Remember the end goal You are trying to make a full grown human capable of surviving in the wild on their own. You aren’t going to keep them forever. You can’t make them live your life for you. You can’t coddle them and do everything for them. You are preparing them to leave you. Don’t lose sight of that!

What we need to do is treat some of our thoughts like door to door salesmen. If someone comes to your door and asks if he can come inside and throw some dirt on your floor to demonstrate his vaccuum cleaner – you would probably tell him “No thanks! See you later!” And yet – if a friend stopped by with a meatloaf and wanted to visit – we’d say “Come on in!” We need to stop being PASSIVE about what thoughts can take residence in our head.

The root of the word “integrity” is “integer.” It’s a math term – and it refers to whole numbers. The word itself implies “wholeness.” These are the questions we must ask ourselves frequently. “Am I whole?” “Are there parts of my character that are lacking?

Your kids need you to be present – but that doesn’t mean in the building, playing X-Box and yelling at them. Change diapers. Show them how to treat their mother by treating her good yourself. Tell them that you love them. Laugh with them.

Passivity is really a crappy substitute for manhood. But it’s as common as facial hair on a hipster, or salmon-breath on a grizzly bear.

In our culture today – there is a rampant “victim mentality” – and while we don’t want to take away the legitimate issues that a real victim of a crime or abuse faces – we think somehow people have used their status as victim as a cop out, or invented reasons to identify as a victim.

If life is a battlefield, many of us would be rejected as 4F, given a card, and sent home. What can we do to be ready for the battle of manhood? What can we do to reset ourselves, and get our lives healthy enough to thrive?

I know that women want to be treated equally - and they should be treated equally - but the truth is - no man should ever strike a woman unless he needs to protect his life or the life of another - and even then - fleeing the situation is a better option whenever possible. If you find yourself at a place where you are so angry that you want to strike a woman - then you need to get some help.

No one owes you anything. If we live our lives expecting people to hand us anything, we’ll not only alienate all of our friends, but we’ll create a situation where our value is puffed up and manufactured, and not based on our actual value. When something goes wrong, when crisis comes, we are left feeling bankrupt.

Often, when a man encounters a moment of extreme trial, his inner fears come out in the form of a specific kind of excuse. I hate to dismiss those excuses as only that, because they also often reveal a deep truth about that man, and what he believes about himself.I am not strong enough.I am not smart enough.I am not rich enough.I am not young enough.I am not old enough.I am not MAN enough.Men. These are lies. These are weapons fashioned to bring you down.