Koco – Page 2 – Real Man

Rule 5: A Real Man Protects the Money Machine

THE THING

Here’s the Thing! What if you had a money machine that made you a certain amount of money every month? Let’s say this money machine was in your garage and every month it made and spat out a fixed amount of money. Would you try everything to protect this machine from theft or damage? Would you have this machine insured?

Real Men understand that they are the money machines. If the money machine should break, they need to insure against this possibility. It is for this reason that they take out insurance policies on themselves for the unlikely, but possible event that will cause their loved ones to suffer as a result of the missing income. If you and your wife are the money machines, it follows that both of you should in some way insure the flow of cash, should either of you be unable to make the money.

Real Men believe in life insurance, income protection, dread disease and disability cover. I sound like an insurance salesman now. Real Men look into the future and they take out a retirement plan when they are young, to ensure the maximum return for them when their money machine is too old to work anymore.

Real Men plan, they protect, and they have a backup plan.

THE REWARD

You have the peace of mind in knowing that you and your income are protected.

The reward is knowing that you have money put aside for a rainy day and trust me that rainy day and those storms will happen. If by some miracle they don’t happen, you have spare cash to do with what you want.

THE HOW TO

Go now and sign a debit order against your account putting at least 10% into some form of savings account.
Take another 10% and take out some kind of insurance plan that covers you in the case of death or even worse disability.
Contact an insurance broker today and make sure you are covered for disability, dreaded diseases and some form of life cover.
Ask for a retirement vehicle and divide the 2nd 10% between cover and retirement. The younger you start, the cheaper it is and if you are already in your 30’s or older you had better get this stuff ASAP.
Once you have the savings habit down, you can start to protect yourself by getting money to work for you. You do this by investing.
Look at companies you admire and respect or who have products or services that mankind needs in order to survive, and buy their shares.
Investing is generally a long-term exercise so don’t expect immediate gratification.
There are literally thousands of financial advisers and insurance brokers who will gladly assist you in this regard. May I suggest seeking the services of someone via word of mouth? Ask someone you trust for a recommendation, suss him or her out and make up your own mind.
Never give these people access to your banking account and never give them power of attorney.
The Best Investment You Will Ever Make.
Invest in your money machine. In other words, invest in yourself and your education. Improve your skills, both professional and social. If you are the money machine, it makes sense to keep upgrading your software. The better the machine operates, the more it is in tune with modern day business practices and commercial endeavours, the better the machine will operate and the more cash it will generate.The average man spends more money on toilet paper every month than he does on improving his mind. When was the last time you took a course, or went on a programme, to improve - you?Best insurance and investment you can make is in yourself. Start today. Enrol for that course, go on that programme, start that degree, it is never too late.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

I can’t afford to do this?
As I have already said, if you were forced to, you would make a plan. The real question is, can you afford not to? It’s never too early or too late to start.

WISDOM

"Invest in yourself first, expect nothing from anyone and be willing to work for everything." - Tony Gaskins

by Koco

Rule 4: Money Doesn’t (Always) Make a Man

THE THING

Here’s the Thing! A Real Man understands that money doesn’t make him better than anybody else. Generally, men who haven’t earned the money themselves tend to think that they are better people than those people without money. It is a generalisation but men who inherit money, who are given money by dads, uncles or trust funds, always seem to think that they are indeed better than others. (Again, there are the exceptions to this). The truth is that no matter how you came by your money, it is not what makes you a man and it is not in any way a requirement for being a Real Man.

Money doesn’t make a Real Man; character makes a Real Man!

Is it possible for a man who has money to have character too? It is very possible, especially in cases where the man has come from a less privileged background and has through sheer hard work and determination built up his own wealth and has amassed money on his own. These men, more often than not, understand what it is like not to have money, and you will find them very supportive of good causes and the uplifting of those less fortunate. Self-made men seem to be cut from a different cloth.

