The Discipline of Manliness

How is it that we become men who are exceptional? In this episode I talk about how it's not the results that make us exceptional, but doing things everyday that are the exception rather than the norm.

In this episode, I interview Brant Hansen. Brant Hansen is an author, nationally syndicated radio host, and advocate for healing children through CURE International. His first book, Unoffendable, has prompted a national discussion on the idea of forgiveness, and our culture’s embrace of self-righteous anger. His second book, both provocative and very personal, is Blessed are the Misfits: Great News for Those Who Are Introverts, Spiritual Strugglers, or Just Feel Like They’re Missing Something. In this book, Hansen addresses his own, and many others’, inability to “feel God’s presence”, and how God might Himself feel about that. He has written for CNN.com, The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Relevant, and numerous other outlets on matters as varied as public policy, culture, sports, Asperger’s Syndrome, and faith. He’s been a game inventor, fronted a modern rock band, and still dabbles in singing and songwriting. He has been married for 30 years to Carolyn, and they have two grown children. He’s also the author of The Men We Need, and most recently The Young Men We Need. We talk extensively about his book The Men We Need in this episode along with topics from Unoffendable. Check out more of Brant's work at www.branthansen.com and be sure to check out The Brant and Sherri Oddcast.

Men are designed to be a support for our wives, families and sphere of influence. Today we're looking at four ways to strengthen your wall.

In this episode we explore the three aspects of humans: body, soul, and spirit. We discuss how these are three distinct aspects, what each of them entail, how the soul and spirit are different, and ultimately why it matters for us as men.

In this episode we talk about the value of investing in yourself. We specifically talk about the value of hiring a coach for the specific aspects of your life where you're trying to achieve growth. Tune in for this episode and learn about the value of getting a coach in your life and the value of who, not how!

In this episode, I interview Steve Osterholzer. Steve is a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel whose the founder and director of the Christian non-profit called, 'Of Mountains & Men.' Their mission is to help guide teens into Christian manhood through a combination of wilderness adventures and biblically based discussions about manhood. Join me in this episode to learn about the work Steve is doing in young mens' lives, and how you can support this organization!

Our phones are meant to be a tool that we use to be more productive, solve problems, or stay connected with friends and family. But, these tools are becoming more and more of a nuisance than a help. In many cases, smartphone use is leading to sleep problems, depression, loneliness, increased stress and anxiety, impaired focus, and self-absorption. In this episode we’ll cover how to rid yourself of digital distraction and how to master this tool instead of allowing it to master you.

I share my takeaway from conversation with a friend where he shared with me the concept that we don't always see things the way they are, but the way we are. Join me in this episode as I share my takeaways from our conversation, and how we should accurately look at things in our life!

In this episode I explain the benefits of cold exposure therapy, or cold plunges. Over the last 90 days, I've been doing cold plunges daily, and I review my experiences, what I used, and how it went. I also review 6 benefits of cold exposure therapy and what I noticed in each from my own personal experience.

This episode is a follow up to last week's where we talk about Becoming the Man in the Arena. Here we discuss how we respond to success and failure once we've gotten into the arena. Join me in this episode as I share my thoughts on what we do when we win and what action steps we take when we fail.

Many of us have heard of Teddy Roosevelt's speech, The Man in the Arena. In this episode I want to dive into the importance of becoming the man in the arena; not so we can be the best or build up our ego, but so we can be refined by the effort and the competition.

In this episode, I discuss the concept found in John 15:5 where Jesus tells his disciples, "...without me, you can do nothing." We can do nothing without God enabling us to do it, and in this episode I remind all of us, myself first of all, that we can do nothing without God. We can work like it all depends on us, but we trust, live and believe like it all depends on God.... because it does!

It’s never that hard for us to figure out what we want to have. We want to have a nicer house, or a better car or truck. We want to have a family. We want to have a bigger paycheck. We want to have a better physique! We can all identify pretty easily what we want to have. But there is more to it than just identifying what we want. In this episode, I’m going to share a powerful principle that I recently learned that will help us achieve more and ultimately get what we want.

If you’re listening to this podcast, there’s a better chance than not that you want to be considered a good man; a man of value and integrity; a man who knows how to be assertive and take ownership of everything in his life… even his mistakes. In this episode, we’re talking about a particular skill that is often overlooked and misrepresented and misunderstood in society. It’s something that is rarely taught properly, but if you’re going to be a man of integrity, you have to know how to do this right. You must know how to apologize for your mistakes.

We all want to believe that we are talented, capable, and strong. We often see ourselves as the hero in the movie that can overcome any obstacle, beat any problem, and outwit or outfight the villain. But our assessments of our own abilities are often skewed so that we overestimate ourselves. To become the men God created us to be, we have to see ourselves as we truly are, identify our weaknesses, and develop plans to improve on them. In this episode, we’ll talk about why we tend to overestimate ourselves, and some tactics on how to evaluate ourselves more objectively.

In this episode we talk about the importance of not being needy men. So many men crave affirmation, admiration and recognition so much that they can't function without it. They're constantly slaves to the attention of others, or to acquiring the next greatest thing. Being needy is not attractive, and we have to become men who are sure in our relationship with God in order to become the kind of men God wants us to be. We have to alter our schedules, reshape habits, and take thoughts captive to refocus our attention where it needs to be... on an audience of one!

In this episode I interview my wife, Wendy Hornback, about how to pursue a woman. Whether it's your first date, or your wife of 20 years, we should be pursuing the woman in our life! Wendy and I discuss how to start a relationship, and things to pay attention to as well as how to continue being a student of your wife after years of marriage.

We all want to feel like we belong, and like we have a circle of friends that truly care about us. Yet so many men admit that they feel like they don’t really have any close friends; like no one really knows them; or they don’t know who they would call if they were really in a jam. We often feel like we’re just too busy with life and we can’t make time for these types of relationships. In this episode, I talk about the four steps I've taken in my life to intentionally grow my relationships with other men and ultimately create a network of relationships that serve others and help me as I seek to grow as well.

We all want to look like we have it all together, like we’re competent, and confident. We want to look and feel like a success. But we view failure as a black mark on our record, and we believe that because we failed, we aren't good enough. Those feelings prevent us from trying new things and ultimately hold us back from doing what we're capable of accomplishing! In this episode I discuss how to reframe failure and view it as a positive for getting in the arena and trying something new; how to review your attempts at new things to find your weaknesses and over come them; and how to finish your failure!

In this episode I interview weightlifting coach, certified CrossFit trainer and nutrition coach, Alex Casetta about how to find the right gym for you, and how to build muscle and lose fat. We also discuss establishing systems over setting goals, and how having the right systems, or tactics, in place will make you far more effective than just setting a goal. Alex also is the owner of Nutri-Dynamix (https://www.nutridynamix.com/) a completely dairy-free protein supplement.