Being A Better Man

Story Time With Alf is here…Every Wednesday I regal you with a story from somewhere in my unusual and interesting life. It could be funny, sad, serious or disturbing, the important thing though is that every story has a lesson. Even though these are my stories, you can apply these lessons to your own life, or perhaps they will remind you of your own similar story and the lessons you learned from it. Either way, you should be entertained. Todays story described a pivotal moment in every persons life. The post 035 – The Power Of Life And Death appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Today we have a compelling story, told by the man who lived it. It is a story of addiction, followed by the victory of sobriety. My guest, Victor Yocco has become a better man. Since his sobriety two years ago he has accomplished many things; he has written a book, had a baby, written many articles, spoke at international conferences and much more. But perhaps the greatest thing he has done is simply to maintain his sobriety. Being sober, or getting sober and staying that way is no simple feat. Alcohol will dissolve many things...among them are families, careers, and lives. Today Victor shares his insights with us as someone who has gone through it, and lived to tell about it. The post 034 – Being Sober, Like A man appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Everything we do as a man is important, everything has meaning…everything we do or say conveys something about us to someone else, or to ourself, but it’s all important. Even the little things, like shaking hands. I’m not talking about the bro handshake you use in more casual settings, I’m talking about the traditional style hand shake. I have shaken guys hands and it was literally like shaking the hand of a corpse…I got nothing! Zero grip whatsoever.I just don’t know what to make of that when it happens…to me it conveys an absolute disinterest in life itself when someone shakes hands that way. The truth is though…they probably just don’t know it matters, because no one ever told them. But I’m telling you right now. The post 033 – Shake Hands…Like A MAN appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Submitted for your perusal; A Horrible Surprise. Story Time With Alf is here...Every Wednesday I regal you with a story from somewhere in my unusual life. It could be funny, sad, serious or disturbing, the important thing though is that every story has a lesson. Even though these are my stories, you can apply these lessons to your own life, or perhaps they will remind you of your own similar story and the lessons you learned from it. Either way, you should be entertained. The post 032 – A Horrible Suprise appeared first on Being A Better Man.

What does it mean to be a man? The shortest, most concise answer is this; a man is an example. What kind of example is obviously up to the man himself, but every man is a living, breathing example to someone. Your children, your friends, your co-workers, people on the street you don’t even know…someone is always watching you and in that moment you are the example of what manhood is. Even when you are alone, you are watching you. When thought of this way it becomes obvious what else being a man is; being a man is a responsibility. Obviously manhood is much more complex and we will continue to explore that further as the podcast evolves, but if I had to squeeze manhood into two words they would be ‘example’ and ‘responsibility’. At the core, that is what it means to be a man. So if you ever find yourself wondering why you bother to be a better man today than you were yesterday…this is why; because everything you do, every word you speak is being watched by someone, and you are being an example. As suc

Today’s episode was inspired by a letter from a listener…feedback, like I was just talking about. His name is John, John is from Canada. In my interpretation of John’s question, it sounds like he is asking about people who seem to be locked in a paradigm, a paradigm of complacency, a pattern of life that does not include improvement, challenge, or risk, in fact these people would tend to avoid change. These people seem content just going along with the status quo day after day after day. The post 030 – Complacency…It’s Not Manly. appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Every Wednesday I depart from the regular format and tell a story from my strange and interesting life. These aren't just stories for the sake of telling a story...on the contrary, they are relevant to our mission here at Being A Better Man. Some stories may be sad, others funny, some may even be disturbing, but all the stories have some nugget or morsel of wisdom, a lesson that you might be able to apply to your own life. Or, it might remind you of your own story in which valuable lessons were learned. Stories are the means by which our species has conveyed wisdom from one generation to the next down through the ages. It's no different today...all you need is someone to tell the story (me) and someone to hear the story (you). This week is a story that had a particular impact on my life. The post 029 – The Almost Perfect Day appeared first on Being A Better Man.

In this episode we talk specifically about conflict that occurs most often; the conflict between you and people you know best, your friends, family and co-workers. Most personal conflict occurs between people who know each other fairly well, like family, friends, co-workers. The very people we really do not want to have a problem with right? But, by virtue of our proximity to these people…those are the very ones that we wind up getting into it with, and it is our obligation…our duty as a man, in my opinion, to handle it well. Most often, in my experience, these types of conflicts arise over fundamental disagreements about sensitive issues like politics, sex, religion, money, or how to raise children. In this episode I make a confession...and I also provide you with a direction and a reason to handle this type of conflict. It isn't always easy, but it is possible to handle conflict like a man. The post 028 – Handling Conflict Like A Man appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Don't worry...this episode is not about making fun of the way people walk. In fact it's not about the mechanics of walking at all, rather it is about the energy we walk with. It's about doing everything including walking with mindfulness...being mindful of your purpose, your destination, walking like you have somewhere to go. The post 027 – Walk Like A MAN appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Every Wednesday we depart from the regular format and we have Story Time. This is where I tell a story from my strange and interesting life, it could be funny, sad, serious, or even disturbing. Afterwards I talk about the moral of the story…the lesson learned that pertains to being a better man. The message is always consistent here regardless of what episode you listen to; be a better man today, than you were yesterday. The post 026 – Naughty Bird appeared first on Being A Better Man.

