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On Being A Man Seminar Slides (August 21st, 2004) PDF
On Being A Man Seminar Slides (August 21st, 2004) PDF
• Take a minute right now, and think about why you’re listening
to me right now… what led you to this point… and make a
picture of exactly what you want to get out of this program
• Don’t skip this, if you need to, make a note and come back to
this point… it’s important
This Is Going To Be Heavy
• The first part of this program is going to be heavy material
• I'm going to be talking about a lot of things that you might want
to avoid hearing about
• So I started to think about this point, and I realized that there was
something deeper going on here, and that he had a great point
• This program is the result of the thinking I did after that conversation…
How Do You Define “Being A Man”?
• I don’t think that the word we’re using (“man” or “men”) has anything
to do with the deeper meaning of the word “man”
• More importantly, what if one of them happens, but not the other?
• In other words, what if a man gets older and bigger, but not more
mature at the same time?
• But that’s not what makes a woman feel ATTRACTION for a man…
No way
• Without this issue handled, the only way to get attention from
women is becoming a master of PRETENDING to be someone…
and using techniques to cover up your inability to be who you are
[Continued]
The Critical Missing Elements
• Didn’t have a father around, so we had to be the man
and raise ourselves
• We know that we SHOULD feel a certain way, and we want to feel that way…
maybe it’s strength, or being a protector, or having earned the right to be a
leader of others… whatever it is, it’s like that nagging feeling that never
quite makes it into normal consciousness… it’s like the “splinter in your
mind” that Morpheus talks about in the movie The Matrix
• An inner switch flips inside of her, and it creates an invisible barrier… and
even though that process and the barrier is invisible, it’s still very real, and
very obvious
• Many mammals can literally get up and run for their lives
within minutes of being born
[Continued]
The Boy Must Die
• The boy must die for the man to live
• The caterpillar must die for the butterfly to live… a
total transformation… not partial
• "Grown Up Boy" syndromes... tyrant, bully, whiner,
vicky, etc.
• Think of the ways that YOU manipulated when you
were a boy
• Now think of the ways that you still do these things,
only older, more shrewd, more “rationalizing to self”
and more sophisticated versions
• The first step is seeing and admitting where you’re
still acting like a boy
Man Psychology
And Boy Psychology
• The “Inner Boy-Inner Man” continuum
• When you try to fight or even deny your own nature and
drives, it will come back to bite you in the ass later… in a
million ways
• You must accept yourself, embrace the fact that you’re a man
and you have a nature, and then learn to observe all that
happens… from sexual impulses to killer instincts… and harness
the power that they imply
The Men’s Movement And
The Women’s Movement
• The women’s movement seems to me to be the process of
naturally masculine women getting together and saying “you
should act more masculine” to other women
• The men’s movement seems to me like a bunch of naturally
feminine men getting together and saying “you should act
more feminine” to other men
• It appears to me that the “typical” woman that’s a strong
feminist/advocate of the women’s movement and the “typical”
man who’s a strong supporter of the men’s movement are not
TYPICAL at all
• I think that each of these “typical” members of these groups
represents maybe 10% or 20% of the ACTUAL population
• I believe that this is why both of the movements ring true for
all people at some level, but generate more digs, sarcastic
remarks, and cynicism than anything else… probably in the
ratio of 80%/20% or so
The Anima And The Animus
• All humans have at least some structures of the opposite sex
present inside of them
• The Anima: The female archetypal structures in the man
• The Animus: The male archetypal structures in the woman
• As men, we’re taught to repress the Anima inside of us
• Common themes among men: Discomfort in the presence of
men who act weak and looking down upon homosexual men
because they are seen as somehow “less than a man”… gay
jokes, etc.
• Your Animus is there… if you repress it, it will come back to
haunt you
• Repressing vs. Integrating
• Accept – Integrate – Transcend
Women That Piss You Off
• Have you noticed how many women these days are using their
youth, looks, sexuality, and power to arrogantly display their
superiority?
• Mature Adult
• Talk about the idea of these being the four stages you go
through on your way to maturity… and on your way to
focusing on what you want in your life, not what you don’t
want… and pro-actively getting what you want rather than
being activated and moving against others, or moving away
from what you don’t want… or moving with others blindly
• If you get "stuck" in any of these modes, it can be very
negative to your life results and personality.
