Wet, weak, squirmy or harsh. Those are not good attributes for a manly handshake (or a womanly one, for that matter). Lifehacker points to an AskMen article on how to give a good handshake. Now, I’m not such a fan of Askmen, since I’ve always thought of it more as a lad-mag site like Maxim or FHM than about teaching ways to act like a real man. But this is sound advice.
“A handshake is a very simple gesture, but can be a determining factor in interviews and social gatherings. Just make sure you firmly shake the person’s hand and look at them straight in the eye.”
I may actually have to re-think my stance on AskMen, since they do offer a good amount of manly advice in their How to succeed in life section.
February 11th, 2007 | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments
Most of us do it every day, or nearly every day at least. Shaving can be a mild inconvenience, or a self-imposed daily torture, depending on your technique.
Over at Lifehacker, they’ve shared their thoughts on shaving, and linked to Merlin Mann’s Shaving tips, or, “how I remain Gillette’s bitch”.
Tips include using plenty of water, and using a shaving brush. Several commenters are raving about the virtues of a shaving brush, so that sounds like a good tip.
February 11th, 2007 | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments
Conversation just comes naturally to some people. Others struggle. Being able to hold your own in conversation can be very empowering to a man, and can help you stop thinking of yourself as a boy, and start being a man.
Marcus Vorwaller, in his Best Tool for the Job blog, has a great post on How to Have Better Conversations.
Some tips include:
- Don’t be selfish.
- Prepare for good conversation.
- Don’t manipulate, or in other words, be honest and up-front.
- Reciprocate.
- Avoid gossip and complaining.
- Don’t be afraid to differ.
- Know and use your sense of humor in moderation.
February 4th, 2007 | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments
I’m a man. You’d think that I’d instinctively know how to act like one. Or maybe you assume that my father must have taught me how to be a man. You’d be wrong.
I’ve often felt unprepared when it comes to traditional manly things — watching sports, fixing cars, hunting & fishing…you get the idea. I’ve taught myself several things, but I’ve been surprised at the lack of resources for “the basics” of manly things. You’d think that someone would have written a manual.
Of course they have. There are plenty of “real men don’t…” rants out there, some of which have been turned into books. There are sociological studies aplenty. There may even be the exact manual I’m looking for, but I haven’t found it yet.
Until I do, I hope to consolidate some of my learnings here, link to others who have done the same, and ask for help to learn about other things I still have no idea about. Hopefully, it will be interesting, and it might even help someone out there in their quest to be a better man.
February 4th, 2007 | Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments
