2020 Recap for Path To Manliness
Contents
My First Ultra Marathon
Start A List of Your Yearly Accomplishments
Why do Men Need to Adopt the Warrior Mindset?
The 47 Ronin
This World is Filled with Propaganda to Warp Your Perspective
Top Path To Manliness Tweets from 2020
Top Path To Manliness Articles from 2020
I started 2020 sick with Covid-19. I woke up on New Year’s Day feeling like I had a hangover. Around 4pm I began to second guess this. The “hangover” lasted 10 days. There were days I could only get out of bed to slowly shamble to the bathroom. I lost 11 pounds in 10 days.
My First Ultra Marathon
A couple weeks later I was running an ultra-marathon in the mountains of North Carolina instead of recovering like a normal person. Ultra-marathons are anything longer than a marathon, and this one was a 50K or 31.1 miles.
After running in the rain for 25 miles, I was done. I stopped at the best aid station ever. These wonderful volunteers had warm soup, turkey wraps, gummy bears and one very sweet lady even handed me a shot of vodka. They radioed for a pickup. This was my first and only DNF (Did Not Finish) If you’re not failing once in a while, you’re not pushing yourself enough.
I felt defeated and questioned if I was being weak. As I drove back to my AirBnb, I wrestled with these thoughts. I had never felt so drained. Simply taking off my wet socks was a challenge. I struggled to remove the rest of my wet clothing and took a very long hot shower.
When I drove to a bar for a post run beer I nearly fell out of my truck. My legs felt like they were broken, and I struggled to shamble like a zombie down to Mountain Layers Brewing. Now, maybe it was the hunger that hits after burning 5,000 calories, but I swear the taco truck behind the brewery had the most delicious Hawaiian food I had ever tasted. Pulled pork and rice.
When I woke up the next morning feeling even worse, I realized I had given my all. And maybe a bit more.
When my toenails on my big toes fell off, I knew I made the right call to stop running. (Don’t worry. They grow back) This was the only DNF of my life and also my greatest running accomplishment to date.
Don’t Let 2021 Be a Repeat of 2020
2020 does not have to be your worst year. But Covid has given you the greatest out ever for the easy way. Look around at the people in your life and you’ll see most of them have been treating 2020 like an extended summer vacation. The masses are playing video games, drinking booze and laying in bed. All of these things are fine in moderation but it’s been taken to excess.
If this described you, don’t feel defeated. You can rise from the ashes of 2020. If you’re ready to take control of your life, join the Path To Manliness Newsletter. This will inspire you with weekly emails on self-improvement.
First off, start working out with consistency. And you don’t need a gym to do this. This $5 guide can help get you started on your journey to a stronger you.
Now you need to fix your diet. Cut out sugar and processed food. Eat stuff your caveman ancestors would eat and watch the testosterone come back.
Seek accountability with the Spartan Tribe, a brotherhood for men. Your network for advice, connections and camaraderie.
Plan your day. Start writing down what you want to accomplish. Each day, seek to knock out 3 things. What doesn’t get completed is on tomorrow’s list. Watch productivity improve.
Start A List of Your Yearly Accomplishments
In 2018, I started tracking my accomplishments throughout the year. In the Notes app on my phone, I have a running list of accomplishments. I highly recommend you start tracking this. You accomplish more than you realize and seeing the list really encourages you to keep stacking wins.
For example, this year I ran 25 miles on a mountainous trail run. A personal record for distance.
I started the Spartan Tribe, an exclusive club for highly motivated men. This is a network for men to support each other, share ideas and advice and form a brotherhood. If this is something you’d like to learn more about, then click here for more info.
This year, I published The Warrior’s Mindset: How to Become the Modern Warrior. You can buy it digitally on Gumroad or in Paperback on Amazon. This is the spiritual successor to Reclaim Your Manhood.
Why Do Men Need to Adopt the Warrior Mindset?
