by

To all the great men who have trudged the unbeaten path to find freedom, salvation, pride, heritage, and the strength to overcome their greatest obstacles—no matter how great. Being a good man may not always be easy, which is why it is a man’s own responsibility to uphold these unspoken codes in all aspects of his life:

Life/Values

The best way to predict the future is to create it.

What you do today better be important, considering you are exchanging a day of your life for it.

Life is about kicking ass, not kissing it.

Don’t be a man who never finishes anything, and that includes the pint that your best buddy bought for you.

One can follow their own values or the values of others, but never both at the same time.

You’re never going to make everyone happy all the time. You’ve got to be assertive and stand up for what you believe in. No one can make better life choices for you—than you.

Being a man has absolutely nothing to do with being manly.

Know yourself, be yourself. Authenticity is attractive; There is great value, satisfaction, and self esteem in owning your own intellectual independence and not offering it to the highest bidder.

Live it with passion, or not at all.

The road may sometimes seem too long—but it is never too late to change to a different road.

No one looks back on their life remembering the nights they had plenty of sleep—but do get eight hours of rest when you finally get there.

Go with the decisions that will make the best stories later on.

In life you are either a wish bone, jaw bone, or back bone—The wishbone dreams about doing things, the jawbone talks about doing them, and the backbone is the only one who actually gets anything done.

A man is never too old to learn.

Relationships

Every man leaves behind a legacy of some kind—the important thing is that you have a say in yours.

Respect is earned, honesty is appreciated, trust is gained, and loyalty is returned.

Store anniversaries, birthdays, and other special events in a calendar and set a reminder. Remembering important dates shows people in your life you care.

It is not the nice guys that finish last—but rather the boring ones.

Ask more questions than you answer, because everyone likes to feel important.

Praise in public before you criticize in private.

Your parents spent a lot of time making you into the man you are today—repay them one call per week.

Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.

The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday.

The more awesome tales you need to tell people about yourself, the less awesome you will be perceived as.

Apologize when you’re wrong, as people respect a man who can own up to his mistakes, more than the ones who can dodge them.

No matter how far you get in life, everyone still deserves your respect.

A man only needs five real friends to be happy in his lifetime; but real friends are never found, but earned.

Love

Complimenting a woman’s beauty is never original—compliment her shoes says more about why you admire who she is.

Kiss slowly, play hard, forgive quickly, take chances, give everything—and have no regrets.

Date women who are out of your league, as most women have no league, which means that any good man has an equal chance.

You’ll make your life a lot easier in the long run if you get to know what you’re truly looking for in a life partner instead of jumping the gun.

If you love something set it free—if another man’s true love finds you; just keep walking.

Men need a woman to teach them access to the tender spots of their heart; there is a feminine dimension that makes every man whole.

Happiness comes from within your inner core. You can’t control all of the things that happen to you in life, but you can control what they mean to you.

Maintain your physical health for you—not just to attract women.

Men who love themselves first, are not affected by people or situations in a negative way. It gives them inner power.

Women can see right through the men who try to impress them. If she’s someone you’re trying to get to know, she will eventually find out who you are anyway.

Don’t change your life to make someone else happy.

When you suspect a woman is only after what you can give her, listen to your instincts. Don’t let your ego convince you otherwise.

Don’t listen to your little head, as the big head usually has more common sense.

Don’t buy a woman lingerie that you like, but rather lingerie she will like, and she’ll be more likely to put them to good use.

Women find handsome men interesting, and confident men as sexy.

A man should not only know how to take care of himself; but more importantly—how to take care of others.

Career

Don’t mistake a man’s silence for ignorance, his calmness for acceptance, or kindness for weakness.

Shake another man’s hand like you really mean it, as it demonstrates intention, honesty, and confidence.

Find out what you are passionate about—and then figure out a way to get paid for it.

Procrastination is a passive-aggressive way of dealing with work you don’t want to do. Find work that really means something, and you’ll discover that you’re not the procrastinator you thought you were.

Unless you are handicapped, you should always shake hands while you are standing.