Trying To Get The Love Or
Approval Of:
• Father
• Mother
• Men
• Women
• List the places where you’ve been unconsciously trying to get attention
and approval from each… make note if this has been for a long time
• List the ways which you subtly give others power over you by putting
them above yourself, and the traits that trigger this unconscious
process
• List what you do to subtly try to get attention and approval
• Now admit to yourself how and why these things are unhealthy
• Now mentally and emotionally let go of them
• Allow yourself to mature and become a healthy adult man who can
respond consciously instead of reacting unconsciously
Interacting With Other Men
• It’s important to become a man who can comfortably interact
with other men
• Most men orient themselves by, following, and seeking approval of the
woman. She leads, they follow... in fact, she isn't even leading, but
they TRY to follow. They try to make her lead. This is a horrible
mistake.
• Stay on your course, even though she is all over the map
• You stop blaming and acting victimized, and you can begin
handling the situation like a mature adult
The “Critical Counterintuitive”
Concept
• Humans tend to follow certain “pre-programmed” or “hard-
wired” thought, behavior, communication sequences. Many of
them seem “intuitive” or “obvious” to the person who’s doing
them… even though they are NOT the best thing to do in the
situation. Gambling more when you have something definite to
lose over having something definite to win is an example.
Exercise:
• Remember how to enjoy your life, list those things you enjoy
most
• Remember how to enjoy the things you enjoy doing
• Remember WHY you’ve chosen the path you’re on, and stay in
touch with it
EXERCISE: Seeing The Difference Between
What You Want And What Makes You Happy
• List 10 things you want, quickly… these can be material
things, experiences, goals, whatever… anything you want
for yourself
• Examples might be a new car, spending more time with
your best friend or friends, or traveling more
• Now write down a number from 1-10 that represents the
improvement in your life quality that the thing will bring
• Notice how the things that will bring you the highest
returns aren’t the things that cost money… they’re the
things that you just have to DO
• Think about how different you will feel, act, and be if your
life were more full of those things that bring you the best
returns
• Write down three things that you’re going to do within the
next seven days to include more of the things that you can
do right now to make your life great
Take Personal Responsibility
• Take personal responsibility for yourself, your thoughts,
your situation
• Learn to see how the choices you’ve made have led you
to where you are
• Refuse to be a victim
More Æ
Sudden Success Syndrome
And Resulting Resentment
• This is unrealistic and immature
[Continued]
Your Inner World Exercise
• Remember a kid from childhood that you really liked,
then one you didn’t like
• Men are taught to act tough, and not show their feelings
• I’ve had several experiences over the last few years that have led
to me feeling the unmistakable feeling of grief
• Only after allowing myself to experience the grief, feel through it,
and continue “downward” (as Robert Bly says), have I been able to
experience other, more subtle emotions
Allow Yourself To Grieve
• A mature man can grieve consciously, and know it’s a
healthy process
• To Observe Yourself
• To Know Yourself
• To Change Yourself
• When you get in touch with your Unique Ability and Personal Path in
life, then you make it a priority to stay on your path and work as
much as possible developing and focusing your Unique Ability, an
interesting cycle starts
• You become more mature on a continual basis, and you begin the
process of learning similar things over and over again, but getting
different lessons from them
• The power comes from being able to see both and hold both in your
mind… to embrace the paradox and allow it to give you energy
The More Personal,
The More Universal
• My mentor Gerry Ballinger taught me something that
he learned from his mentor… that the more personal
something is to you, the more universal it probably is
• It’s easy to spot people who don’t get it. It’s easy to spot people
who are trying to fake it. It’s also easy to spot people who do get it
• I got this idea reading about venture capitalists (VCs) and selection
on Seth Godin’s website. I’d send a simple letter to a VC: I have a
business that I’ve built from scratch that’s been profitable from the
beginning, has no debt, and is the first mover in a huge new
category. It would get their attention. I know how to communicate
with players… but how?
Certainty
• People like certainty
• If you can provide it, represent it, communicate it, you’ll be more attractive
• If you’re uncertain about what you’re doing, others won’t feel compelled to
follow you, they’ll doubt you
• People will flake, and they’ll blame it on you if they feel uncertain about you
• The paradox here is that it’s often good to tease women, play a little bit when
they ask questions, etc. You might ask “How can you resolve the ideas that
you want to create certainty about who you are while at the same time you’re
saying to keep her uncertain about things like what you do for a living or
where you live?”
