Personal development for men is about more than just achieving success in your career and relationships. It’s about building resilience and mental toughness, so you can navigate the challenges of life with clarity and purpose. One of the most important aspects of personal development for men is developing mental toughness. In this post, we’ll explore the benefits of mental toughness and practical strategies for building it.
Mental toughness provides many benefits in terms of personal development, including improved focus, increased resilience, and better stress management. It can help you to achieve greater success in your career, build healthier relationships, and improve your overall well-being.
Setting Clear Goals
One of the most important aspects of personal development is setting clear, measurable goals and taking action to achieve them. Setting clear goals will help you to stay motivated and focused on what’s important.
Facing Challenges head-on
Building mental toughness means being able to handle difficult situations, facing challenges head-on, and learning from failures. By learning to deal with difficult situations, we can build resilience and develop a greater sense of purpose.
Developing a Strong Work Ethic
A strong work ethic is important for personal development and a crucial aspect of mental toughness. It means being reliable, responsible, and dependable in your work.
Dealing with Stress
Mental toughness also means developing the ability to handle stress and cope with difficult emotions. This can include setting boundaries, self-care, and relaxation techniques.
Achieving Growth and Fulfillment: Mental toughness is about taking control of your life, shaping your own future, and developing a sense of purpose. By building mental toughness, you can achieve growth and fulfillment in your life. Personal development is a journey, and one of the most important aspects of that journey is building mental toughness. It is important to keep in mind that is not something that can be easily achieved overnight, but it is a continuous process. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start your personal development journey, consider picking up a copy of Manlihood: The 12 Pillars of Masculinity by Josh Hatcher.
Welcome to the Manlihood ManCast, the podcast for men, where we focus on personal development and explore the stories of men who are making an impact in the world. Today, we’re honored to have with us Morgan Elliott, a filmmaker and Canton native, who directed the documentary “Potty Town.”
https://youtu.be/TNKuNwbYHbI
Who is Morgan Elliott?
Meet Morgan Elliott, the talented director behind the hit documentary film “Potty Town.” Not only did this film reach the top 15 on the iTunes/Apple chart for documentaries in the U.S., but it is now available for streaming on Amazon Prime. In addition to his work on “Potty Town,” Morgan has a wealth of experience in the film industry as a writer, editor, and cinematographer. He has also served as the DoP on several award-winning short films.
“Potty Town” tells the story of one man’s humorous and sometimes tumultuous journey as he battles small town government officials to preserve his artistic toilet creations and defend his first amendment rights. This quirky film is a must-see for anyone interested in a unique blend of comedy and social commentary.
Morgan Elliott Background
Morgan Elliott is a talented young filmmaker who has always had a passion for storytelling. He grew up in Canton, New York, and after studying film in college, he decided to pursue a career in the industry. He has worked on a variety of projects in the past, but “Potty Town” marks his first time in the director’s chair. He’s excited to share his vision with audiences everywhere, and we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us.
About Potty Town
“Potty Town: Where Protest Meets Porcelain” is a new documentary that tells the story of Frederick J. “Hank” Robar Sr., and his 25-year-long dispute with the Northern New York town of Potsdam. The film recounts how Robar’s first toilet garden was sown when he reportedly asked the town for a zoning change at one of his properties on Market Street. The request was denied due to traffic concerns, but the town approved a Dunkin’ Donuts franchise to open just three blocks away. This led to the start of a porcelain protest that has now grown across six different properties, with the town making several attempts to uproot the flower-filled potties.
The documentary explores the motivations behind Robar’s decision to create the toilet gardens, and how they’ve evolved over time. Morgan Elliot’s film also delves into the impact of the gardens on the local community and the relationship between the town and Robar. This film is a true story of protest and resilience that will have audiences captivated.
More from Morgan Elliott and Potty Town
Here are some links to find out more information about Morgan Elliott and Potty Town:
We would like to thank Morgan Elliott for joining us today, and we encourage you to watch “Potty Town” on Amazon Prime Video!
Thank you for listening to the Manlihood ManCast, the podcast for men. Be sure to tune in next week for more great content on personal development and the stories of men who are making a difference in the world.
In today’s fast-paced world, it can be easy to get caught up in the grind of work and responsibilities. With so many demands on our time and energy, it’s easy to lose sight of what truly matters. However, personal development for men is important – more so now than ever.
Here are a few reasons why personal development for men is important.
Career Success
Personal development can help men to be more effective and efficient in their careers. It can help them to develop new skills, improve their communication, and build a better work ethic. This can lead to greater opportunities for advancement and success in their field.
Relationship Success: If you focus on personal development, your relationship will improve
Men who focus on personal development are also more likely to build healthy and satisfying relationships. This can be from learning effective communication skills to developing empathy, personal development can help men connect better with others and build deeper, more meaningful connections.
