216 – Why A Man Should Never Be Bored

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Why A Man Should Never Be Bored…
You may have noticed that there was no episode two days ago on Wednesday.  The summers are intense up here on the farm and they are very high impact.  For the rest of the summer months I may occasionally miss an episode here or there because there aren’t always enough hours in the day, but if I do, it will likely be the Wednesday episode.  I will not miss the Friday episodes for sure and hopefully not the Monday ones, just giving you a heads up.
You know, missing this episode has caused me to ponder matters of time.  Time is an issue for everyone, and how we fill our time is critical.  How we manage our time is of equal importance. 
So here I am, with not enough hours in the day.  I literally can stay busy doing stuff from when I wake up until I go to bed—so I would say I’m on one end of the extreme.  On the other end of the extreme are guys that run out of stuff to do.  You do all the regular stuff like eat, sleep, go to work, and go to the bathroom, but then you run out of things to do.  It’s hard for me to imagine, but you get bored with life.  You sit there without any meaningful activity to fill your time, so instead you allow your mind to be sucked out by TV or video games.
In between these two extremes are where most people will fall in various combinations.  I personally think that one of the worst things a man can do is be bored, because that is when bad stuff happens.  I’m going to talk about that today, but first I will take a minute to talk about the superstars of our Friday episodes, out sponsor, StumpTown Kilts.
I spent all last weekend outside on our place building things and doing chores and stuff like that.  Luckily for me, I was wearing a StumpTown Kilt.  I say I was lucky because it is the perfect garment for doing multiple tasks.  They have that huge hidden pocket in the front so I can anticipate all the tools and fittings and other things I might need and put them in there.  That way I never had to walk all the way back to my shop because I didn’t have what I needed.
That is just one small example of the kilt lifestyle.  This coming weekend I will be hosting a big get together and I will be wearing my kilt simply because it looks and feels awesome.
The quality of craftsmanship and design are unequalled with StumpTown Kilts no matter what you are doing.  That’s why they are a sponsor of this show.  Right now listeners of Being A Better Man can get 10% off their online purchase by entering the code:  betterman, at checkout.  all one word, all lower case.  To get to their website, just type in http://stumptownkilts.com (stumptownkilts.com).  Once there pick out the exact color and combination of accessories you want and then enter the code:  betterman.
Before the break for our sponsor I made the statement that I think one of the worst things a man can do, is get bored.  I have thought this for a very long time.  When my kids were little they weren’t allowed to be bored.  I simply did not allow it.  They quickly learned that if they complained about being bored that I would find something for them to do.  More than that though—I like to think they also learned that there is never a good reason to become bored in the first place.
Like I said earlier, when you get bored is when bad things happen.  It’s when we start to fill our time with activities or people that are not especially good for us.  When people get bored they drink too much or experiment with drugs, or engage in other risky behavior, because they are subconsciously looking for a way to not be bored.  Being bored is not a natural state for a human to exist in.  My dog gets bored from time to time, you can see it on her face.  Cow’s get bored, cat’s can get bored too…but it isn’t for humans to do.
The thing is, if you happen to get bored there isn’t any valid excuse for it.  It’s entirely your own fault.  At the start of this...

Why A Man Should Never Be Bored…
You may have noticed that there was no episode two days ago on Wednesday.  The summers are intense up here on the farm and they are very high impact.  For the rest of the summer months I may occasionally miss an episode here or there because there aren’t always enough hours in the day, but if I do, it will likely be the Wednesday episode.  I will not miss the Friday episodes for sure and hopefully not the Monday ones, just giving you a heads up.
You know, missing this episode has caused me to ponder matters of time.  Time is an issue for everyone, and how we fill our time is critical.  How we manage our time is of equal importance. 
So here I am, with not enough hours in the day.  I literally can stay busy doing stuff from when I wake up until I go to bed—so I would say I’m on one end of the extreme.  On the other end of the extreme are guys that run out of stuff to do.  You do all the regular stuff like eat, sleep, go to work, and go to the bathroom, but then you run out of things to do.  It’s hard for me to imagine, but you get bored with life.  You sit there without any meaningful activity to fill your time, so instead you allow your mind to be sucked out by TV or video games.
