It is not like it was when I was younger. I guess plenty of people have said these exact words for the last few thousand years. I'm not telling anyone how to live their lives, this is just how I tried to live mine. From working with guys all my life I have found out through life men need certain life skills to make their life easier and to prosper in life. In his personal life he needs to be clean. If he is clean about his person his life will be much easier. What do I mean about clean? If you want a beard by all means grow one, but keep it trimmed. Get a haircut once in a while, use shampoo instead of soap to wash your hair. Change your socks every day, more if you sweat, put on clean underwear everyday. Put on a clean shirt everyday. Brush your teeth if you want to keep them, visit a dentist every six months. Use deodorant, shower everyday. Wash your hands after you use the bathroom and before you eat.
If a man is single he should know how to take care of his house. A man should know how to make his bed and know how to wash dishes if he makes them. He should know how to change the sheets twice a month, or more if he needs to do it. He should know how to do laundry and how to iron a shirt. He should know how to make more than TV dinners. Watch a few cooking shows, it will not kill you, plus you may learn something, and it will not make you gay. If you are married or have a girlfriend, clean the house once in a while or offer to clean the bathrooms this does amazing things. A man should know how to do basic electrical such as like fixing lamps or outlets. He should keep his tools in perfect working order. He should own the basic tools: screwdrivers (both Phillips & Standard), Crescent wrench, adjustable pliers, WD40, duct tape, socket set (both metric and English), hammer, drill motor & drill set, and tape measure. Learn how to compute square footage of a room. Every time you do a job buy a new tool. This is sort of like payment for doing the job. A man can never have enough tools, and you can always make money with tools. Keep your tools neat and clean. Buy the best tools that you can afford. When someone talks about how to do a job listen to them, then use your own judgment on how to do it as you learn. By doing things yourself you can save a boatload of money. Money: Never spend more than you make. Try to pay for things with cash. Do side jobs if you can. Don't use your overtime money to live on. Buy stuff only if you need it. Buy used American tools from garage sales and flea markets. Learn how to write a check, keep a check book ledger. Learn how to say no. Make things last by fixing them (clothes washer, etc.) Start a 401K, save 10% of your paycheck in a rainy day fund.
Now this is the important stuff: Bait your own hook. Kill something, gut it, skin it, cook it, and eat it. Nothing is more satisfying than feeding yourself from start to finish. Everyman should do three things in his life, 1) Kill a deer and drag it out of the woods. This gives you an appreciation for what people had to do to survive. 2.) Dig a stump out of the ground. This gives you an appreciation of hard work. 3.) This is the most important: Hold a newborn baby in your arms. This makes everything you do worthwhile; all of the work, labor, and sweat.
Read the classics, read the newspaper; think about what you read and just do not absorb what you read. Grow a garden. Bake a loaf bread just to see how it is done, learn how to preserve vegetables.
Sometimes it takes courage to do the right thing. Take a kid fishing. Make something instead of buying it. Volunteer just because you are able to, not because you have to do it.
There is never a reason to hit a woman and there is never a reason to hit a child. Always stand up for someone weaker than you. Being kind does not make you weak, it just makes you a better person. Have the courage to say you are sorry if you are wrong, and have the guts to take a stand if you are right, and hope you have the wisdom to know the difference. If you extend a hand out to someone make sure it is to help them up off the ground. If you say you are going to do something, do it. Keep your word. Never bet more than you can afford to loose. Keep your words sweet because you might have to eat them. The last thing? Always be nice to the doorman, because you never know when you may need a door opened.
No comments:
Post a Comment