Improved Well-being
Men who invest in personal development are also more likely to experience overall well-being. This can be from stress reduction, developing better self-care practices, and learning to cope with difficult emotions. All these will lead to a more positive outlook on life and overall well-being.
Mental Health is directly proportional to men’s personal development
Personal development can also help men to improve their mental health. Focusing on self-improvement and self-care can help men to reduce stress and anxiety, improve their self-esteem, and develop a greater sense of purpose.
Taking control of your life and future
Personal development is about taking control of your life and shaping your own future. It’s about learning and growing, and about becoming the best version of yourself. It’s about setting goals, taking action, and making progress. By investing in personal development, men can shape their own destiny, and not just be swept along by the waves of culture.
Personal development for men is important, because we need strong, healthy, masculine men to shape the generations to come
In today’s fast-paced world, personal development is more important than ever. It can help men to achieve greater success in their careers, build healthier relationships, and improve their overall well-being. If you’re ready to take control of your life and start your personal development journey, consider picking up a copy of Manlihood: The 12 Pillars of Masculinity or finding a coach or therapist to guide you on your way.
He killed a man in combat when he was 13 years old. He was one of the fiercest Japanese warriors of his day, and he also created and perfected an art form.
This Episode of Testicular Fortitude is Brought To you by HAINES KNIVES
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Testicular Fortitude means having deep seated masculine courage and strength. Balls. Guts. Manlihood.
Testicular Fortitude on the Manlihood ManCast is where we take a look at men who have beat the odds, men whose courage has left a lasting legacy.
Testicular Fortitude
Do you have testicular fortitude? Do you want to embrace your life of courage? Join our elite group of powerhouse men who are changing the world. http://Manlihood.com/brotherhood
https://youtu.be/YKcpNj9Ca3Y
Todays’ man with Testicular Fortitude is Miyamoto Musashi.
He is also known by the names Miyamoto Masana or Niten.
Born in 1584 in feudal Japan, Musashi began fighting as a warrior very young.
At the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600, his fellow soldiers lost – which made him a ronin.
A ronin was a masterless samurai.
They were like the Wild West Gunslingers of the American West– soldiers for hire, duelists, and mercenaries. They were competitive, sometimes hired to protect, but usually they fought for their own honor, rather than someone else’s.
He worked toward mastering his skills with the sword. His goal was to create the perfect sword technique, and what he created would become known as kensai. Kensai is a fencing style with two swords.
Musashi fought and won more than 60 sword duels, many to the death.
On one occasion, the youthful Musashi traveled to Kyoto to fight the master at the Yoshioka family school of martial arts. He arrived late, but the duel went on. It was not a battle to the death, but a wooden sword duel. One blow from Musashi and Yoshioka Seijuro was out of the fight with serious injury to his shoulder and arm.
Seijuro resigned from teaching and became a monk. His status and honor as master had been skunked by a young man.
The new head of the family challenged Musashi. Musashi arrived late again, but killed him with a blow to the head
.
Now, the Yoshioka family, dishonored by Musashi’s prowess in battle, invited Musashi to another duel with the new head of the family, a 12 year old boy. They knew he had been late to the last two duels, so they plotted an ambush.
This time, though, Musashi arrived early, and saw the family setting up the ambush.
He attacked and killed the boy, and then victoriously fought his way through the mob of mercenaries that meant to kill him.
In 1612, Musashi’s most notorious duel was fought against Sasaki Kojiro.
His rival was known to be as good if not better of a swordsman as himself.
The battle was fought on a remote island off the coast. As they rowed out to the battleground, Musashi carved a wooden sword from his oar. And then, entering the fight, quickly killed Kojiro with a strike to the head with the wooden sword.
Musashi knew it was time to “quit while he was ahead,” and retired from sword fighting.
He did go on to train other swordsmen, and write a very well known war strategy known as The Book of Five Rings.
That book would go on to inspire and inform many warriors, and later western business executives in the 1970s after it was translated to English.
His writings are full of inspiration, motivation, and a perspective which sounds as though it could have been written today as much as in the 15th century.
Listen to these pieces of wisdom from Musashi
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“From one thing, know ten thousand things.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“Today is victory over yourself of yesterday; tomorrow is your victory over lesser men.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“The ultimate aim of martial arts is not having to use them.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“All men are the same except for their belief in their own selves, regardless of what others may think of them.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“The only reason a warrior is alive is to fight, and the only reason a warrior fights is to win.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
“Truth is not what you want it to be; it is what it is, and you must bend to its power or live a lie.” -Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings
Musashi was also known as an artist.
