How many tough decisions have you really had to make in your life?
How many times have you heard the phrase … “When the going gets tough, the tough get going!”
Decision Making
All Men encounter a variety of decisions every day. But how do Men know the difference between an easy or tough decision? After all, we’re not all Bear Grylls! Most Men don’t typically experience survival decisions like on Man vs. Wild. I’ve been searching for a commonality among these difficult decisions. I’ve searched for meaning behind the decisions I considered to be extra tough or stressful. What was the decision’s root cause? Why was the decision generating such strong emotional or mental fatigue?
Most Men know how one of these tough decisions feels. It’s a decision which wakes you up in the middle of the night. It’s a decision which makes you talk to yourself as you drive into work. It’s a decision which turns your gut inside out and makes you so queasy you can’t eat.
The really weird thing is most Men recognize immediately how one of these tough decisions feels. However, what really seems to perplex Men is the reason why they have so much difficulty with one of these decisions. I believe the decision to pursue Financial Manhood can affect a Man in the very same way. I remember my decision to pursue Financial Manhood. My gut turned over and over, like I was riding the rapids on one of Bear Grylls’ white water adventures. I remember doubting myself and my conclusions. I remember waking up in the middle of the night thinking … “What the heck is going on?!”… Why was this twisting me into knots and affecting me so dramatically?!
Another decision which caused this type of wild emotion was my choice to join the military. This was not just a personal decision; it was a contract! I was dedicating my future and had no idea what the military was going to assign as my career. Talk about life changing.
Gut wrenching decisions come in all forms. Picking what pre-school my daughter would attend provided its own form of stress. Deciding who’s going to teach, protect, and discipline your child is tough! These types of decisions are all stressful! More importantly they are all life changing.
Who We Care About
After doing some serious soul searching I discovered a glaring commonality among the hard choices. A really tough, gut wrenching decision almost always affects other people.
For every Man, the most important people in this world are his family members. A Real Man makes any number of decisions which affect his family’s future. What type of work does he pursue? Will he take a job in another state? Does he save and invest for retirement?
These types of decisions will weigh on a Man’s heart and mind because he knows they don’t only affect his life, they also affect the life’s of those he cares about most. Making an honest decision to become a Real Man with Money can have the same impact on a Man’s spirit. Real Men need to acknowledge that their decisions will affect the people closest to him.
The Family Trip
If a Man dedicates himself to following the path to Financial Manhood, then he is also committing to bringing his family along on the journey. Do you really want to tick your wife off? Try telling your wife you’re taking the family on a trip, but don’t tell her where you’re going, how you’re getting there, or how long the trip will take! Men, that’s a recipe for disaster. I doubt you’ll make it much further than the end of the driveway until she starts hammering on you. The funny thing is men do this kind of stuff every day and then blame their wife for being overbearing or a nag. All of sudden you’ve become Bear Grylls in your own show … Man vs. Wife!
Last night, something similar happened to me, but on a much smaller scale. I suggested to my wife we take the family out to dinner. This seemed to go over really well! But then began my own indecision on which restaurant to go to. I changed my mind no less than three times after leaving the house. Apparently, three was my wife’s limit. Next, my wife decidedly told me we would never leave the house again without first knowing our destination. I can’t say I really blame her. Each time we discussed a restaurant, I’m sure she started thinking about what she was going to order and began to get hungry for that dish. Each time I changed the destination I was affecting her future.
Do you want your family to be excited about a family trip? Start by telling them where they’re going! Tell them how you all are getting there! Tell them how long the trip will take! The trip to Financial Manhood will be a lot easier if you’re honest with your family. There are some many tough decisions ahead. Don’t let your family life become the stage for an episode Man vs. Wild.
“When the Going gets Tough, The Tough get Going!”
A Real Man with Money knows when the Tough get Going … They rarely Go Alone!
March 9, 2011 at 12:19 pm -
Like a Beginner, I’m completely browsing on line for content which will assist me. Thank you