There are hundreds, maybe even thousands, of posts online all about what it takes to be a “real man.” These kinds of posts usually suggest that unless you fit into a pretty narrow definition of manhood, then you’re somehow doing things wrong. Obviously, there are a bunch of reasons why this is not only ridiculous but actually kind of dangerous. After all, there’s no magic formula for how to be a man, and every man is a unique individual. Trying to follow these rules often leads to frustration. Instead of obsessing over what makes you a “real” man, you should, in fact, be focussing on the things that you can do to become a “complete” man. The complete man isn’t concerned with superficial things in the way many “real” men are. Instead, they want to be the best versions of themselves that they can be. If that sounds more appealing to you than trying to constantly fit into whatever box you’ve been trying to squeeze into until now, here are a few things that every complete man needs.
Varied interests
If there’s one thing that you can say about many “real” men, it’s that they are seriously boring. It might be a stereotype, but it’s one that’s proven accurate time and time again. This kind of guy spends all of his time talking about the gym and getting drunk. Of course, there’s nothing with these things. In fact, both can be incredibly enjoyable and beneficial parts of a well-rounded person’s life. But when they become the only things you’re interested in then you’re probably going to end up being a little bit dull. Make sure that you vary up the things that you spend your time on. Of course, there are no rules for how you spend your time. Whether it’s reading, working out, video games, poker, or even knitting, as long as you’re mixing up how you spend your time, you’re much more likely to be an interesting person.
A focus on self-improvement
Obviously, this applies to your physical body as much as anything but that doesn’t mean it needs to be the entire focus of your self-improvement. Remember, your brain is a muscle as much as anything else so you should be exercising that as well. Not only that but you should make sure that you’re always trying to improve in the way you interact with people. Empathy and consideration aren’t always easy, but it should be the aim of the complete man to constantly try to better himself in order to make the lives of those around his as enjoyable as possible.
A sense of responsibility
There are few things more embarrassing than a man who assumes the world owes him something. The kind of guys who complain when women don’t want to date them or blame other people when they’re passed over for a promotion. You should be willing to take control of your life and make the kinds of decision that are going to improve it. The first step to that is taking responsibility for your own actions and remembering that the world isn’t going to hand you everything you want. From that point, you can start to build yourself into the kind of person that you want to be and who can take the things they want instead of waiting to be given them.