I really wish I could tell you that money is less important than love or friendship, and it is, but in the modern-day world - money is pretty damn important. We should never make our entire lives about money, but for most men, being the primary breadwinner, we can at times let it consume us. Take care to refocus and to remember that a Real Man is so much more than how much he earns or how much money he has.

THE REWARD

When you have money and you are humble you gain the respect of people.

When you accept people based on their character, you make genuine friends and build proper relationships.

When you are able to judge a man on his character instead of his bank account, his car or his house - you are a Real Man.

THE HOW TO

Spend most of your time becoming a better human being.
Invest in yourself, your mind, your skills and making genuine contacts.
Make sure you spend your money on improving yourself every year. Upgrade your personal skills and your software (grey matter) every year.
No matter how much money you have, you can always invest in someone less fortunate than you. The rewards and the emotional growth you achieve when doing this cannot be put into words.
When you meet someone, try to find out about them and who they are as people and not so much about what they do and how they earn a living.
Never brag or boast about your achievements or your money, you could be speaking to someone who is going through a whole world of hurt.
World peace starts at home, charity starts at home, investment in your children and your family should always be your priority.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

But in my experience women go for the money every time. The more money you have the more women you attract, what’s that about?It is sad but true that many women find men with money more attractive than men without money. One of the many experiments in this regard was conducted and aired on the Oprah show. Women were asked to look at men and decide how attractive and appealing they were. The photos had the men’s occupation on them. Almost without exception, when the women noticed an occupation that was well paying, without consciously realising it, all of them, found the high earning men in the photos more attractive than the others.In the earlier control phase of the experiment, the same women had been shown the same men but without occupations on the photos, the results were different. Unanimously, the good-looking men were chosen and singled out. But, by placing occupations that don’t pay well or stating that the individual was an unemployed actor, they slid down the attractive list like Enron shares.Even crazier still, other women were shown the same photos with the occupations of the same men swapped around. This time, the women found the other men were now more attractive. They explained it as a biological need to find men to look after and protect their cubs, a security thing, a feminine need or something.
The truth is, women find money, and men with money, very appealing. (In most cases women are not even aware of this subconscious selection process and when it was revealed to them - many were shocked at themselves.) But I can assure you there are millions of women who consciously find men with money appealing.

Is it right? Is it wrong? Who am I to make that judgement? I just know that it is a thing and your observations are correct and have been proven over and over again. It doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the world that some women, a lot of women, do this, it means you should be aware of it. Do you realise that most men find women who have big breasts more appealing than women who don’t - does that mean that small breasted women never get married or have relationships? No.

If those women appeal to you and that’s your game, do your thing. Real Men however look for the character of a woman that hopefully matches his character. Real Men understand that no matter how much money you have, or what perception of money you project, it’s all just superficial because money doesn’t make a man - always.
Okay, so you’ve done it again just like in the heading, you ended your last sentence with the word - always.The other side of the coin is that a whole lot of men have made a whole lot of money because of their contribution to making the world a better place. There are some men who have from a very young age been goal-driven and ambitious. Because of their drive and determination, because of their commitment and dedication, they have managed, in the service of others, to make a lot of money. Are they any less of a man than the poor environmentalist who hugs trees?Being ambitious and achieving financial success can make you a better man. In the journey of building wealth, the sacrifices, the education, the failures, the tough breaks and all the challenges, these struggles can make you a better man. Most of these men believe that it’s not what they have achieved, not their money or assets but who they have become on their journey of achieving.So, money can make a man when he has achieved success because of his dedication and service to mankind. Do you get the paradox?
Now, to throw a spanner in the works; when a woman is attracted to a man with money; on a deeper level, she could be saying, “I am attracted to him because he must be a hardworking, in control, talented man to have so much money!” It probably is about the money but it also could be because of who he has become because of his struggle; it’s why he has it, and how he sacrificed for it, that makes him attractive. I suppose the question is; what is more attractive, the trust-fund millionaire or the self-made one?

Having said that let’s modify the saying to read; money does make the man, if the man has made the money- unless it doesn’t. The word always was added to give you another perspective on the point.

Money doesn’t always make a man but in some ways, it can.

