Are You Man Enough?

Written by Mark Cole


For whatever reason, something has brought you to this article. Perhaps this will berepparttar first day of a dramatic change in your life.

But before you read any further, let me be clear about something. This article andrepparttar 136812 things I will discuss below are not for every man.

If you are looking forrepparttar 136813 latest fad in feminizing pop psychology, then this article is not for you.

If you think you need to find your “inner child” rather than learn how to be a real man then this article is not for you.

But if you want to escaperepparttar 136814 modern movement to make men and boys ever more effeminate, thenrepparttar 136815 ideas in this article might be for you.

If you never – ever! – want to hear a grown man talking about “finding himself” again, then what follows might be for you.

If you craverepparttar 136816 deeper lessons of true masculinity – of vision, self-sacrifice, courage and leadership then read on. What follows is definitely for you.

***

My name is Mark Cole. Every day I strive to be a better man and a better father. I aspire to fear no man – but only God. I try to live boldly, energetically, fearlessly, courageously, creatively.

I often fail; but I do not give up. And when I am successful, it is because I am applying one ofrepparttar 136817 principles which I have learned from my ongoing, intensive study ofrepparttar 136818 lives ofrepparttar 136819 Great Men – men like Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Davy Crockett, Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton and many, many others.

A few years ago, I was in a slump and needed an injection of vision and motivation into my successful – by ordinary standards – but repetitive, conformist and uninspiring life.

As I groped about trying to find something contemporary to read (yes, I am embarrassed to say that I have dabbled in self-help literature), it occurred to me: Why reinventrepparttar 136820 wheel? Why not go withrepparttar 136821 tried and true? Why waste time withrepparttar 136822 system of a success guru – especially one who promotesrepparttar 136823 feminine side of man (my quest began, after all, inrepparttar 136824 1990’s)?

Fortunately, I knew enough aboutrepparttar 136825 lives ofrepparttar 136826 Great Men to know that I wanted my life to look more like theirs. The only way to do that is to study them.

So I began and I have never looked back. Since my quest for guidance fromrepparttar 136827 Great Men of history began, I have made dramatic improvements in my life. If I were a betting man, I would wager that you need to dorepparttar 136828 same.

***

From Winston Churchill, I have learned about perseverance,repparttar 136829 importance of powerful communication and about standing for principle.

From Theodore Roosevelt, I have learned aboutrepparttar 136830 importance of pushing my body – but pushing my mind even harder.

From Charles Haddon Spurgeon –repparttar 136831 greatest preacher ofrepparttar 136832 19th century – I have learned about what a real day’s hard work looks like. After meeting Spurgeon, I will never complain about being tired again!

From Davy Crockett, I have learned aboutrepparttar 136833 importance of real education, but I now understand that most true education doesn’t take place in schools.

From Abraham Kuyper,repparttar 136834 great Dutch theologian, journalist, educator and Prime Minister, I have learned that men need not be defined by a single vocation, but that real men are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to leave their mark onrepparttar 136835 world.

Be A Man! Create!

Written by Mark Cole


General George S. Patton and John Quincy Adams were poets. Churchill was a painter. Karol Wojtyla,repparttar Polish priest who became Pope John Paul II, was, in his younger days, a playwright, director and stage actor, as was Vaclav Havel. Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger,repparttar 136811 German priest who just became Pope Benedict XVI plays classical piano and is (like Karl Barth) a Mozart aficionado. Jefferson designed Monticello. Secretary of State Dean Acheson was an accomplished woodworker. The young Theodore Roosevelt was a taxidermist. Albert Schweitzer was a world-class organist and Bach scholar.

And so on. Do you see a pattern here?

One ofrepparttar 136812 secrets ofrepparttar 136813 Great Men ofrepparttar 136814 past is that they cultivated creativity and artistic expression in their lives. Sometimesrepparttar 136815 Great Men consciously chose a craft or a fine art as an outlet, a creative diversion fromrepparttar 136816 intensity of their daily lives. And sometimesrepparttar 136817 Great Men had no particular objective in pursuing creative expression, it just simply happened as an overflow of who they already were. They created, just as day follows night.

You can be creative, too, and reaprepparttar 136818 incredible benefits. That is, if you userepparttar 136819 right tools.

***

My new web site, http://www.ConversationFromthePast.com, will help you live a creative life of adventure and challenge you to expand your horizons and reach new frontiers. At Conversations Fromrepparttar 136820 Past, men are challenged, edified and encouraged to embrace what Theodore Roosevelt called The Strenuous Life.

We challenge each other to live lives of steadfast resolution, to overcome obstacles, to win in spite of a thousand repulses or defeats, to never fear to try a new line of attack because of a previous setback.

We urge each other to grasp, to rise and struggle, even against incalculable odds, to attempt, to makerepparttar 136821 bold move.

We also recognize that as we liverepparttar 136822 lives that we desire, we will also berepparttar 136823 object of begrudging, resistance, hostility and resentment. Bold, intensely masculine lives create friction. It is not just historical irony thatrepparttar 136824 greatest peacemakers inrepparttar 136825 history ofrepparttar 136826 world have met with violent death; it is simplyrepparttar 136827 way of this world.

One ofrepparttar 136828 best ways to deal with these difficulties, these assaults, is to seek a creative outlet, an artistic expression.

***

But, you rightfully ask, how do I get started? Great question. The answer is surprisingly simple.

Just start and don’t look back. As Churchill wrote of his own painting career (which was by any standard very successful, especially since he had a few other things on his plate):

[T]he first quality that is needed is Audacity. There really is no time forrepparttar 136829 deliberate approach.

In other words, if you feel like painting, do what Churchill did: get outrepparttar 136830 paints, buy some canvas and get started. When you make a mess, then go do some background reading on techniques, identify where you went wrong and then forge ahead again, this time without making preciselyrepparttar 136831 same mistake. By trial and error you will quickly getrepparttar 136832 basic skills you need in order to satisfyingly express your creativity through your painting.

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