Much has been said in recent times about the empowerment of women.

The talk of gender and gender equality (whilst not as loud as it was maybe a few years ago – wonder why?) has featured little to nothing when it comes to the status and advancement of men.

This is to say, the need to advance the cause of men, particularly young boys during their formative years. In line with the support, aid, and other special programs that have been launched for the aid of the opposite sex.

The policy of aiding the advancement of one sex, but apparently not the other, should strike anyone as rather curious.

And given the state of affairs in the modern world, particularly the declining standards of men and boys in various spheres of life in relation to that of girls: from academics to the standards of health, and arguably the most important factor, the kind of financial and economic stability that men have in relation to women.

Ought to raise legitimate questions. Questions that we have raised time and again. Subjects on this topic which we have covered extensively in our other posts.

The point here is that men today on average, specifically in the Western world are doing worse than the opposite sex across key social and economic markers.

A matter that ought to have been a cause for alarm in any other instance. But for some reason, the decline in men (and there is no other way to put this) has pretty much gone unnoticed by the powers that be.

That is until very recently. In the post-pandemic era, with changing character of the social environment, with work and human relations undergoing change, not all of it, is necessarily conducive to human well-being.

Once again, the changes, the negative ones, have had a greater impact on men. Particularly the young guys who are coming through the ranks, with new social norms and even rules that have sprung up in recent years working against them (you).

From the rise in remote work, the lack of physical interactivity in schools and elsewhere, and the ever-growing presence of social media in shaping social relationships and the nature of work. Combined with changes in popular culture.

Where, in case one has been paying attention, there has been a noticeable drop off in masculinity: from the dearth of tough, independent male lead characters. The rise of feminism. To say nothing of the rise of AI.

Faced with these challenges young men in the modern world are facing a challenging new landscape to grow and develop in. This raises the question of how should they go about navigating it.

What kind of steps should they be taking to move forward, grow and succeed? Well, that’s where we come in.

Become a Leader 

In life, as a man you are either a leader or a follower.

No matter what you do, what you believe in, or what causes you choose to support, you are either in control of your life and determining its direction, or you are being controlled by someone else. Where your time is spent working to achieve the goals and fulfill the dreams of someone else.

This is a simple premise. But also a powerful one.

If you are a man, or even an adolescent going through the key developmental stages towards manhood, ask yourself: How much control do you have over your life?

And then ask, say in the course of, the next 5 years (an important timeline when planning ahead) how much more (or less) control will you stand to gain?

For a young man, say someone in his mid to late teens, this question is easier to answer.

The logic of life is that as you grow older, you gain more experience, more knowledge, and in time more financial security via your job or career; which in turn will give you more power/control over various aspects of life.

Good.

The question however is, how much power and control?

Note that having the capacity to control your life is a relative thing. Much of it rests on HOW good a career is and by extension the kind of financial stability you manage to attain in the course of the next half-decade.

Once again, if you are a young(er) man this state of affairs would seem more manageable, as you have (more) time on your hands. As the assumption would be that as you build yourself in your career, you would come to have greater control over your life.

However, as we all know not everyone reaches the heights of success they dream of as kids. With some even failing to attain the goals they set during their early adulthood years. 

This matter becomes more pressing as you go further in life. With the added pressures of work, particularly the unsatisfying kind, relationships, and other commitments start to weigh in.

In which case the question must once again be asked: Are you a man who is in control of his life or is he being controlled by the events that happen around him and to him?

The question of what makes a man a leader can be understood as simply as someone who is able to lead the kind of life that he wants to. NOT the kind of life he is made to.

In light of this, once again I pose the question: Are you a leader in your life?

In case the answer is negative or you are not sure, we move to engage the main points that define a man who IS a leader in his life. Make no mistake the men who succeed in the major arenas of life are also leaders in their own right.

What Makes a Leader?  

A lot of things really. But in simple terms, a leader is a person who commands respect. Commands attention. And by extension is able to attract value by being able to give or produce value.

Think of any influential person in the world today: whether they be sportsmen, politicians, business leaders, technologists, celebrities, and even social media influencers.

What do all of these people have in common?

Besides being widely recognized and wealthy, they are also respected by their peers. Which includes politicians.

Love them or hate them, politicians don’t hold that position of power and influence (speaking of Western democracies) without the support of tens of millions of people. Which means they gotta be doing something right.

When it comes to leadership the basic requisite is expertise. This means, as a start, you need to be good at something. And by good, you need to be at least better than 90 percent of people around.

This is not a hard mark to cross, considering that when you choose a specific field, and then start specializing in it, and keep improving over time, you will necessarily start moving ahead of the pack.

The question when it comes to leadership (i.e. to be an example for those to follow, and be a source of inspiration or motivation) comes down to the question of HOW good you become in a given field.

And when we say ‘How good’ we are not just talking about technical expertise and qualifications.

Whilst such things will matter greatly in highly competitive arenas like sports; however in other fields, what often matters is your ability to stand out by doing other things.

Like marketing yourself better. Building a new, or tapping into a sizeable network.

To stand out from the crowd and do the things that draw the attention and interest of your peers, and experts in the field, and in time society at large. This is how their game is won.