WISDOM

"I’d like to live like a poor man, only with lots of money." - Pablo Picasso

by Koco

A Real Man Loves and Respects Women

THE THING

Here’s the Thing! A Real Man believes women are one of God’s greatest gifts to the world. He loves them for who they are and respects them for what they are!

Women are the givers of life. They are the alpha and the omega, they are the day after a cold scary, long, dark, night, and the night after a long, hot, hard day. They are stronger than us in so many ways. Just putting up with guys and their issues is proof enough. A good woman is God’s gift to you, how you treat her is your gift to God.

A Woman is the creative flow and dance of the world, she is the open, omnipresent love energy and she is drawn to her opposite; a masculine energy that is direct, strong and courageous.

You have to get this because it is the foundation of almost all of a man’s thinking. Let’s face it, thinking about women, searching for them, trying to impress them, spending time with them and trying to get one to choose you to spend the rest of your life with takes up almost all of a man’s life.

Women are to be respected, protected, loved, appreciated, assisted, and can be, if they choose to be, in almost every area - our equals. In any area where they are not equal due to physical strength or biology a Real Man sees himself as being that missing piece.

A Real Man knows that women are in fact far superior to them in many areas and that they exist to compliment and to complete our shortcomings. We are literally made for each other.

All of a Real Man’s foundational thinking stems from these beliefs. It is the reason for his devotion and respect as well as the motivation for his love. ARM never sees a woman as his equal; that is yesterday’s women’s lib crap. ARM sees a woman as powerfully different and the zig to his zag, the yin to his yang, the marvellous missing piece to the puzzle. Any women who wishes to be equal to or anything like a man - is lost and they have no ambition. Why would she want to be equal to something (have you seen the average man) when she can be greater than him in her femininity? Why would she want to be less than her magnificent, full, loving, open, strong, giving self, to be like a frikken man? Just like men there are women who are also not living up to their full amazingness.

One of the toughest challenges a Real Man has is to meet an amazing woman. Just as a woman will have to kiss a lot of toads and tools until she finds a Real Man, so too will a Real Man have to journey through many precious, issue filled, manipulative, conditioned women. Every pot however has a lid, you just have to find it, and look after it when you do.

THE REWARD

The greater your respect for a woman the greater her love and respect will be for you.

The greater your self-respect the greater respect she will have for you.

Respectful men raise respectful children.

By earning her respect, she may respect you. Please remember that if a person has no self-respect it will be very difficult to show respect for someone else.

A woman who knows that she is truly loved and respected will reciprocate, and the true love of a good woman cannot be described.

THE HOW TO

Women respect strength. Be strong. Yes, it’s nice to be able to sit and talk through your problems with your lady, and I know it’s what she wants you to do. But it’s not what she needs. What she needs is a strong man in her life; someone who is in control and with whom she can feel safe. You shouldn’t hide your vulnerable side but most of the time, suck it up, take it on the chin and tell her it’s done. Tell her it’s sorted. Make her feel safe and looked after; she doesn’t want to hear about all your issues.
Grow some balls! A woman respects the man who has an opinion, a point of view and a backbone. In matters of principle, honour and issues that really matter: stand your ground.
The more you respect yourself the more others will respect you. This is gold. No one will ever respect you until you have self-respect. Self-respect is a sense of pride about how you feel about yourself. It includes well-defined boundaries and values. When you respect yourself you never allow anyone to make you feel inferior. You respect all that is yours: your body, your mind and your life. Do unto yourself, as you would have others do unto you. Read that again… it’s clever.
Just love her for the person she is and the person she wishes to become.
Love is an action that brings about feelings. It’s what we do that demonstrates our love, not what we think, intend or feel.
Love her for her faults; you can’t just love all her good stuff because then you are only getting half of her. The crazy thing about true love is how we actually love someone for the stuff we know about them, that no one else does; the fears, mistakes, and little idiosyncrasies that the outside word never sees. When you love, love the whole package.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

