Many men in their 30s and 40s find their lives full of duty and obligation. Their days are spent working, evenings spent caring for their families, weekends spent taking care of everything else that has fallen through the cracks. In the best situations, these are all good things. The worst is a burden almost beyond surviving.
Most fall in-between, maybe wishing for work they could feel passionate about, or wondering when their marriage stopped being fun, or unable to remember the last time they had a moment to themselves. Unfortunately, this is an easy rut to fall into, letting life dictate to us instead of taking control of our lives.
For those who feel stuck in this cycle, please consider:
• If you don’t maintain your physical health, you won’t have enough energy to help others.
• If you don’t continue to learn, you won’t have knowledge to pass on.
• If you don’t take care of your finances, you won’t be able to give.
• If you don’t grow your spirit, you won’t be able to mentor the next generation.
• If you aren’t a good friend, you won’t have good friends.
• If you don’t discover your purpose and passion, you won’t have the direction or motivation to make a difference in the world.
• If you don’t create a life you enjoy, you won’t want to live.
For those of you who resonate with this topic, make sure you take action to shape yourself into a man that lives with passion, purpose and fuller self-expression in the world.
First, do everything you can to carve out 30 minutes every day to dedicate to your personal development. Whether you spend it praying, meditating, reading or journaling, it will start to shift your life and awareness in a new direction.
Second, choose one area to focus on. Just start with one. There are books, blogs, podcasts, lectures, classes…all sorts of guidance to gain new insight.
Third, don’t go it alone. Here are four suggestions:
1. Find a friend in the same situation and ask if they would like to partner with you in this new life change.
2. Identify someone you think is doing well in their own personal development and ask if they would mentor you for a time.
3. Locate a group that is dedicated to personal development and resonates with what you want. This could be a spiritual group, a men’s group or a twelve-step group, to name a few.
4. Partner with a coach who is dedicated to personal development issues.
Take action today to become the YOU you’re meant to be.
If you would like to discuss this further, please email me at kirk@absolutearrow.com.