• My answer is simple… she wants certainty about her experience with you…
that it’s going to be enjoyable to her… not about the details of your life
Feature Your Insecurities
Until You’re Over Them
• Practice making cocky jokes about them when you
first meet a woman and are flirting
• It’s mature to allow others to live their lives and enjoy experiences
without you… without you feeling that you’re losing something
• The other side of this coin is to allow YOURSELF to live your life and
enjoy your own experiences without the feeling that you need
others to validate your enjoyment
Mistake:
• The immature, Boy-Man thinks that he’s done the same, only
it’s not the same at all
More Æ
Maturity Vs. Pretending,
Forethought Vs. Manipulation
• The Boy-Man uses tricks and techniques to manipulate, and
only lives for the moment and instant gratification
• The test you can apply anytime is simple: Ask yourself if what
you’re doing feels manipulative, sneaky, or dishonest in any
way. If it does, they you’re allowing the Boy-Man inside of you
to run things… which will ultimately lead you to a feeling of less
fulfillment, not more…
More Æ
Why Death?
• When considered in the context of death, lessons become clear
in all situations… and you become thankful for the lessons
immediately (or even in the midst of the previously painful
process of learning by trials and tribulations)
[Continued]
The Heart-Connected Killer
• My friend Amber Lupton spoke at my Mastery Program (which I
highly recommend), and introduced me to a concept called “The
Heart-Connected Killer”
• At first, this doesn’t make sense… how can a man be connected to
his heart, and a killer at the same time?
• The answer is that BOTH are inside every man… the killer is in there…
and the compassionate, protecting, loving man is in there too
• A woman needs to feel your strength and power while she’s feeling
that you are connected to your heart and emotions… but she also
needs to trust that if something were to happen, you would kill to
protect her without hesitation
• How can a woman tell if you’re a Heart-Connected killer?
• One way is to let her know that she’s safe, and another is to ravish
her
• What are some others?
Live Now
• Remember, your body will die; embrace it and
consider it often. Then live the life YOU want to live
• Do things that get you into your body, and into the
moment
Most Men Weren’t
Happy Single First
• This is all about becoming a man who has such a great life in and
out that he WANTS to be single first
• Make your single life so fantastic that you almost don't have time
for a relationship
• Fill your life with so many things you enjoy that make your life
better that you literally have to think about how to fit a woman in
• Self Assurance
• Self Interest
• Self Comfort
Outward Signs Of A Real Man
Comfort in the presence of...
• Class, style, refinement
• Beautiful women
• Power and high-status people
• Paradox, uncertainty
• Temperance/Gluttony
• Humility/Pride
• Patience/Anger
• Justice/Greed
• Faith/Lust
• Fortitude/Sloth
• An attitude of non-judgment
• TRUSTWORTHINESS
Breeding Distrust
• I’ve often wondered to myself why so many young women lead
two lives
More Æ
Breeding Distrust
• I think part of the answer might lie in the common practice of
telling daughters that doing drugs makes you go crazy, sex
isn’t enjoyable and if you have it you’ll be a slut, and being
interested in “generation gap” things isn’t a good idea
• What happens when that girl, feeling alienated from her non-
understanding parents, tries drugs, sex, and defiant fun
things?
• Of course, she finds out that they feel GREAT… which leads to
her not only thinking that her parents were lying to her and
must not love her (otherwise they’d have been honest with
her), but also that they couldn’t possibly understand her…
[Continued]
Dealing With A Women
Who Has A Double Identity
• As a mature man, you will encounter many attractive young
women who have these “double identities”
• Unfortunately, most men fall into the trap of seeing only the
“angel” in a woman, and not seeing the “other” side of her
personality… and even worse, not suspecting that it’s even
possible that it could be there
• It literally colors everything from the way you hold yourself to the
way you look at a woman to the words you use when talking
• When you have it, women respond very differently to you, see you
differently, and often become somewhat anxious and excited about
you
• You lose your concern with what she thinks of you, which
frees up your mind, emotions, communication channels,
and behavior to be yourself.
1) 1 I feel that a man "grows up" when he accepts responsibility for his
future and turns his attention to what is good for God, Country,
Family, and friends instead of himself. I guess the "one most
important thing" would be accepting responsibility.
4) Sam
4 One of my favorite snippets of wisdom about this subject is from
Keen (author of the bestselling book "Fire In The Belly - On Being
A Man"). He said the best piece of advice he ever got about being a
man was: "There are only two questions a man must ask himself:
The first is "Where am I going?" and the second is "Who will go with
me?" If you ever get these questions in the wrong order you are in
trouble."
1) What is the one most important thing a man can do to “grow up” and
become a mature, self-directed, fulfilled “adult man”… a man who has
integrity, a sense of purpose, and a strong sense of his place in the
world?
4) What this means to me is if you focus on who will go with you first,
you're in big trouble. But if you focus on where you are going, you'll
have people lined up to go with you. SO the MOST IMPORTANT thing
a man can do to "grow up" etc... is to KNOW WHERE HE'S GOING...
and in order to do this, he needs to TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR
HIS OWN DESTINY...
