[April 22, 2024] In my recent exploration of advice for young men, I discovered a good deal worth sharing. The latest comes from Manly & Modern, a site dedicated to helping young men improve productivity, thought patterns, and habits. They give relationship advice, social tips, career and finance guidance, and workout content. We will find many similarities to their advice compared with others presented here.
Manly & Modern begins with the assumption that teenage years “can be rough.” Yes! And while that is often true, it belies several ideas that permeate the advice you will find on their site. Their interest is giving “tried and true pieces of advice for young men that will help keep things on track.” Fair enough.
They give us 16 pieces of “wisdom” that are worth considering. Here they are:
- Invest in Your Education: Learning is a lifelong journey, but focusing on your education as a young adult will truly pay dividends in the long run.
- Invest in Your Health: Taking care of yourself and your health, both physically and mentally, will cause you to be much happier and healthier. You will also drastically reduce the likelihood that you suffer from various chronic diseases, stress, or put on excess weight.
- Start a Side Hustle or Passion Project: Starting a side hustle is immensely valuable. It can boost your finances. Being able to provide for yourself and the people you love is important, so bettering your finances never hurts.
- Don’t Neglect Friends & Family: Everyone needs a community. Your community is there for you when the going gets tough and when you need extra support. Often, this sense of community comes from your friends who are closest to you and from your family.
- Always Have a Book on the Go: Reading is one of the best ways to expand your mind. Just get in the habit of reading. This is one of the most valuable lessons you can get.
- Strive to Be a Gentleman: No matter what others say, chivalry is not dead. There are the classic characteristics of a gentleman, such as always being kind, treating ladies with the utmost respect, and remaining classy. Another aspect of being a gentleman is always to tell the truth. Live a life of integrity so that others know that you’re trustworthy.
- Learn Manly Skills: So, what are some classically ‘manly’ skills worth learning? Well, you could learn how to:
- Take care of your home or car.
- Construct something with your hands.
- Basic plumbing skills.
- Cook and barbecue.
- Start a fire.
You get the idea. Pay homage to a rich history of men who knew how to build things, survive, and thrive in the face of difficult times.
- Gain Basic Financial Literacy: Once you begin work and acquire a sense of independence, you will have to engage in many financial decisions. Learning basic financial literacy is one of the most important pieces of advice for young men, and it’s a shame this isn’t taught in schools.
- Set Bold Career Goals: Goal setting leads to success. There’s something magical about writing down your goals that turns them into a reality. Your goals should be aspirations of all you hope and aspire to be, and your professional career is no exception. Your career goals should, of course, be achievable. Write out your goals, create a plan or list of steps to get there, and then get to work.
- Set Bold Personal Growth Goals: Create a vision of who you want to be in the future, in whatever aspect, and diligently work towards that. Envision the steps that it will take to become that person.
- Nurture Your Relationship with a Significant Other: Relationships take work, and relationships with significant others are no exceptions. If you have found someone you enjoy being with or love, you must invest in that relationship. This person may be the one you spend the rest of your life with.
- Stop Making Excuses: Whatever your goal, a truly valuable life lesson for young men is to stop making these excuses and to catch yourself when you’re following this flawed thought pattern. If you make these excuses, you will never reach the results. You will never become who you want to be and who you truly are. Push through the excuses and keep moving forward every step of the way!
- Dress Well and Stay Sharp: I don’t care what you say about impressions or judging a book by its cover: how you dress says a lot about you, and this matters. Caring for yourself and dressing professionally will give off a more well-kept, respectable impression. This can serve you in business and relationships; honestly, it feels good.
- Don’t Overspend Money to “Fit In:” You should never feel ashamed, embarrassed or jealous about what other people have versus your possessions. It’s completely fine to have ambition and to set goals.
- Don’t Play Too Many Video Games: Video games can occupy your attention for hours on end. However, this can be a bad thing as the time you spend gaming could have been used for activities that benefit your growth. It is okay to play video games; don’t overdo it.
- Watch the Drinking: Everything has an opportunity cost, so there will come a point where you have to decide how you want to spend your time. Partying has a time and place, but you must evaluate how much it means to you and when it’s time to settle down. Plus, excessive drinking is harmful to your health and wallet. If you catch yourself drinking too much throughout the week, reign it in, reevaluate, and stay on track.
Final Thoughts from Manly & Modern: As long as we consciously work towards self-improvement and keep some classic pieces of wisdom in mind, we can’t go wrong.
This site is good, but the emphasis on “modernizing” advice for men comes with the risk that we fall for form over substance. While much of the advice here tracks with previous articles on “advice for young men,” take this with caution. For example, they say that “partying has a time and place.” Perhaps this is a little too forgiving.
