
Great post overall, though!
One solid quote:
"Too often, the goal-directedness embodied by New Year’s resolutions is the exception in lives ruled by passively accepted forces--unexamined routine, short-range desires, or alleged duties. It is the passive approach to happiness that makes so many resolutions peter out, lost in the shuffle of life or abandoned due to lost motivation. More broadly than its impact on New Year’s resolutions, the passive approach to happiness is the reason that so many go through life without ever getting--or even knowing--what they really want
This New Year’s, resolve to think about how to make your life better, not just once a year, but every day. Resolve to set goals, not just in one or two aspects of life, but in every important aspect and in your life as a whole. Resolve to pursue the goals that will make you successful and happy, not as the exception in a life of passivity, but as the rule that becomes second-nature.
If you do this, you will be resolving to do the most important thing of all: to take your happiness seriously."
It's also rather funny Spencer, that you would call someone else out for making a comment, right in the middle of your own! Like I said, hilarious....
1 tip for reaching fitness goals that worked for me was to "put my money where my mouth was." This past year I couldn't seem to get my ass in shape so I signed up and paid for a triathlon and bought all the gear too. It worked! I lost 10 lbs and have continued to stay in decent shape. My goal for 2009 is to do 2 tri's.
Happy new year men!
Great article.
For 2009 I want to live with the mindset that my actions affect more than just myself and try harder to be a better man starting from the inside.
Thanks for including the link to my weekly STP worksheet. I am glad you found the resource useful and made it known to your readers. What a great MANLY site you have here. I've bookmarked it and will now be better prepared to increase my manliness.
I like how you've put the focus back on getting to it rather than sitting around and thinking about it, planning for it, and dreaming about it. Let's go...time to move on. One of my favorite quotes from Karen Lamb - "A year from now you will wish you had started today."
Blessings on a great 2009!
I love the coined term 'pussy generation', I was actually saying same thing for some time now, but I used to call it 'weaklings generation'.
I have many good friends that are weaklings inside, they have never faced a real ordeal and they wouldn't take care of it alone, they'd expect someone else to do the job for them, whatever it'd be.
I don't want to dwell on the matter too much. You get the gist I suppose.
Anyway I think that knowing (and understanding) what to do is the most important step to self-improvement. Thanks to that, any time you slip you'll be able to pull yourself back together again, and get back on the track.
That's a great site, keep up the good work!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi
I highly recommend his new one, Gran Torino, as much of it seems to be about the very subject of the "pussy generation."