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One of the most critical emotions to overcome for men is fear. It is an emotion that lies to us and causes us to question everything about ourselves. In this first of a two-part post, I describe the characteristics of fear, how and why it lies to us, and the fears most men have. The subsequent post will explain some positive aspects of fear and how having a healthy fear can help you live fully and authentically as a mature adult male.  About Fear For many of us, fear of the unknown is crippling. Personally, I fear uncertainty and want to know what’s ahead of me so I like to be in control. It’s one of (many) faults.  As I wrote in an earlier series on Better Manhood Skills, Controlling Your Emotions, Fear is one of the eight emotions difficult for men to manage (The others include Anger, Sadness, Happiness,

I saw this quote from Alexis Carrell on Facebook recently that caused me to ponder it for much longer than normal. At first glance, the quote indicates man must endure hardship, pain, and suffering before they can heal. On the other hand, it begs the question: Why do we need to break ourselves down to improve? “Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.” –French surgeon, biologist and Noble Prize winner, Alexis Carrel (1873-1944) According to this post at Elevate Society, Carrell emphasizes that personal growth and transformation often comes at a cost. The metaphor of being both the marble and the sculptor suggests that we possess the raw material and the tools necessary to shape ourselves. Just as a sculptor must chisel away at the marble, Carrell suggests we must also face the pain and struggle that comes with self-improvement.  The Heart

A recent Chicago Tribune article titled, Why Don’t Men Read Novels? describes that many men don’t read in any genre. Is it the way we are wired or the type of content we consume? Or both? I admit that in my younger days, I was not much of a reader. As I get older though, I have learned to pick up a good book or magazine more often. I also skim-read my local newspapers every day, starting with the sports section followed by the business news, then the main section. I occasionally read nonfiction books on self-help or a business topic, or a timely autobiography. Of course, I do read my Bible, primarily whenever I lead the discussion in our men’s group. I’m still not a voracious reader, probably due to my increasingly bad attention span or self-diagnosed case of ADD. I just don’t like to read as much as my