Overall, it’s excellent advice, and you can’t go wrong by following their list of 16.
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Excellent article on being a good young man. thank you Gen. Satterfield.
I was thinking the same thing. I have three young boys to raise with my husband and we’ve been looking around for this kind of advice. In an earlier comment, I noted that this new series is appreciated. But also, I wanted to note that Gen. Ssatterfield’s long series on “Letters to My Granddaughter” are a hidden gem. These are stories from the youth of Gen. Satterfield and tells us how he was focused on his family, God, and community. By doing this, he had an “aim” (to use his own words), that allowed him to follow a specific path in life.
It’s a good thing that someone is giving young men advice they can use. Feminists today are destroying young men, and in the same way destroying families and themselves. Feminism has backfired big time.
Sissy you are so right
be a man
be a good man
be a great man who takes care of business
old warrior, always straight to the point. thank you sir.
Well done, Gen. Satterfield. Thanks.
My favorite:
No. 6 – Strive to Be a Gentleman: No matter what others say, chivalry is not dead. There are the classic characteristics of a gentleman, such as always being kind, treating ladies with the utmost respect, and remaining classy. Another aspect of being a gentleman is always to tell the truth. Live a life of integrity so that others know that you’re trustworthy.
Another excellent addition to the idea that we can give good advice to young men. It is about time !!!!!!!!!!
Final Thoughts from Manly & Modern: As long as we consciously work towards self-improvement and keep some classic pieces of wisdom in mind, we can’t go wrong. This site is good, but the emphasis on “modernizing” advice for men comes with the risk that we fall for form over substance. While much of the advice here tracks with previous articles on “advice for young men,” take this with caution. For example, they say that “partying has a time and place.” Perhaps this is a little too forgiving. Overall, it’s excellent advice, and you can’t go wrong by following their list of 16. Gen. Satterfield nailed it.
Thank you, Valkerie, well said. that is why I keep coming by to Gen. Satterfield’s website….. to learn and to think.
I can’t wait for the book. But that might be years away. In the meantime, I’m here reading the building blocks of Gen. Satterfield’s thinking on the subject. Now, that is a sort of adventure.
God Bless, General Doug Satterfield.
I’m starting to see a pattern here. And, of course, that is what Gen. Satterfield is after, at least that is what I think he is after. well done, sir. Loving this buildup to a bigger, more concise layout of advice for young men to be good men.
Indeed, Kevin, that is what this is about. The entire layout of “advice for young men” using articles from different people at different times will eventually establish patterns, those ideas that everyone who knows what they are doing will accept. When that is done, Gen. Satterfield can put it together and …. surprise surprise …. he now has a complete laydown of what it takes to be a good man. Will it be 55 rules like his other book, or something else? That is the question I have for now.
While the advice here is certainly for young men, it is worthwhile and logical for me to note that it also works for ALL men and probably for all women too. But, as Gen. S. has noted, it is important now to get the word out for young men because of the attacks on manhood by fourth-wave feminism (the anti-West, anti-man ideology that makes women and men weaker creatures). 💖
Great to hear from you again, Janna and thanks. Great comment.
Janna. you are so right
Spot on comment, Kevin. Thanks.
Excellent series discussing a very important topic today in America and the West. We will fail as a culture if MEN are not allowed to be men.
#12. Stop Making Excuses: Whatever your goal, a truly valuable life lesson for young men is to stop making these excuses and to catch yourself when you’re following this flawed thought pattern. If you make these excuses, you will never reach the results. You will never become who you want to be and who you truly are. Push through the excuses and keep moving forward every step of the way!
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This one is not going to sit well with the whinny liberal, progressive, red-dyed, bedwetting twits that live in mommy’s basement.
Yep, they probably had to go and get their teddy bears and coloring books and do a good cry in their pink bedrooms.
Once again, as Gen. Satterfield presents us with different views on “advice for young men,” what we are seeing is a picture coming together on what it really takes to be a good man. Maybe Gen. Satterfield will write more about “Rules to Be a Good Man.” Now that would be very interesting and I would buy the book and give some away. What do you guys and gals think?
Danny, great idea. It would be great to see this happen. But, that will be up to Gen. Satterfield.
Danny, good one. Thanks. 👀👀👀👀👀
Thank you, brother. I’ve been a regular reader of Gen. Satterfield’s writings now for several years and it is easy for me to see that he is one of those good poeple who looks to help others be better, and not coddle them or make excuses for them (see No. 12 above). This is what I like about the site. Oh, and tell the truth while seeking responsibility. Thanks all. Be on the look out for that book.
Great info.