To become a leader in the field: that is to command the attention of your peers, gain the support of new followers, and the financial commitment of investors, funders, and money-spending customers you need to face and overcome a number of obstacles.

Obstacles that are internal and external in nature. The question is: Do you know how to?

For there is an important step in the leader–follower equation that must be considered and overcome.

One that lies before you get to the stage of being a leader, and in turn, being able to shape your pathway as a successful man in the modern world.

And that is the process of self-mastery.

The Principle of Self-Mastery 

 

The central dogma of Bulldog Mindset is that nothing and I mean absolutely nothing comes easy in life.

If you want something that is good, or that you think is good, you gonna have to work for it.

Well, you may ask: I see a lot of different people in the world who seem to just get what they want when they want it!

Whether it is money, cars, girls, and social recognition.

You are right.

But the key fact that is often missed in such debates is how these guys actually got to a stage where the ‘good things in life’ so to speak, are just there for the taking.

Understand this, nothing in life comes without prior investment. This is true for everything from the construction of a house, to the building of a business (physical or online), the development of your physique to getting good with girls.

To experience and/or acquire all good things there is a step-by-step process that one must follow which can lead you closer to your desired goal Or, in case this point is forgotten, take you away from it.

The question is are you following the right process now? Today? At this time in your life, to get there?

This is a serious question that you need to consider seriously, before taking the next step.

Right. Presuming you have done so, the next question is what do you do?

Well, for starters doing well the things that you have in front of you ought to be the immediate step.

The importance of being effective (doing the right thing) and efficient (doing the thing right) applies to virtually all areas of life.

From driving cars, setting up a codebase, and asking a girl out to making your bed.

As a first step in your journey towards succeeding as a man in the modern world, you need to do the basics right.

And this means being able to work at and excel at whatever challenges that are you are facing daily.

From homework, the end-of-year exams, your first job interview, asking for a raise, building your own business, to getting up on stage and addressing a crowd of thousands of people.

And let’s not kid ourselves: a lot of people, arguably the vast majority of men would love to excel at all of these things. But as you may know only a few, a very small percentage in fact actually succeed.

Whilst success as a concept might be considered relative. As what success actually means in the real world might vary depending on the worldview and convictions of the person in question (e.g. If the person happens to be Zen Buddhist).

Nonetheless, the point remains that when it comes to success in the modern world, success in the Western world specifically, what matters is power, or underpins it, money or financial security. This is what matters.

And when it comes to attaining success in the real world you need to do what is necessary. And what is necessary is that you pound away at a goal, or objective till you reach it.

The major goals of fame and fortune are built on the foundations of your success in smaller things. The little things. The foundational things. Such as:

  • Having a Daily Work, Rest, Study, and Play Routine
  • Educating Yourself
  • Developing a New Skill Set
  • Making Smart Investments
  • Join a Productive Network from which to Learn and Grow from

And underlying it all, is the willingness to face your fears by tackling them head-on. Doing this is easier said than done.

Believe me. If it was, all the talk about a ‘Boy Crisis’, ‘A Crisis of Masculinity’ would not be making the news.

So what’s to be done?

Glad you asked. As this takes us to the next and most important section of this post.

Taking the Right Action

The first step in a long arduous journey is almost always the hardest. But it is one that must be made.

The question when it comes to achieving success as a man is not always about taking action: That is to do things that are expected of you. To what is right by the law, society, family, your company, or religion.

Success for men is about rising above the rest. It is about doing the right things and more. It is about working hard and smart, and then some in order to achieve what other men, who also put in the hours, are not able to.

Let’s face it the world is a tough place. It is a competitive landscape where not everyone will succeed. Despite a lot of people trying to.

So the question (yes another question) is, what separates the winners from the rest?

Okay. This is the important part.

In life, unless you happen to be exceptionally lucky or exceptionally talented; and I would say ideally both, you need support to get ahead. A framework so to speak that can aid you.

A network of people, men primarily, who are working towards a common cause. Self-improvement.

Self-improvement is not just in a new age ‘self-help’ sort of way. But rather it is about attaining growth, it is about growing as a person, as a man. As you work towards your goals.

The key difference is that you don’t do it alone. You do it by tapping into a community of men, a brotherhood almost, who are united in principles and committed towards a single main goal: to rise.

This is what you stand to receive with Bulldog Mindset: The Mindset of Perseverance. The Mindset of determination. The Mindset that leads to success.

Whether your goals are specific like learning a new skill, building muscle, reducing weight, or writing your first book.

Or something broader such as increasing your net worth, building a viable business, and yes, also getting good with the ladies. We have something for you.

But this step involves an investment. Not a huge investment. But a meaningful one. An investment that is significant enough over time that it will demand input from you. Constant input that requires consistent action to get you closer to your goals.

Are you willing to make it?

In Conclusion 

Success is a big word. Whose true meaning only you can define. However, if there is one unifying definition of success: it would be the ability to reach the goals that you have set for yourself.

When it comes to achieving your goals, the most fundamental one would entail not failing in life. This would be followed by being able to do well in your line of work and to have the kind of relationships you have. This in turn will lead to higher goals or aspirations.

Reaching them will be tougher, but the rewards will be greater. And in order to reach them you will have to work harder and even smarter. To do this you will need help. If you need it, then you know which door to knock.