“I don’t get any respect!”
All women are not the same and perhaps you had a few who didn’t respect you or who had no self-respect. Deal with it. You cannot go around disrespecting women because you have mommy issues. Man-up.
“ Women have issues.”
I know it’s a generalisation, but I’m pretty confident when I say that most women in our world are raised as second-class citizens at most. Either that or they are being spoiled rotten and being told that they are literally God’s gift to mankind. Both of these extremes and all of the levels in between create complex creatures. Throw in hormones, the menstrual cycle, peer pressure, Hollywood and advertising and you have a pretty challenging individual. Understand this, appreciate this, but don’t ever give in to it. When she starts making her issues your issues and you allow it, not only are you stuffed, but you will both lose respect for each other!
“Some women aren’t nice!”
Just like men, some women are just mean. Apart from having issues, (like men) they take all of their issues out on those around them. Women are like men in more ways than you can possibly imagine. For every man idiot, you get his equal in woman form. If she’s not a nice human being, then you know what to do.

WISDOM

"A woman brought you into this world, so you have no right to disrespect one." - Tupac

by Koco

A Real Man friend always has your Back

THE THING

Here’s the Thing! It’s true that making your way in the world today takes everything you’ve got, it can be tough, that’s why having a true friend can make all the difference.

ARM knows this, so he commits to always having his friend’s back. When somebody knows that you have their back, they can act more confidently, knowing that someone is looking out for them. ARM understands that his best friend, (his wife or his girlfriend), or other male or female best friends, are the people that he puts first, and he always has their backs. Having someone’s back means that they can depend on you when times get tough. Having someone’s back means that someone is looking out for the haters who are sneaking up behind you when you are too focused on achieving your goal. When you know someone has got your ‘6’ (it’s an old military term, 12 o’clock being in front of you, 6 o’clock being behind you), you never have to worry about surprise attacks that you didn’t see coming.

Having someone’s back also means that when they are down on their backs, you are the one who lifts them up, bandages their wounds and sends them back out, feeling motivated to fight another day and never to give up.

Having someone’s back could also mean not getting involved, but having the person know that no matter what, you will be there when they need you.

When a friend knows that you have their back it means that they trust you completely and that you will never let them down.

You may be surprised to find that the people who really do have your back are not the ones you see every day. They may be people you only see once in a while, but when the shit hits the fan, they will stand next to you when everybody else deserts you.

THE REWARD

Knowing that you have a friend, who has your back, allows you the confidence to move forward and to achieve great things. Having someone else’s back, gives you the opportunity to help another human being.

THE HOW TO

Sometimes having someone’s back just means sitting in a room with him or her at 3 o’clock in the morning when they are hurting. It may just be the person who sits in the corner while your friend needs to process. In many cases, you don’t even have to say a word. You just have to be there.
Having a friend’s back is when someone close to them passes away. You go to the funeral and you stand next to or slightly behind them. When my Dad passed, I can honestly tell you I never remembered a single word anyone said, but I did remember who was there. I noticed who stood next to me without a word when I buried my Dad. I told the congregation that they didn’t have to say a word, the fact that they were there was enough.
If a friend has an unexpected, unplanned, unavoidable financial crisis, have their back.
If someone is bullying them or their family, have their back.
Your friend loses her job. You call your contacts, all your friends and you try and get her another one, because you’ve got her back.
ARM is a true friend, and is more than words; he acts and will not let you down.
If he makes excuses or has something more important to do, chances are he is a buddy and not a real friend.
Having his back means that you defend him or her. We will discuss this next.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

What happens if your friend gets himself into financial difficulty because of a poor decision.
We’ve already discussed that you should never lend money to a friend, unless it’s an emergency due to an unexpected event. You can still have someone’s back when it was all his or her fault. Hey - people make mistakes. A friend of mine fell on hard times – to be honest, they just spent too much - and asked me for money. I told him - no. The funny thing was that by saying no, I did have his back. I told him that as long as I was alive he would always have a roof over his head. There would always be food in his fridge, even if I had to buy the food and fill the fridge myself. He would never be homeless as long as I had a home, and he would never go hungry, as long as I was around. I would take care of his basic human survival essentials for him and his family while he got back on his feet. I had his back.You see, by lending him money, he would not have fixed what was wrong and I would have made it worse for him, because by the next month he would then owe me as well, and still have all his other debts.He was forced to make a plan with all of his creditors, and as a family they had to have tough conversations and change their behaviour. At the time, he thought I was a selfish prick, years later he thanked me and I know he now uses the same idea when he gets asked for money.

