It’s been a while since I last posted, but I would like to attempt at least one post a week. Life can be overwhelming sometimes.
Today, in many of our lives we think of ourselves and constantly we compare ourselves to other men in some aspect of our lives:
“THAT guy is a better athlete than me. THAT guy would be more attractive to my wife than me. HE has more money. HE has accomplished more than me. HE is more intelligent. HE is more creative. HE has a better job. HE has more. I’M a loser. I’M inadequate. I don’t warrant a second glance from my spouse or significant other. I’M not smart enough. I CAN’T succeed.”
We, as men, have all had these thoughts. Some would peg us as having self-esteem issues. Others would say that we are self-absorbed. That might be in some cases, but ultimately we are “stuck in the mire” of our mediocre society trying to conform to some unwritten definition of success, style, sophistication, or “swagger.” Too often we are caught up in impressing someone else that we do not fulfill our own need to thrive. We feel hollow and as such, worthless, but that is not true. We all have worth, we can all find something that fulfills us, and we can succeed in almost any endeavor worthy of our pursuits.
Think of some areas where you are “deficient.” What could you do to improve in these areas? Could you have a better relationship with your spouse or significant other, your family, or your friends and co-workers? What areas, that you’ve never delved into before, would you like to explore? Perhaps you’ve never been a religious person, but you are interested? Or maybe you’ve never been in remarkable shape, but you want to achieve better physical fitness for your health. I, personally, have problems being content with where I am at in life. I am always looking at the horizon, seeking to go further, higher, and faster than I have ever gone before.
Probably some of the most rewarding and memorable relationships we will have in our lives will be those of our mentors. Mentors are special individuals. They have great influence in the lives of those that they mentor, they provide encouragement when times are gloomy, and help you find the direction you should travel. An important note about mentors is that to find an effective mentor, you should look for one with demonstrated success in the area you wish to grow in. For example, to improve my financial life, I would NOT use the advice of a broke Uncle Such-in-such. I’ll take advice all day from someone like say, Warren Buffet. Also, a mentor in one area could probably encompass several facets of your life, but they are more than likely not masters of all that they survey. Different areas of your life will require different mentors, and don’t stick with just one. Proverbs 11:14 says, “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”
One of my friends, a man named Karl, was one such mentor. He encouraged me to better myself, he believed in me, and he has positively influenced my life. Some “core” areas that he thought should be constantly improved upon are: Faith, Family, Finance, and Fitness, in that order. I think that this will be my focus in the next few posts is to touch on these topics: Religion, Relationships, Responsible Money Management, and Reclaiming your Fitness. I am trying to improve in these areas, among others, and writing about them will assist me in accomplishing them.
