If there’s one thing that separates one man from another, it is value. Acknowledging and living by his core values is fundamental for any man’s personal, professional, and spiritual growth. It is said that with the right people, culture, and values, one can accomplish great things. So, gentlemen, in this article, we talk about the 10 values every man must have in order to become mentally and emotionally stronger.
1. Courage
People usually mistake courage for boldness. However, boldness means feeling no fear at all. On the contrary, courage is when you know that you are afraid but you still choose to push through. Let’s suppose that you are being treated badly at your job. You know that the best thing that you can do for yourself at this moment is to resign. Although you are scared of being jobless for a while you instead choose to resign for your own sake, for your self-respect, and that my friends, is courage. The second example of courage will resonate with most of your guys. You see that beautiful girl in the coffee, and your heart pounds, you want to get to know her but restrict yourself from making that first move. Now, this is where you must be courageous, you need to keep those fears of being judged or insulted aside and push through your fears. I guarantee that you will be surprised by the results.
2. Humility
Humility is one of the most talked about values among people. While people talk about being humble or having a sense of humility, they subconsciously do not notice that their words and actions are working against their values. Well, I wouldn’t just you if you brag about your capability. With so much testosterone running in your veins, why wouldn’t you be cocky?
However, if you want to keep learning in this vast world filled with knowledge, you must realize that there is much to learn. By bragging about your accomplishments or your capability of performing things, you might not only turn off people and friends but also shut opportunistic doors for growth.
3. Kindness
With toxic masculinity slogans being waved everywhere on the screen (I wish I saw one in real life), people have started developing ideas about men being toxic, rude, and threatening. You know for a fact that it’s an utter lie for the majority of men out there. I assume that our upbringing has instilled some level of kindness within us. Isn’t it? Kindness also goes hand in hand with empathy and compassion. A man who is kind to others is a powerful man of influence. While the society out there is nitpicking the flaws within each person, you can choose to be a mature man, a superior man, and a kind man, who lends his ears not to listen and pick the flaws in others but to just listen, empathize and relate.
4. Self-Confidence
Don’t you think of yourself as a warrior? I presume that you do. I think of myself as a leading warrior, who is pushing through worldly obstacles and trying to climb one step at a time. However, you might face situations, where you might stand and question yourself about your ability to face your demons and accomplish your goals. Contrary to popular belief, we aren’t naturally born with confidence. Science says that confidence is a skill that everyone can develop with practice. So, if you feel that you feel confident doing a certain thing, make sure that you do it over and over again. It might sound insane but that’s how you train your confidence.
5. Tender Aggression
I derived this term from one of the videos that Elliot Hulse made. He claims that tender aggression is a state where you can be aggressive if the need arises but you choose to be tender most of the time. Not everybody deserves your attention or energy, and therefore don’t get angry or aggressive about frivolous things. Instead, save up your energy and don’t let people know what your limit is. However, when the need arises, you also need to be agile, powerful, and unpredictable.
6. Focus
The marvelous wonders of the world wouldn’t have been so marvelous if men didn’t focus when building them. So if you want to build great things in your life, you need to have an unperturbed focus to achieve it. In today’s era where maintaining focus is such a big deal, trying to focus on one thing at a time is quite hard for most people. However, you can work toward improving your focus by identifying your goals and practicing focus on improving exercises and techniques. It’s difficult but not impossible.
7. Honesty
Honesty is not just being true to others but true to oneself. You must not hinder telling yourself what you are good at and what you are bad at, what your strengths are, and what your weaknesses are. Honesty goes a long way and it is one of the most important qualities that everyone seeks in a person. But, people blindly believe anyone who claims to be honest, which is ridiculous.
8. Self-respect
Nothing in this world is more important than your self-respect. As a man, you should not only stand up for others but you must first learn to stand up for yourself. Don’t let anyone walk all over you, especially women. Even in friendships and among colleagues, don’t be afraid to state your opinion even if it is not what the majority wants to hear. By doing so, you begin noticing how important your choices for yourself are. Moreover, if you want others to respect you, you must learn to respect yourself, your decisions, your choices, and your convictions.
9. Self-esteem
Self-esteem is how you feel about yourself. Do you feel proud and confident about yourself or do you feel insecure, under-confident, and lowly about yourself?
If you think that the latter part of the question aligns with your answer, then you, my friend need to work on your self-esteem. Low self-esteem is dangerous and it can cause all of the qualities within you to lose their power. There are several ways you can train your self-esteem and I advise you to give a few of them a shot and begin journaling how you feel about yourself.
10. Being Grounded
Last, but not least, always realize where you have come from. It is easy for us men to get into the competition when we see a threat that could take over our position. For example, a colleague trying to take over your position. In times of adversity, you must ensure that you stay grounded and not react to the situation. Reacting to the situation will affect your judgment. Therefore, practice being calm, cool and collected during adverse situations and leap like a jaguar when your time comes.
So, these are our list of values every man must have. I hope you liked reading this article. I seek to create separate articles on all of these values and talk about how you can instill them within you and unlock your potential.