The two questions that you should really ask yourself right now are: who’s back do you have and who has your back?

WISDOM

"I can’t promise to fix all of your problems, but I can promise you won’t have to face them alone." - Anonymous

by Koco

A Real Man Works Out

THE THING

Here’s the Thing! The human body is designed to be active. It is a known scientific and biological fact that the less we do, the unhealthier we become. Cells in the body need to be energised, muscles need to be moved and blood needs to be oxygenised.

Real Men understand that they need to exercise and to be active in order to be healthy and have a better quality of life. By exercising we mean active, not a couch potato.

Men also need physical activity in order to reduce stress. Any form of exercise, activity or physical hobby should also build in relaxation, teamwork and fun.

The older you get the more you need to “exercise”.

Let’s look at the word – workout - for what it really is; what are you working out?

You are working out an unhealthy lifestyle and diet; you are literally working it out of your body. You are working out stress, literally, physically forcing stress out of your muscles, refocusing your mind and taking yourself out of your everyday stress and commitments.

It’s also work, it’s effort, it needs energy and concentration so you have to work it.

Please don’t believe all of the crap they try and tell you and sell you on social media and media in general. No workout programme, no exercise routine, no specific programme or exercise equipment is going to work for everyone. People are different, and what may work for you may not work for me, so it is important that you find the activity that best works for you.

THE REWARD

A healthy body is a healthy mind.

A healthy body has energy to go above and beyond at work.

A healthy body is attractive and appealing.

A healthy body sleeps well and has loads of energy.

A healthy body is admired and respected because people realise the amount of dedication, hard work and sacrifice it takes, not only to get into shape, but to stay that way.

THE HOW TO

Working out is all relative and based on your age, interests and abilities. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.
For some it may be hard-core gym every day or it could simply be parking your car at the furthest part of any parking lot, so that you have to walk a number of steps every day.
Men have different interests and varying physical abilities. Find the sport or activity that suits your body type and temperament and make it a continuous task. It’s really the same as eating, but more about that later.
Almost any activity or sport will be beneficial, but you should always consult exercise physiologists, doctors and specialists for the best activities that suit your individual needs.
As men get older they lose muscle and it is advised that resistance training and weights should form a major part of their exercise regimen.
The one aspect of physical health that we tend to forget is stretching, toning, rest and relaxation. Getting enough rest after exercise and having quality sleep, both play a major role in your physical wellbeing.
Here’s the thing! We all know how to exercise and what we need to do in order to stay fit and healthy. It really isn’t rocket science and there are thousands of books, mags and web sites that will gladly take your cash and help you. Most of it is just common sense - so Real Men just get on with it. They know that they have to be active. They set themselves a weekly, monthly and annual target and they get on with it.
Working out to a Real Man is like brushing his teeth or taking a dump; it’s just part of the day and there is not much thought or issue with it. Just create a habit and get it done.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

Isn’t this area out of your league?
Yes and no. I have been exercising for most of my life and I have consulted with loads of exercise professionals. Each and every one gives their own take on how you should be physically active. Unfortunately, most of it is based on where they are in their lives and the ‘3-week personal trainer course’ that they went on. Find somebody your own age who has been there and done that; and who is in the shape or physical health that you wish to achieve, and listen to them. Listen to them, but always do what is right for you and your body; and get yourself checked out by a health professional before you start any new activity. Obviously, I said that last line to cover myself legally, but if you’re stupid enough to go into something that you are not physically ready for, or capable of, then you’re just asking for trouble.Some extremely overweight guy, father and husband, decides, all of a sudden, to start swimming to lose weight. He actually had a heart attack in the swimming pool and died in the water. Wake up people. Know your body, know your limits and get yourself checked out.