He was skilled at the art of Sumi-e – a monochromatic painting style originating in Japan. His paintings Koboku meikakuzu (“Shrike Perched in a Dead Tree”) and Rozanzu (“Wild Geese Among Reeds”) are his most well known.
Miyamoto Musashi was truly a warrior poet. He lived in a brutal time – and served it well. He fought for honor, but he also fought for beauty. The same hands that spilled blood were skilled with ink. The same clear head that he used to fight bravely was the same clear head that taught warriors and businessmen alike to achieve their goals.
While the idea of a “Renaissance Man” may be a western concept, Musashi modeled it in the east.
For his courage, consistency, innovation, creativity, and life-changing words – we salute Miyamoto Musashi’s Testicular Fortitude.
Our guest on the Manlihood ManCast this week is Dr. Terrence Z. Johnson, a counselor and motivational speaker who specializes in personal development for men. Dr. Johnson is a licensed professional counselor and board certified tele-mental health provider with a wealth of experience in working with men to help them achieve their goals and live their best lives.
https://youtu.be/k_rGrgu6DFA
Understanding and Working with Dreams for Personal Development
On the show, Dr. Johnson will be discussing the importance of understanding and working with our dreams as a tool for personal growth and development. He believes that our dreams can reveal valuable insights about ourselves and can help us tap into our inner wisdom to guide us on our journey of self-discovery.
Learn more about Dr. Johnson and his Work
Dr. Johnson is also the founder and CEO of I-Progress, a personal development and coaching company that helps men to achieve their goals and reach their full potential. He believes that by understanding and working with our inner selves, we can unlock our true potential and live our best lives. You can find out more about Dr. Johnson and his work by visiting his website, I-Progress (https://iprogress.cc/), and following him on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/iprogresscc/) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/iprogresscc/).
Listen to Manlihood ManCast
Tune in to the Manlihood ManCast to hear more from Dr. Terrence Z. Johnson on the topic of personal development for men and how understanding and working with our dreams can help us achieve our goals and live our best lives
The CEO and the janitor may not be equal in terms of pay scale, or even the value that they add to an organization – but as people, they have an equality of value.
The guy scrubbing the toilets and the guy scrubbing the paychecks BOTH need to see themselves as leaders.
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Leadership belongs in all areas of life
Your job, your family, your community, your own SELF-IMPROVEMENT, all require leadership skills. Every aspect and every area of your life will benefit if you view yourself as a leader, and if you apply the principles of leading others to leading yourself.
Leadership needs no title
You don’t need an official title to lead. If you are at the bottom of the rung, you can still set the tone, and take on responsibility.
Leadership is influence
The very nature of leadership is not that it demands obedience, but that it conveys influence upon others. Very few people obey a title. But many will follow the example of someone who is a positive influence on them, and who strives to help them improve.
Leadership is service
Leadership is about service. If we go to great historical leaders who led people well, we will see that their goal wasn’t fame or fortune, their goal wasn’t always victory or domination – but their goal was to serve their people, their country, their community, their circle.
According to Oxford University Press (OUP), publishers behind the Oxford English Dictionary, the slang term refers to a type of behavior which is “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations” – traits that may have become familiar to many during lockdown.
Personal Development for Men
At Manlihood, we’re about helping men become better men. That means we focus a lot on personal development for men. We encourage men to help lift each other up, and challenge each other to become better. That’s truly how we defeat goblin mode.
You don’t want to be a goblin
Neither do I! We shouldn’t be content do descend into the laziest, sloppiest, most self-serving versions of ourselves. To break the cycle, we have to commit to a plan of personal development, and commit to relationships with other men who call us higher.
If you don’t want to be a goblin – and want to break out of goblin mode…
Then shoot me a message at mail@joshhatcher.com I’d love to help you break out of Goblin Mode in 2023.
We’ve talked before about the powerful masculinity of Santa Claus. We wanted to call back to some of those stories for our Testicular Fortitude Series.
We know Santa Claus as a chubby white-haired man that wears red clothing and gives gifts to children, but much of that modern image was created by 19th century poets and the Coca Cola Company. The truth is he was a man with balls.
Testicular Fortitude is Brought to You by: Haines Knives
This Episode is Brought To you by HAINES KNIVES Find your new favorite knife at http://HainesKnives.com/mancast or follow on social media @birdforge Testicular Fortitude means having deep seated masculine courage and strength. Balls. Guts. Manlihood. Testicular Fortitude on the Manlihood ManCast is where we take a look at men who have beat the odds, men whose courage has left a lasting legacy. Testicular Fortitude Do you have testicular fortitude? Do you want to embrace your life of courage? Join our elite group of powerhouse men who are changing the world. http://Manlihood.com/brotherhood
St Nicholas: Patron Saint of Everything
Many different groups have adopted St. Nicholas as the patron saint of their causes… children, sailors, the falsely accused, merchants, archers, brewers, Russia, broadcasters, and students.
