Gentlemen, this may sound counter-intuitive, but you need to stop being charge of everything in your life – If for no other reason than it's killing you. If it doesn't end up physically killing you, it will at the very least kill a metric ton of pleasure, enjoyment, and realized success. Sure, you may reach that goal you're shooting for, and do it your way, but you'll be too exhausted to recognize and appreciate the fruits of your labor. Control can kill.
What do you do about it?
Look, I'm a professional control freak. I've been in recovery for about 3 years now, but I still have episodes when I get my hands in everything and do it all myself. I take control and get stuff done (that's the good part), but I suffer for it later (that's the inevitable pitfall).
In this podcast / article, we'll explore four big reasons why control can kill, and four ways to cope and adjust so you keep moving toward your goal, whatever it happens to be.
Don Miguel Ruiz wrote The Four Agreements, and I'm sure you've no doubt read quotes from it and learned of these agreements from one source or another. Whether you read the book or not, I want to address each agreement from the gentleman's perspective, and a few extra pieces that can help really bring it home in a big way.
The basic four agreements are:
These are each sound pieces of advice on their own, but combined they lay the foundation for a man to be above the gossip and drama, but not above anyone – to be one that others look up to, while never looking down on them. Because this is such a powerful (and simple) exercise in making you better, I invite you into this crash course I affectionately call, "a gentleman's guide to the Four Agreements."
In this podcast, I'll take you through the agreements, how and where you can apply them in your quest to be the man you were born to be, and explore examples of how they can impact your life.