WISDOM

"Just pull your shit together and go and work out, be stronger than your excuses. A one hour workout is only 4% of your day." - Various gym quotes spliced into one

by Koco

It’s Hard Work

THE THING

Here’s the Thing! If for some reason you haven’t seen, heard of, or watched Mike Rowe and his Dirty Jobs television programme, you have really missed out. Your homework is to watch as many of the programmes as you can, because it is required studying in order to be a Real Man. Basically, he’s an educated, well spoken, funny man who shows the world that hard work is an honourable and necessary thing, in order to make the civilized world possible. If you visit his Facebook page or his website, you will see and hear a man who has brought back the concept that hard work is noble.

For too long we have been sold on the concept that physical, hard work is somehow bad and inferior. We have designed our world to look down on people who work hard and we mock them by saying “work smart not hard!” And heaven help you if you don’t work in an air-conditioned office. Average men shun people who work hard, especially those who work hard with their hands, doing manual labour. Average men spend their days thinking of ways not only to get out of working hard, but of ways to get rich quick, with the least effort. Basically, average men are lazy. Real Men work hard.

Nothing truly remarkable has ever been achieved without hard work. Even intellectuals will tell you that most breakthroughs: scientific, mathematical, architectural or any other … al, have only been achieved through hard work. Einstein worked for years to prove his theory of relativity. Archimedes worked tirelessly to prove and perfect his theory that different objects displace liquid differently. Okay, so his major breakthrough did happen when he was in the bath, but even in the bath he was thinking and working on the problem.

Most scientific breakthroughs take years of effort, trial and error and simple hard work.

In a modern day society it really doesn’t matter what you do for a living. One fundamental truth will always remain: the harder you work, the bigger and better the results.

Just look around at your world and notice the amount of hard work and effort that was put into the building that you might be sitting in at the moment. Someone carried the bricks, mixed the concrete, drew the plans, dug the foundations, built the walls - brick by brick, plastered them, painted them, plumbed them, electrified them and on and on. Can you imagine the amount of hard work that went into this simple computer that I am writing this on?

Real Men understand hard work. Real Men don’t shirk from hard work, they embrace it, they look forward to it and see it as an everyday challenge. Whether the work is mental, physical or both; Real Men understand that working hard and achieving something, because of toiling and giving everything that you’ve got, is what life is about.

I swear I could write a book just on this subject, but for brevity sake let me just make a few points:

Without work we have no way to provide for our families.
Without work we have no way to test and stretch our abilities.
Without work we are not able to perform and achieve and have something to be proud of.

THE REWARD

The ability to provide for your family.

Hard-work gives you purpose and pride in a job well done.

Hard work makes you a better person, who appreciates what you have, and grateful for the opportunity to showcase your skills.

Hard work and effort stretches you mentally and physically.

Hard work builds character and keeps you healthy.

Hard work and effort is the foundation for success and achievement.

THE HOW TO

Change your mind immediately about the concept of hard work.
If you live your life avoiding effort and hard work you cannot call yourself a Real Man and you will probably achieve nothing worthwhile.
Raising children is hard work. It is a 21-year commitment and contract to behaving like an adult; to being accountable and responsible, to providing, to feeding, to fetching, to carrying, to dropping, to helping, to supporting, to caring, to sharing, to being on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks of the year - for a minimum of 21 years. And it’s doing most of this when you don’t feel up to it, and when you could just as easily sit on your backside and watch TV, while drinking beer.
Staying married is hard work. It’s all of the above plus mood swings, guilt trips, always being wrong, always having to say you’re sorry, cuddling and watching Grey’s Anatomy.
Getting and staying employed is hard work. It’s getting and keeping the skills, applying for the job, being told what to do, working with unreasonable people, working with backstabbing, lazy people who take credit for your work, shoddy suppliers, ungrateful bosses, unhappy customers and waiting for someone to die before you get a promotion.
Being an entrepreneur is hard work. It’s all of the above and having to kick your own arse every day.
Dieting and staying healthy is hard work.
Studying and learning new skills takes effort, patience and hard work. I hope you get the point, because it’s hard work typing the words hard work.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