And the reasons behind that is usually because of a story from his life.
He was born in 270 AD in Turkey among the greeks that lived there. His parents were wealthy, and they died in a plague when he was young. He was raised as a Christian by his uncle Nicholas, and became a priest.
At that time, Christians would often make a dangerous pilgrimage to Jerusalem to visit the Holy City where Jesus lived and died. In 312 AD, he started his journey. During that time, he briefly settled in a cave with a group of monks. As bandits and thieves started attacking the surrounding settlement of mostly pilgrims, Nicholas took the women and children into his cave to protect them against the raiders.
When he returned to Turkey, he was named as the Bishop in the town of Myra. Christianity was widespread, but it was still under assault from the Roman empire. You remember the tales of the Christians in the arenas being eaten by lions – much of that happened under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The emperor’s disdain for Christians is what got Nicholas tossed in prison.
He was kept in solitary and suffered many beatings for refusing to recant his belief in Jesus.
In 2005, Saint Nicholas’s body was exhumed and forensically analyzed. There was ample evidence of broken bones, and a broken nose. This lends scientific credence to that story.
When Constantine converted to Christianity and established it as the official religion of the Roman Empire in 320 AD, they let Nicholas out of jail, and he attended the Council of Nicea in 325. Essentially, the church confirmed the doctrines of the early church at that time, and Nicholas would have had a lot of input on the matter.
It was then that Arius presented his heretical view of Jesus, not as God, but as only a mortal man. Arius was leading people astray from the truths that the church accepted, and condeming the teachings that Christians worldwide had been giving their lives for.
Nick was having none of it – and in front of everyone, walked up and slapped him across the face like he was Chris Rock at the Oscars.
The other bishops were pissed. They took his bishop robes, took his book of scriptures and threw Nick in jail.
But in the morning, when the jailer came to check on him, his shackles had been loosened, and he was fully dressed in his bishop robes and had his book. No one could explain how, and so it has been credited as a miracle.
There were many other miraculous and almost unbelievable stories that have been recorded about Saint Nicholas.
One legend show Nicholas not only catching a serial killer, but bringing the victims back to life! Three children were captured by a butcher, who chopped up their bodies and put them in a pickling brine, where they stayed for years. When Nicholas came to town, he was prompted with knowledge from God to demand that the butcher open up the barrel, exposing his crime.
Then Nicholas commanded that the dead children come back to life.
Another time, while sailing, the ship came under assault by violent storms. The crew and passengers were despairing and preparing to die. Nicholas said, “All you have to do is call out to God to save you.” and then as they prayed, he commanded the storm to cease, and it did.
Whether these miraculous stories are true, I can’t say, for sure, but I’m a believer in such miracles. But even if they are only legends, there’s something about the story of a man willing to speak with the kind of authority that could raise dead children and silence a stormy sea.
Our contemporary Santa is known for giving gifts in stockings to children, but this story comes from a very powerful story about St. Nick.
There was a poor man with three daughters. He could not afford a dowry in order to pay for them to be married. In those days, no husband would take a wife without a dowry. If a young girl didn’t have such a cushion, she may be sold into slavery, or forced to enter the sex trade. St. Nicholas had compassion on the girls, and tossed some gold coins into the window, which landed in a pair of stockings hung by the fire to dry.
His courage, his commitment, his authority, and his kindness, are why Saint Nicholas is featured today for his Testicular Fortitude.
Today’s guest is a commercial fisherman in the cold waters of Alaska, and he has raised his kids on the fishing boat. Richard Wheeler shares with us his experiences and perspectives on this edition of the Manlihood ManCast
We invited Richard Wheeler to be a guest on the Manlihood ManCast because his career is a very manly one. Fishing on the open sea, responsibly harvesting salmon and cod from the cold Alaskan waters is a manly endeavor. And Richard’s old school perspective on family, on the world, will definitely resonate with our audience.
Rich Wheeler has been an Alaska fisherman for over 20 years. He longlines in the spring and fall and runs a small gillnet boat out of Cordova, AK in the summer. Rich brings his family out on the boat as often as possible and strives to pass on the tradition of sustainable and respectful fishing.
Rich does much of the fishing for Sena Sea, and we also source from fellow fishermen who share our high-quality standards, and commitment to sustainability.
The Wheelers are a 3rd generation fishing family in Alaska. Richard and his wife Sena own the fishing company Sena Sea
Rich has fished for more than 25 years,and his experiences on the Alaskan waters as a fisherman and conservationist make for an interesting discussion.
Raising Kids on the Boat
Richard Wheeler talks about taking his young kids on the fishing boat, and what it means to truly have a family business.