And since most men have no idea where they're going, what their
purpose is and what they want to achieve with their lives, that's the
place to START if he's wants to improve his situation in life (e.g. Doing
some deep soul searching, then putting down ON PAPER his goals,
dreams, standards, timelines etc)..
I've completed tons of exercises like this (Tony Robbins, Mankind
Project etc.) and have found them very helpful... particularly the one's
that force you to look at your SHADOWS... You might get some
interesting "Robert Bly-esque" insights from the CONFIDENTIAL
attachment (Warriors 7 Stages Of Man) I've included from the "New
Warrior Training Adventure“
[Continued] More Æ
1) What is the one most important thing a man can do to “grow up” and
become a mature, self-directed, fulfilled “adult man”… a man who has
integrity, a sense of purpose, and a strong sense of his place in the
world?
With regards to the rest of the question, here is where we get into
the "purpose" of life. I will try to answer some of it by answering the
other two questions.”
[Continued]
2) What does a man need to let go of in order to cross the bridge into
true adulthood?
2) approval/attention
Overcome Himself! He has to let go the chains of his need for
from others.
4) asked...
I was hoping I wouldn't have to go here... however, since you
5)
“I think that in order to be an adult you need to not only let go of
things but reprogram yourself. Things you need to let go of are first
and foremost - THE NEED TO BE DEPENDENT. Easier said than done.
It may require total reprogramming depending on your upbringing,
parents etc.
More Æ
2) What does a man need to let go of in order to cross the bridge into
true adulthood?
5) First you need to be able to feel inside (the Tao of Steve kind of
feeling) that you are able to take care of yourself regardless of the
circumstances. By the way, most women NEVER lose their
dependency on father, husband, Federal Government.....Those people
who are not able to BELIEVE that they are independent become losers
forever, always blaming others for their problems.
The second stage of course, is to develop skills that allow you to be
independent. This applies to money, business, women - everything.
Don't forget: all people are SURVIVORS, but only women take credit
for that. (I used this rare opportunity to show some heart felt disgust
for women, who by some bad luck we need too much).”
[Continued]
3) What are the qualities that a man should develop in himself in order to
become a “real man”… a pillar and example for younger men… and how
can he develop these qualities?
2)
He has to be himself and be comfortable with that, whatever ‘it’ is.
I would also say, he should not be ‘trying’ to be an example for
others, as this naturally perturbs his pure ethos of being. Similar to
Plato, his goal should be to live justly and prudently. To push this a
bit further, even Plato hints it was Socrates’ ego/arrogance that got
him executed, rather than exiled.
How do you develop this? Whew, oh yea, this is easy:
- An unrelenting drive for evolution; as opposed to a quest for
perfection. Vince Lombardi has a nice quote about this: “Perfection in
unattainable. . .however, I do expect excellence. . .”).
- “The unexamined life is not worth living” - Plato
If you can’t measure it, you can’t mange it. He must simply become
more self-aware and understand why he does the things he does, both
positive and negative.
- Define his passion, personal utility and his unique personal
competency. Avoid defining himself by actions and personality.
More Æ
3) What are the qualities that a man should develop in himself in
order to become a “real man”… a pillar and example for younger
men… and how can he develop these qualities?
3)
All that has been called "High Character", which historically have
only been available from two sources: in ancient times, the study of
either philosophy or theology, and in modern times, these both have
evolved into PSYCHOANALYSIS and ORGANIZED RELIGION instead.
Since one's parents would be the ideal source, yes that is true, but the
only way to have community CONSENSUS on the quality of "teaching"
by parents, is with either psychoanalysis or organized religion backing
their parenting.
[Continued] More Æ
3) What are the qualities that a man should develop in himself in
order to become a “real man”… a pillar and example for younger
men… and how can he develop these qualities?
5)
“I believe that in order to feel successful you have to be true and
honest to yourself. You have to be ethical, not necessarily according to
other people's belief, but through your self generated set of ethical
matrix. Of course, such ethics are very much influenced by others.
You also need to know that you are doing the best you know how -
that way whether you succeed or fail you can not blame it on your
lack of effort - the ability to generate effort, although partially
genetic, is one of the only attributes that are greatly influenced by
your environment. In general, you can not succeed without exerting
tremendous amount of energy and effort. A "real man" will certainly
know who he is, believe in his own ability (even if not boundless), be
ethical and know that that image is projected through his self-
confidence and behavior. Other people (especially men) are attracted
to the combination of elements projected by the "Real Man".”