In between these two extremes are where most people will fall in various combinations.  I personally think that one of the worst things a man can do is be bored, because that is when bad stuff happens.  I’m going to talk about that today, but first I will take a minute to talk about the superstars of our Friday episodes, out sponsor, StumpTown Kilts.
I spent all last weekend outside on our place building things and doing chores and stuff like that.  Luckily for me, I was wearing a StumpTown Kilt.  I say I was lucky because it is the perfect garment for doing multiple tasks.  They have that huge hidden pocket in the front so I can anticipate all the tools and fittings and other things I might need and put them in there.  That way I never had to walk all the way back to my shop because I didn’t have what I needed.
That is just one small example of the kilt lifestyle.  This coming weekend I will be hosting a big get together and I will be wearing my kilt simply because it looks and feels awesome.
The quality of craftsmanship and design are unequalled with StumpTown Kilts no matter what you are doing.  That’s why they are a sponsor of this show.  Right now listeners of Being A Better Man can get 10% off their online purchase by entering the code:  betterman, at checkout.  all one word, all lower case.  To get to their website, just type in stumptownkilts.com.  Once there pick out the exact color and combination of accessories you want and then enter the code:  betterman.
Before the break for our sponsor I made the statement that I think one of the worst things a man can do, is get bored.  I have thought this for a very long time.  When my kids were little they weren’t allowed to be bored.  I simply did not allow it.  They quickly learned that if they complained about being bored that I would find something for them to do.  More than that though—I like to think they also learned that there is never a good reason to become bored in the first place.
Like I said earlier, when you get bored is when bad things happen.  It’s when we start to fill our time with activities or people that are not especially good for us.  When people get bored they drink too much or experiment with drugs, or engage in other risky behavior, because they are subconsciously looking for a way to not be bored.  Being bored is not a natural state for a human to exist in.  My dog gets bored from time to time, you can see it on her face.  Cow’s get bored, cat’s can get bored too…but it isn’t for humans to do.
The thing is, if you happen to get bored there isn’t any valid excuse for it.  It’s entirely your own fault.  At the start of this show I said there were two critical things;  how we fill our time, and how we manage our time.  Well, who is in charge of filling your time when you are not at work?  Unless you are incarcerated or serving overseas in a war, the answer is, YOU.  As a man in the world, you are in charge of what you do and where you go.  You are completely in control for the activities in your day…or lack thereof.
“But Alf, I live on the 7th floor of an apartment in the city and there just isn’t anything to do except play video games or watch TV.”  If you are thinking something similar to that I’m sorry, but it’s just a lazy, lame excuse in my opinion.
We are all given the exact same 24 hours every day.  When you run out of things to do it is a mans obligation to invent something to do.  Or, look at it this way, our lives are measured in time.  The passage of one moment, hour, or day to the next, is literally what our life is made of—that is our life.  So, to allow yourself to become bored with your day is the same thing as being bored with being alive, and that to me is unacceptable.
Especially in these times we live in, when everything, all the knowledge in the universe is at your fingertips.  All you have to do is access it, and change your life.  You can learn a new language, you can learn about other countries and people, you can learn how to make a forge out of a brake drum or literally anything else you want to learn.  It’s right there, waiting for you to learn it.  How can you become bored when all that fascinating knowledge is waiting for you to cram it into your head?
If nothing else, you can always just go look in the mirror and decide how you are going to make yourself a better man today than you were yesterday.  Then, go do that.  There is always something to do and there is never a good reason to be bored.
I can’t tell you how to fill your time, and I shouldn’t because that is your right as a man.  I can give you tips for managing your time but ultimately, that’s all up to you as well.  Ultimately it’s all up to you, whatever happens good or bad is your fault.  My suggestion is, to come in on the good side, because life will be a lot more pleasant.
Now head out into the world and remember that historically, a man is and has always been, a person that does things.  If you aren’t doing things, or run out of things to do, that is your signal to get up and fulfill your manly obligation by finding something to do.  When you feel boredom setting in, that means break time is over and it’s time to resume the task of being a man.  If you do this, life will take on more meaning.  Your life will have more purpose, and you will be a better man today than you were yesterday.
Hey remember to to check out my new book, