Being A Better Man

When I was talking with Andrew on Knowledge for Men one of the first things he wanted to know was if I had a success quote, a mantra, an inspirational phrase that I used in my life. I did have one, and after the interview I was thinking about it and it occurred to me that I don’t think I have ever shared this phrase with you guys here on being a better man. I don’t know why I haven’t…because it is a phrase I adopted about ten years ago that pretty much changed my life. It is a phrase I say at least once a day and I usually think about it several more times each day. This simple phrase is integral in the success of my personal journey to be a better man today than I was yesterday. So, I decided now was a good time to share it with you guys. The post 075 – I Am My Deeds appeared first on 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 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. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told around campfires the world

Today’s episode is inspired by an article I read recently that was about catcalling, and how there are a faction of men who defend catcalling…as though they have some sort of right to hurl insults and sexually suggestive phrases to women on the street with whom they have no familiarity.So what is Catcalling exactly? My definition is that It is an unprovoked loud whistle, a comment, or gesture usually of a sexual nature directed toward a stranger, typically a woman who is out in public minding her own business. Hmmm…when put that way it sounds like plain old harassment doesn’t it? That’s because that’s exactly what it is. Apparently, the men who defend this indefensible behavior are unable to make the distinction between catcalling and merely talking to a stranger. They act as though if you take away their ability to catcall that they will never be able to interact with another woman…as though this is the only means in their tiny little brains they can come up with to communicate with the opposite sex. T

Todays show is a listener inspired episode from a woman in Colorado named Theryn. Yes…we do have females in the listening audience! More and more all the time from what I understand. Theryn asked a question about male role models…or heroes. Because she didn’t have any good role models growing up she used men on the TV shows she watched as her example of manhood and masculinity. Her question is in regard to what my opinion is of using fictional, cinematic figures as role models for masculinity, and if I had any growing up. The biggest thing I want everyone to take away from this episode is that every single one of you have an opportunity. Wether you had heroes or not…wether you had a good role model or not, you now have an opportunity to become someone else’ hero, you can be someone else’ role model. Because someone is always watching, and if they are watching you be a better man today than you were yesterday you have just become an example for that person wether you realize it or not. That’s how it wo

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 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. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told around campfires the world

Sure we all know…we learn in school what it was all about. But how often do Americans actually remember what we are celebrating? When you go to the fireworks show or fire up the grill and crack that beer open do you also stop to consider for just a moment how things would be if those brave men and women who were the first Americans had not done the things they did to win our independence and secure our nation? Do you share the story with your children and explain what the day is about? I think we as a country sometimes take our autonomy for granted…and it’s kind of sad. America is far from perfect. We did, and continue to do a lot of things wrong…but, we also did a lot of things right, and better than any other country ever did before…that’s pretty cool and I prefer to focus on and celebrate those things. We have the other 364 days of the year that we can gripe and grumble about the injustices and inequities and all the other things that might be wrong. But, on this day…and on the National day for eve

Well…it’s Friday. The weekend is about to start and people will be traveling to and fro to their various weekend destinations. I myself was out driving around today…and it got me to thinking about what it means to Drive Like A Man. This could be a touchy subject…I realize that. It’s amazing how many people get defensive when their driving skills are criticized, especially men. Believe it or not, for some reason a lot of guys attach their driving prowess to their masculinity. So if some of the things I say in this episode activate you emotionally…well, you’ll just have to put your big boy pants on and get over it. I often talk about the way we carry ourselves out in the world, to be mindful that we are the example of manhood for anyone who happens to be looking at us, right? Well, the same concept is true when we are driving…yet, for many people when they get in their cars they suddenly feel like they have put on a new identity, they become someone else. It’s like some people are putting on a giant sui

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 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. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told around campfires the world over are what eventually sh

Today I want to talk about something that affects each and every one of us every single day…I’m talking about time, more specifically; making time. Have you ever wished there were more hours in the day because it seems like you can’t get everything done that you need to do? Or have you ever failed to accomplish something that you needed to do…and blamed the lack of time for it? If you have, your’e not alone. Time, and the management of that time is something that every human struggles with. Some people have learned to be very good at it, while others are horrible…they have allowed themselves to become victims of time itself. I think the excuse of “there wasn’t enough time” might be the single most used excuse in humanity…we blame everything on a lack of time. But remember…here at Being A Better Man excuses do not exist. The post 067 – Making Time appeared first on Being A Better Man.

This is episode 66…and as I was thinking of what I was going to talk about today I decided it would be a good time to check in and sort of remind everyone what we are doing here. There are probably lots of new listeners that didn’t hear some of the early episodes where I spelled it all out…and for you regulars, it doesn’t hurt to re-affirm what and why you are doing something...so, what are we doing here? The post 066 – What Are We Doing Here?? appeared first on 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 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. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told around campfires the world

It's Father's Day and I've decided to talk about fatherhood itself and how that is relevant to Being A Better Man. In this episode I talk about the five categories of fathers, but more importantly I talk about what you can do with that information. Fathers have a tremendous impact on their children that cannot be overstated. Every new day is the perfect opportunity to make the decision to be a great Dad. The post 064 – Father’s Day appeared first on Being A Better Man.

This isn’t a super fun topic today, but it happens to be one that is relevant to me at the moment…because I am sick. I have some kind of chest congestion, upper respiratory infection. Like everybody, I hate being sick. I hate being taken out of my regular routine and everything you do is more difficult and uncomfortable…it sucks, plain and simple. But, there are a lot of things about life that suck that are also unavoidable; people getting sick from time to time is one of those things. So I was thinking about the inevitability of being sick occasionally and I started remembering a lot of things I’ve heard all my life. What I’m talking about specifically is remembering people...mostly women, complaining about how the men in their lives act when they are sick. Some women complain that their man acts like a huge baby when he is sick…like he’s going to die or something. Women seem to take an especially dim view of this behavior and I can’t say I really blame them, because of all the physical things they go

LOOK BEFORE YOU LEAP… 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 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. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told ar

Last weekend I had the honor and privilege of not only attending…but also officiating the wedding of two very dear friends; Matti and Betsy, they are a great couple and I am really proud of them. It was an awesome weekend, I got to see lots of other friends too…but the whole undertone of marriage got me thinking that it is something I should address here. Marriage, from a mans perspective. The post 061 – Marriage…A Mans Perspective appeared first on Being A Better Man.

Muhammad Ali… The man, the legend. This episode is being released on Friday, June 10th, 2016. Exactly one week ago today I got the news that Muhammed Ali had died. You may or may not know…but I was a boxer, and I was keenly attuned to the fighters of my day, and when I was growing up Muhammed Ali was the Heavyweight champion of the world. Hearing of his death made me feel many things. He was a piece of my life after all. He was an icon during a very influential period of my growing up. News of his death caused me to ponder my memories of this man, this legend…and as I sat there reflecting my admiration for him was rekindled and it occurred to me that I should honor his passing with an episode devoted to him. Because there are examples and lessons this man gave the world both in and out of the ring that we should all pay attention to, especially if we are committed to being better men. I never talk about sports on this show, but I’m making an exception here. If you hate boxing…just bear with me, thi

FIRST DATE… 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 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. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. In fact, I think there is nothing quite so human as the hearing and telling of stories. It’s how our ancestors conveyed critical information from one generation to the next. The stories told around camp

This is an episode I have been trying to prepare for for some time. A few weeks ago I got a suggestion from a listener who calls himself Dr. J. He suggested that I do an episode about pornography…in particular what has become the phenomena of pornography in our modern age and the ill effects it has on individuals, families and communities, and what might be done about it. I personally didn’t really know that much about it, so I had to do some research. Oh man…the more research I did the more I realized the magnitude and scope of the issue. I’ll tell you right now that it’s not something I will resolve in this episode. More likely this will be the first of several episodes about the topic because it has so many layers…and because it is something that directly affects the ability of men, to be better men, which is what this show is all about. So In this episode I’m going to share with you some of the things I have learned. Please note that I am not reporting this from any moral position. Your personal

Water going down a drain, our car starting when we turn the key, electricity, our cell phones working, our computers, etc., etc. We all take these things for granted until the second they stop working…then it becomes a big deal. Thats normal though, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that. Here’s the thing though; There are these types of things, and then there are other types of things that we should make an effort to never, ever take for granted. I’m thinking of two things in particular; One is our health, and the other is the people we know and love. The post 057 – Mind The Big Things appeared first on Being A Better Man.

A BAD IDEA! 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 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. As you listen I really want you to consider your own stories, when did you learn these lessons? Can you remember? Sometimes digging up your own past can have great benefit, especially if you are made to remember that one singular moment in time when you learned something vital. It’s almost like learning it all over again. That…is the purpose of these stories. The post 056 – A Bad Idea appeared first on Being A Better Man.