Yes, but shouldn’t you work smarter and not harder?
I am so glad that you are not standing in front of me right now; and that you emailed this question to me. In a modern day society, in a modern-day economy you have to work smart as well as hard in order for you to have any chance of success. People who tell you to work smarter, not harder, want you to buy their books or courses. They want to get rich while you sit and try to find a shortcut. That’s why they sell you books and courses on shortcuts.

WISDOM

"I believe that there is no such thing as a bad job. I believe that all jobs are opportunities and it’s up to me to make the best of them." - Mike Rowe

by Koco

Rule 1: A Real Man Provides for his Children

THE THING

Here’s the Thing! Real Men provide for all of the needs of their children. This goes for their children when they are married or out of wedlock or when they are divorced. Real Men have no time for those dead beats who use all legal wrangling, lawyering and working the system to get out of paying their share for THEIR kids’ needs. That includes the low-lifes that rely on an incompetent court system (mostly run by gutless men) to help them fall through the cracks.

Real Men know that they have responsibilities when they shoot one past the goalie, so they step up and do whatever they can to help support that child. That little person is your responsibility and they start being your responsibility months before they arrive, up to and including their 21st birthday and beyond.

It is a lifetime ownership and commitment - so Man the hell up and do it!

Real Men provide financially for every aspect of their kids’ lives; from medical to educational, housing, clothing, food, and recreational. Real Men make sure the mother of the children does the same.

Real Men provide stability, care, kindness, emotional support, love and strength to their children. No excuses accepted. End of discussion!

At this point you should be in total agreement and if you are saying in your head – “Yes but …” you seriously need to be kicked in the gonads. If it is your child, you better flippen ‘man up’ and provide - because that’s what Real Men do.

THE REWARD

Maybe, just maybe, you may become a role model to your kids and the world and they will grow up to be better people and parents themselves.

Maybe, you’ll have learnt the meaning of the word sacrifice and putting another human being before yourself, thereby building character.

Maybe, you will be blessed with the love and respect of the mother of those children.

They will love you, if you provide for them.

You will be someone’s hero.

You will be an example of a ‘stand-up guy’ who teaches by what he does.

THE HOW TO

Get a job and keep it. Make sure your kids have before you do.
If you need to go hungry so they can eat, go hungry.
If you need to work 3 jobs, work 3 jobs.
If your relationship with their mother ends, they are still your kids and you are still responsible for providing for them. Do it. I don’t care what she did or didn’t do, it’s not about you and it’s not about her. It’s about the kids, provide for them. They are your responsibility.
Kids don’t need luxuries and they don’t need to be spoilt, they just need to be provided for and you are the provider.
Most importantly, children need your time. Women and children spell the word love – T I M E. If you spend and give your time, they will feel the love. Just be with them. When you give another human being attention, they cannot help but thrive.
Having children is a massive responsibility. A responsibility I believe most young men cannot fathom. Is it tough? You bet, but you made them, you provide for them.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

I do try but I don’t think my ex is playing ball.
Make sure she does. I always tell women to make sure that they use every legal angle to ensure a man provides for his kids. So, what’s good for the goose...

WISDOM

"Children shouldn’t have to sacrifice so that you can have the life you want. You make sacrifices so your children can have the life they deserve." - Unknown

by Koco

Rule 1: A Real Man knows That Money is Energy

THE THING

Here’s the Thing! Real Men are not obsessed with money but they do know and understand that money is very important. Money is also nothing but an energy. An energy that will find you if you are on the correct frequency. The more frequently you are used (asked to sell your goods or ply your craft), the more money you will get.