Modern society is soft and it’s making you weak. We are in the middle of a testosterone crisis. The world wants soft and sensitive men. The world needs The Warrior Mindset:
You want to become the modern day warrior monk, then you must elevate yourself to a higher level. This will take the right mindset. And that mindset is the warrior mindset. Below is an excerpt from The Warrior’s Mindset.
The 47 Ronin
This is one of the most famous stories in Japanese history. The year is 1701. The place is Japan. Set during the Tokugawa era when Japan was ruled by the shogun, this is a time where honor was respected above all else. The military elites followed the code of Bushido, or “The Way of the Warrior.” Chief among the code of Bushido, was loyalty to one’s master and fearlessness in the face of death.
While training in court etiquette, Kira Yoshinaka, a Shogun official grew furious with Samurai Master Asano Naganori of Ako when the gifts he received were deemed inadequate. Asano preached patience, but when Kira called him a “country bumpkin without manners,” it was beyond forgiveness. Asano drew his sword and attacked Kira. Asano merely inflicted a superficial would to the shogun’s head, but shogunate law is strict in forbidding anyone from drawing a sword in the castle. They demanded Asano commit ritual seppuku suicide.
The death of Asano left the 320 samurai leaderless and impoverished. Their titles were reduced from samurai to Ronin. To not have a master is a great dishonor in samurai culture so they were expected to follow their master in seppuku suicide. Forty-seven of the samurai opted instead to live and wait patiently, while secretly plotting their revenge for the death of their master.
The 47 Ronin swore a secret oath to kill Kira. Expecting such vengeance, Kira posted numerous guards and fortified his home against the 47 Ronin. But they were patient. They waited. They even scattered across the land, pretending to be thieves, mercenaries, even mad men. One of them even went so far as to marry into the family so that he would have access to the blueprints of Kira’s mansion.
Their leader, Oishi Yoshio, appearing convincingly as if he had given into decadence and nihilism, began to drink and spent money on prostitutes. He even divorced his wife and sent her and their younger children away to spare them from what they had to do next.
December 14, 1702, 46 Ronin descend upon the castle in the middle of the night as snow falls on the quiet night. One Ronin is assigned to go and tell the tale of their revenge.
Armed with ladders, battering rams and swords, the Ronin surround the house. Simultaneously, Ronin are silently scaling the walls and incapacitating guards who are caught by surprise. As the Ronin attack from both the front and the rear, Kira’s samurai awake from their sleep and rush out barefoot to fight the Ronin in the snow.
As the Ronin dispatch the samurai, they see no sight of Kira. They search the house for an hour, finally finding the Shogun official hiding in nothing but his underwear. Oishi offers Kira a short sword, a wakizashi, to commit ritual seppuku. The same short sword the Ronin’s leader had used to commit ritual seppuku.
They stare at each other, Oishi on his knees, watching the visibly shaken Kira cowardly refrain from choosing an honorable death. Oishi rises, unsheathes his sword and swiftly beheads Kira.
All 46 Ronin survive their stealth attack, dispatching forty of Kira’s samurai. The sun begins to rise as the Ronin walk through town, greeted by cheering crowds. They walk into the Sengakuji Temple, the burial place of their deceased master. Oishi walks up to his master’s grave and presents Kira’s head.
Despite becoming national heroes to their honor and strict adherence to Bushido, they were charged for their crimes and ordered to commit ritual seppuku suicide. A death more honorable than execution.
On February 4, 1703 as the day turned to nightfall, the forty-six Ronin committed seppuku.
The forty-six Ronin were buried at the Sengkuji Temple in Tokyo, near their deceased master. The site instantly became a site of pilgrimage for many who admired the Ronin for their honor. The forty seventh Ronin was believed to have been pardoned, and after a full life was buried alongside the forty-six Ronin.
Asano’s eldest son was returned the title of Samurai, and one tenth of the land was returned to them.
This World is Filled with Propaganda to Warp Your Perspective
The modern-day warrior accepts this truth.
Western man has invested so heavily into capitalism that the decision to produce future generations, is dependent upon the magical line we call the stock market. Our most significant purpose, to procreate, we leave up to market conditions.