[Continued]
Stay On Your Course
The Laws Of Success With Women
1) Accept everything the way it is.
2) Go to work on yourself, not women.
3) Move your frame of reference inside.
4) Become a fascinating person.
5) Make your territory yours.
6) See yourself as "high status."
7) Stop seeking approval.
8) Stop giving approval to get it.
9) Stop trading status for approval.
10) Learn how to read situations before acting or
communicating.
11) Keep doing what works and stop doing what
doesn’t work.
More Æ
The Laws Of Success With Women
12) Put yourself in the path of attractive women.
13) Stop trying to impress women.
14) Stop apologizing.
15) Become selfish so you can become generous.
16) Keep your composure always.
17) Learn how to turn a woman on mentally,
emotionally, and physically.
18) Learn the entire mating process of humans in
detail.
19) Lead.
20) Prove to yourself over and over that you can
deal with "rejection,“ and that it and other
things like it only make you stronger.
[Continued] More Æ
The Laws Of Success With Women
21) Surround yourself with success models, and
eliminate failure models.
22) Learn how to tell an interesting story about
anything.
23) Learn how to use Cocky Comedy.
24) Learn how to dress and groom yourself well.
25) Make friends with attractive women by
becoming a guy women like being around.
26) Learn to sacrifice short-term gratification for
long-term success.
27) Don’t whine, bitch, or complain.
28) Learn how to always enjoy yourself, no matter
what's happening.
29) Value yourself and your time more than any
woman.
[Continued] More Æ
The Laws Of Success With Women
30) Develop your awareness.
31) Learn to control your emotions.
32) Let her problems be her problems.
33) Don't try to control her by supporting her or
giving her money.
34) Behave as if you have 100 women calling you
every day to see you.
35) Learn to identify status by communication and
body language instantly.
36) Become an expert on your own self deception
habits.
37) Stop idealizing women.
38) Stop idealizing relationships.
[Continued] More Æ
The Laws Of Success With Women
39) Know your purpose or path in life, and stay on it.
40) Focus more of your time and effort on learning,
and less on doing.
41) Constantly improve yourself.
42) Stop projecting your strengths and weaknesses
onto others.
43) Set up your life so you're constantly meeting
interesting, attractive, available women.
44) Evict your inner Wussy.
45) Get in touch with your personal path or purpose,
and stay on it always.
46) Create useful habits and eliminate destructive or
negative habits.
[Continued] More Æ
The Laws Of Success With Women
47) Be honest, ethical, and authentic always.
48) Look past the content to see the true meaning
of what's going on.
49) Recognize when you're losing control of yourself
50) Engage her emotions and body, not her mind.
51) Don't behave in a boring or predictable way.
52) Make yourself into the most interesting person
a woman has ever met.
53) Turn everything into an adventure.
54) Convince yourself that what's about to happen
is going to be unbelievably fun, then convince
her of it.
55) Always act and communicate in a way that
leaves her wanting to know more, feel more,
and do more.
[Continued] More Æ
The Laws Of Success With Women
56) Surround yourself with success models,
whether they be in person, in books, on audio,
or on video.
57) When you hit a challenge, go back to the basics.
58) Focus on the core skills and your deep inner
game, and the techniques will take care of
themselves.
59) When you find yourself losing power with a
woman, stop, step back, and wait until she
calls you - pull the needle out of your arm
immediately.
60) Always have three female friends around you
that are very similar to the type of woman
you want to meet.
61) Every day, find your center, become
centered, then make yourself the center.
[Continued] More Æ
The Laws Of Success With Women
62) When you find something she really likes,
stop, pull back, and make her really want it
before you tease her with a little more.
63) Become fanatical about every detail of your
health, hygiene, dress, style, posture, voice
tone...
64) Eliminate every nervous tick, gesture, facial
expression, and unconscious response to
challenges from women.
65) Objectify your demons so you control them
instead of them controlling you.
66) Become unbelievably honest, authentic,
direct, and blunt when it's time to be direct.
67) Accept and embrace transition anxiety as an
opportunity to see things from a beginner's
perspective automatically.
[Continued] More Æ
The Laws Of Success With Women
68) Untangle past, present, and future...
Physical, logical, and emotional... Short,
medium, and long-term gratification... Fear
of something and the actual event... And
other non-useful combinations.
69) Learn to enjoy the process of learning more
than the actual result of the learning.
70) Teach others every great thing you learn
immediately.
71) Eliminate failure by learning from it.
72) Compare your progress and success only to
yourself, not others.
73) Evolve constantly and consciously – always
seek the next level and paradigm.
[Continued]