Two of the major characteristics of a frequency are consistency and persistency. If you consistently provide a good service to other human beings while persistently giving value, the money energy will find you. The consistent value you provide for other human beings will generate the money energy you require. The higher the frequency, that is, the more often you deliver exceptional products and services, the greater the money energy reward you will receive. Obviously, the fewer the people who are able to supply the goods or services you provide, the more frequently you will be called upon.

So a person providing brain surgery will receive a far higher frequency of money than say a person who digs ditches. Most people can dig a ditch, only a few can do brain surgeries. Can the ditch digger earn big money? That all depends on the standard of ditches he digs. If he is skilled in sophisticated ditches, like say, digging for the owners of a diamond mine, and he uses major engineering digging equipment, then he can earn more than a brain surgeon. The skill normally matches the remuneration. The rarer the skill, the higher the remuneration.

Real men also know that money is also a scorecard to see how well you are doing.

Money is a great indicator as to whether you are actually delivering value and whether or not you are on the right wavelength.

Sometimes money finds you effortlessly when you do something that you love. This is pretty rare but does happen from time to time and when it does it’s a double blessing. The person who loves skateboarding ends up running a skateboard Empire.

Real Men understand that in most cases however, making money means hard work, effort and sacrifice, even if you are doing what you love. Simple hard work will give you simple returns. Sophisticated or rare hard work will give you higher returns. Please note in both sentences the words - hard work - appear.

Money needs to be respected. If you respect the money and you treat it well, money will not only find you, but it will stay with you and could even multiply itself.

Money is like a friendship. If you look after it, respect it, put a lot into getting and keeping it, and you ask favours of it sparingly - you will have a friend for life.

Spending money that you don’t have is like using and disrespecting a friend that you hardly know or you’ve just met. Imagine hearing about a guy you are going to meet and next moment you get a call from him asking you to pay his rent this month.

THE REWARD

Money does make the world go around and when you have it under control it’s like travelling through the ocean without an anchor dragging on the seabed.

It’s waking up every morning and not having to worry about how you are going to pay the bills or provide for your family.

When you understand that money is a scorecard, an energy, you don’t worship it, you work for it and you appreciate it; money can give you the freedom to live your dreams.

THE HOW TO

The bigger the service that you provide, the bigger the money reward will be.
The rarer the service that you provide, the bigger the money reward will be.
The better you are at providing the service, the bigger the money reward.
Energy flows where attention goes. So, if you focus all of your attention on delivering world-class service and products, you cannot help but attract money energy.
The simple truth is that the more time and energy you spend on being the best and delivering the best, the more money you will earn. Now, what you do with that money and how you treat it, will determine how much money you will have and get to keep.
Consistently invest a chunk of your money every month in self-education.
Consistently invest a chunk of your money every month in savings.
Consistently invest money back into your business - always improving it.
It is almost impossible for anyone to see the value that you provide, and to pay you a valuable amount if you don’t value yourself. The more you value yourself and the more value you place on what you do - the more others will value you.

TROUBLE SHOOTING

Yes, but money is the root of all evil!
No, it isn’t actually, I think the saying goes: “The love of money is the root of all evil”. And both of those sayings are completely false and only used to keep people down. Money doesn’t change you. Money just magnifies the person you were in the first place. So, if you were an arse hole before you got money, and you get money, now you’re just an arse hole with money.What you do with money is based on who you are in the first place. If you are a wonderful, kind, caring human being and your love for money helps you build hospitals, start feeding programmes or give bursaries away, then your love for money is not evil, in fact the exact opposite.
Yes, but money can’t buy you happiness!
Have you noticed that only poor people say that? I would rather arrive at my problems in a brand-new Porsche than by bus. Maybe it’s the angle of the problem that changes. Can money make you happy? Same answer as above, someone once said that money can’t buy you happiness but we all have the right to find out for ourselves. I believe money makes life so much easier if you understand it and treat it with respect.

WISDOM

"Money is neither my God or my devil, it is a form of energy that tends to make us more of who we already are, whether it is greedy or loving." - Dan Millman

by Koco