I will talk about the history of hospitality, why it is helpful for all parties involved, and I will introduce a different idea about it. I will also give you examples of how I use it in my life. There is more involved than just being nice and asking people if they want something to drink. It is a habit, a habit that could improve your life and make you a better man in the process. The post 025 – Hospitality is Manly! appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Today I am going to talk about something that will pave the way for some future topics; Its really important that you start thinking about this first. I’m talking about making eye contact. You might be wondering what making eye contact has to do with Being A Better Man…I’m going to tell you. Eye contact is one of those primal, subconscious things that we react to from deep in our brain stem. It is a non-verbal form of communication that instills an immediate connection. I guarantee that the most successful men in their careers, relationships, and social life all have mastered the effective use of eye contact. But it’s a skill like anything else that needs to be practiced, developed, and improved over time. The post 024 – Importance of Eye Contact appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Every Wednesday we depart from the regular format and we have Story Time. Today's story is a little different, because instead of telling a story that happened a long time ago...this one is recent, it happened just the other day. This is where I tell a story from my strange and interesting life, it could be funny, sad, serious, or even disturbing. Afterwards I talk about the moral of the story…the lesson learned that pertains to being a better man. The message is always consistent here regardless of what episode you listen to; be a better man today, than you were yesterday. It is my hope the story leaves you entertained…but the real important part of today’s episode is the moral of the story. As always, I steer it back around to extract what we can from these stories to use in our every day lives., as we go about the mission of being a better man today, than we were yesterday. The post 023 – The Long Day appeared first on Being A Better Man.

So, the kind of anger I want to talk about today specifically is something a lot of guys struggle with. This is actually a listener inspired episode, A man by the name of Scott wrote me and suggested it. In his letter Scott shared that he has an anger problem that has been identified, and now he is determined to get it under control so that the other people in his life can be happier people. Scott is Being A Better Man. Anger is one of those useful emotions like fear, it can save your life in the right situation, anger is the “Fight” part of the instinctive fight or flight response while fear is the “flight” part. But…like fear, when it is out of control it can also wreck your life, and the lives of those around you. For that matter when any emotion is unchecked and out of control it will cause problems…but anger in particular. The post 022 – Controlling Your Anger appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Today we have another Listener inspired episode. This question comes from a man by the name of Elliot, he didn’t say where he was from but he asks a contemporary question. Elliot writes: “I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on “Neomasculinity”. OK, what is Elliot talking about and why have I decided to spend any time on this? Well, recently there has been a movement rising up that is using this term Neomasculinity, there is an entire doctrine and philosophy around it, and if you aren’t careful.…you could get sucked into it. So, I thought I would talk about it so that if you encounter something like this you will know what to watch out for and be able to make up your own mind. The post 021 – NEOMASCULINITY…what the???? appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Today's offering, is a tale I call Severed Parts. Every Wednesday we depart from the regular format and we have Story Time. This is where I tell a story from my strange and interesting life, it could be funny, sad, serious, or even disturbing. Afterwards I talk about the moral of the story…the lesson learned that pertains to being a better man. The message is always consistent here regardless of what episode you listen to; be a better man today, than you were yesterday. It is my hope the story leaves you entertained...but the real important part of today's episode is the moral of the story. As always, I steer it back around to extract what we can from these stories to use in our every day lives., as we go about the mission of being a better man today, than we were yesterday. The post 020 – Severed Parts appeared first on Being A Better Man.

The concept of legacy can be a powerful tool in your life as a man. Imagine…if everything you said and did, you did so with the concept of legacy in mind. It might affect your behaviors in ways you have not even imagined. For example, I go through each day conscious of the fact that my ancestors are watching me…I want to make them proud of the things I do. Likewise, everything I do is also done thinking about how it might affect my descendants …the people who aren’t even born yet. It might sound like a lot of pressure if you have never thought of it that way before…but it doesn’t feel like pressure to me…it feels like an honor, and it makes me remember to be a better man today, than I was yesterday. So remember guys….everything you do is affecting your personal legacy one way or another…wether you realize it or not, you may as well live with some intention, where legacy is concerned. The post 019 – LEGACY, with Guest H. Guthrie Chamberlain appeared first on Being A Better Man.

In this episode I am answering the following listener question: Peter writes: “I’d like to hear more about practical steps a man can take to be a man - specifically, what routines and hobbies a man has, and makes a conscious effort to continue, in order to better himself. Perhaps you can also help listeners such as myself to have a better understanding of how to start some of these routines and hobbies.” OK, so in this episode we are talking about routines; what they are, why they are important, and hobbies, and why they are important. We are also talking about how to get started on them. Thank you Peter for your question. I look forward to doing more listener inspired shows in the future. There are a couple already on-deck, but there is room for plenty more. The post 018 – Manly Routines and Hobbies. appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Every Wednesday we depart from the regular format and we have Story Time. This is where I tell a story from my strange and interesting life, it could be funny, sad, serious, or even disturbing. Afterwards I talk about the moral of the story…the lesson learned that pertains to being a better man. The message is always consistent here regardless of what episode you listen to; be a better man today, than you were yesterday. Todays story, Hell Week, is about an extremely formative period of time in everyones life…the first week of school. As in other areas of life my first week of school is probably not normal. AS ALWAYS THOUGH…THERE IS A MORAL TO THE STORY THAT TIES EVERYTHING BACK TO THE MESSAGE…BE A BETTER MAN TODAY, THAN YOU WERE YESTERDAY. The post 017 – Hell Week appeared first on Being A Better Man.

In today’s episode we are going to talk about having resolve…to make a resolution, which is something we MUST do if we decide to be a better man today than we were yesterday.…we have to resolve to do so, we have to make the decision or resolution before we can implement it. Today’s guest in my opinion is the epitome of resolution. He is an IT guy from Michigan, a husband and a father. He has been a successful blogger since 2002, but what he has began most recently is what got my attention. What he has done is start a podcast. Not just any podcast, his podcast is the physical manifestation of the resolution he made, and continues to make every day. His podcast is called “The Fat Father Chronicles”. The post 016 – The necessity of RESOLUTION appeared first on Being A Better Man.