Wolf & Iron | Virtues, Skills, Manliness!

Accountability is quite the buzzword these days. Churches are pushing for it. Men's groups of all kinds are pushing for it. It's certainly needed, but accountability in itself does not result in the kind of change men are looking for. It should be seen as a necessary piece to growth, but not the solution.

We live in a time of quick fixes and instant everything. Our silver bullet society wants a simple solution to every problem we face, and there are those who are all too eager to take your money for such a promise. But, what happens when we need to change a number of things in order to correct a problem.

I've achieved more in life through curiosity than I ever have through certainty. Developing a mindset of curiosity, especially about new efforts, will aid you in moving forward as a man and accomplishing your goals in ways you never expected.

True belief must be accompanied by action. This is done because A) you believe reality actually resembles your belief and therefore action is a rational step, or B) to test and see if reality matches your belief so that you might adjust your beliefs to match reality. In either case, a belief which remains only in the mind has no power unless it is acted upon. 

There is a certain kind of bonding which ought to take place in a relationship; cementing on various levels of intimacy. Spending time together, holding hands, hugging, kissing and so on, ideally until the day of marriage. When we skip past the other things and don't allow those small moments of intimacy to settle in, we miss out on a number of benefits and often find our relational and intimacy cravings only satisfied by sex.

I was raised as a Southern Baptist. For those of you who also grew up in the south, there are some common experiences we both likely shared growing up in the Bible belt: hellfire and brimstone preaching, potlucks galore, youth trips where sex and alcohol were the norm (not for me though), and the occasional guest preacher or youth conference designed to really stir things up and get the congregation on fire for Jesus. I wasn't a fan.

Sometimes it takes quite a bit of digging and throwing away of the old stones to find what you're really looking for: the thing that you knew was there but only believed so by faith, not by evidence.

Here's the deal, Ken Coleman is a genuine, stand up guy. He is a man working his tail off in an area where he is incredibly gifted, yet still prioritizing family and staying down to earth. I felt totally at ease during the interview and a lot of that is due to Ken's demeanor: You just feel like you're part of the team when you're there. Head over to the website for some behind the scenes shots as well as a video.

Here's the deal: marketing shouldn't be hard. Sure, it's work, just like anything else, but at the end of the day, if you can't understand your marketing strategy you're likely not doing it right.

It seems like society is always looking for shortcuts: what's the quickest way to get from here to what I want? This type of thinking undermines our long term objectives: to leave a legacy; to be financially secure; to have a strong and happy family; to live a long and productive life and so on.

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field." - Matthew 13:44 Once the man set eyes on that treasure, he knew what he needed to do. Now, this is a bit of an extreme example, but the Kingdom of Heaven is kind of extreme. For most of us, we just need to recognize the value in ourselves and start making investments there. This is a challenge for a lot of men.

I was honored to speak to Marcus Luttrell a while back. He's an American hero, a man's man. So it surprised me when he used the phrase "A happy wife, happy life." We've all probably heard this at some point and have likely used it. But, is it true? Should it be? What did Marcus mean by it? What kind of impact can this common phrase have on men as leaders of our families?

Barefoot running is where it's at! Dew on your feed, mud between your toes, acorns jammed into your sole. Ok, not that last part. But, it is a more comfortable and rewarding way to get your run in. Here is a podcast episode all about it.

I'm prideful. Probably not as prideful as you, because thankfully I'm humble as well

One of the most discouraging aspects of running online businesses is that I'm always comparing my progress to that of others. But, if the time on the trail has taught me one thing, it's that the view is still magnificent, even if you're not the first to see it. I'm in Washington state, on a journey to heal my father wound. I thought I'd share some thoughts with you during some of my time on the trails of Mt. Rainier.