Now, even when the market crashes, it often recovers within a few years, and raising a kid is an 18-year long process so why even worry about market conditions?
This is one of those paradoxes where people of lesser intelligence are superior to those of greater intelligence. When you think too much, you become subject to paralysis by analysis. This is true even when deciding on the right time to have kids.
Do you think an ancient Spartan warrior, a Viking or a Ronin would willingly snip their ability to procreate? What greater purpose is there in this life than to create future warriors from your own bloodline? The entire purpose of civilization is to learn from the past so that we may build a brighter future, but many of the brightest are scientifically castrating the future.
An analysis of modern DNA reveals that 8,000 years ago, 17 women reproduced for every one man. This means that throughout much of human history, man struggled to keep his gene pool alive. Yet modern men willfully sacrifice the opportunity to further their genetic lineage in favor of having fur-babies, (a grotesque term for pets) more disposable income and more leisure time.
Rare is it that a man has no option for reproduction in today’s day and age. Procreation is far more accessible than in ancient history thanks to marriage and social shame. Men will complain that women only want men who are 6 feet tall, but if this were true, we’d have seen humanity slowly becoming giants.
Ancient Spartans didn’t have apps on their phone allowing them to connect with “Hot Spartan Ladies in Your Town.” No, they had to work all day in the farm, ride a horse into town and then go find a woman the REAL, old-fashioned way. Some of these men would literally put on their armor, get on an old wooden ship named “Diversity” and cross the Aegean Sea to wage war against other men just for the chance of meeting a nice girl. Yet men today will willfully snip their “manhood” and destroy all chances of creating a future.
People will tell you that fundamentally nothing changes in a man after the snip, but your vet will tell you that your dog will calm down and be more docile after he gets the snip. Apparently, nothing will change except you’ll become a nice, domesticated pet - content with your suburban home, minivan and white picket fence. Prozac optional.
Maybe I’m being hyperbolic as this isn’t a one to one comparison. They are different procedures intended for different mammals. But you must admit that the ability to procreate is inherently a big piece of what helps a man define his own masculinity.
If you enjoyed this excerpt from The Warrior’s Mindset, you can buy it digitally on Gumroad or in Paperback on Amazon.
Top Path To Manliness Tweets from 2020
Top Path To Manliness Articles from 2020
10 Red Flags to Look Out For
If you don’t know the red flags to look out for, your entire life could fall apart. There are too many thirsty guys out there obsessed with finding a woman even if it means losing everything they’ve worked so hard for. These men will be the ones who end up giving away half their paycheck in child support and alimony. It doesn’t have to be this way. Pay attention, learn the red flags and focus on making yourself a man worth pursuing.
How to Improve Your Sex Life
Are you frustrated by all the bad relationship advice you’ve been given? Women will give you tips that may work for them but aren’t battle tested. Never take relationship advice from women. They’ll tell you to be a nice guy because women can get laid by simply being nice to men. Read on if you want to learn how to improve your sex life.
33 Lessons I’ve Learned in 33 Years
1. Men Are Searching For Direction
Young men feel lost and rudderless in modern life. They’re stuck pursuing a safe life they are supposed to live rather than the life they truly want.
The handbook for young men everywhere who are lost and need direction and guidance in life.
It is never too late to change your life. What can you do today to improve yourself?
This book will
- Help you create your life mission
- Understand red flags in women
- Develop healthy habits
- Gain self-confidence
- Become a more interesting man
- Live a life of excellence
Challenge yourself by reading this book and implement its advice into your own life. I have 20 steps here for the modern man to make meaningful changes to his life as well as details about how to take these steps and put them into action.
Change your mindset. Change your life.
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Why We Run
We don't run to lose weight. We don’t run just to work out. Sure, those are benefits, but they’re not the reasons we lace up our shoes and hit the pavement or the trail day after day. Running transcends fitness goals and calorie counts. It’s not about shaving seconds off your mile time or staying in shape—though we all want those things, too. Running is about something deeper, something that goes beyond the physical.