Eye contact is the single most important first impression in every man’s life.

There has never been a man on his deathbed who has wished he spent more time at work—so make time for your family.

Never define yourself by your profession, as that will leave you cynical, and with nothing warm to offer other people.

All experts are human, and humans do occasionally make mistakes, even when working hard not to—For this reason, one must have a healthy skepticism for experts.

If you lack confidence—act as if you are confident, and the real thing will come soon enough.

Don’t bring up a problem in business, unless you also have the solution to fix it.

The squeaky wheel may sometimes get the oil, but it may also be the first to be thrown out—so don’t be a complainer.

The path to a happy career is not within the answers you seek, but the questions that arouse your excitement to learn more about them.

Success

Success is simply living up to your potential.

It’s not just about your talent or your craft; you have to learn the rules of the game if you plan to succeed.

You can succeed in most things, because most other people are lazy.

The most powerful thing is creating whatever perception you want. It can either be positive or negative. It’s your choice.

Good things come to those that hustle.

Many men try to imitate their heroes. There’s nothing wrong with heroes. We all need them. However, there is only one person who can be the expert at being you, so never replace your values with the values of others.

Do at least one thing every day that your future self will thank you for.

Not everyone can be the best, but everyone can be their best. It’s a mistake to define success only by outward achievement.

Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.

If you have never attempted to master something beyond your abilities, then you will never grow to find your full potential.

The well-prepared man is always favored by luck.

Fit/Finish

Every man should own at least one well-tailored suit.

Wearing a great attitude on your sleeve is the one man’s fashion that will never go out of style.

There is no substitute for an old fashioned wet/razor shave.

Splash the cologne before you put on your shirt to maintain a perfect balance of spicy goodness.

Clip-on ties are easy, lazy, and quick; which is exactly why you shouldn’t use them.

Brushing your teeth is an important final step to being ready for the day, but do it before you put on your tie.

Shave with the grain of your beard to start, and then against to finish.

The urban jungle is full of many uncertainties, so always keep a change of clothing at the office.

Urban Smarts

A toilet plunger is one of those things that never seems important until you really need it—so keep one on hand.

Always read the directions first, as they usually know more than you do.

Fighting is sometimes the answer—but never hit anyone first unless they are an immediate threat.

There’s always going to be men out there that will try to test your strength and push your buttons. You should know that this isn’t about you—it’s about them trying to prove themselves. Once you recognize this, it puts things into perspective, and it will be hard for anyone to get the best of you.

The most dangerous knife in the kitchen, as well as your own life—is a dull one.

Every man is a warrior at heart. He becomes misguided, troubled, or frustrated when he misdirects that warrior instinct. Men need to find credible ways to fulfill that side of their life—the side of adventure, conquering, and winning.

The first man to get angry is usually the one who loses.

Tip generously, and your kindness will reward you with a friend and ally, and we all need those.

Never lend anything that you can’t afford to lose.

Never skimp on the quality of your tools, so you only have to buy them once.

A man’s life is only as organized as his own garage.

You can’t accomplish anything if you aren’t organized.

Fear

Worry doesn’t change the outcome—hope is not a method.

Complaining is simply an excuse for not having the confidence to get things done.

Don’t spend your life in a boat worrying about falling in and drowning, when you could have simply learned to swim and abolish that fear altogether.

The greatest obstacle in every man’s path—is simply, himself.

Believe in yourself even when nobody else wants to, as this is the only way to prove them wrong.

It’s always darkest before the dawn.

If it isn’t difficult to accomplish—then it isn’t worth the effort to get it.

The problem with heroes and superstars is they have a time span and can disappoint. Everybody needs somebody permanent and bigger than themselves, that will become the one they can talk to when nobody else is around.

Have pity on the bullies in your life, as even though they may demonstrate the skill—they are only acting out because they doubt their own self-worth.

To cross the ocean, you need the courage to lose sight of the shore.

The mind is the first step to becoming a great man—as whatever you think, you will eventually become.

Doubt has killed more dreams than failure ever has.

You can always tell the size of a man, by the size of the problems that bother him.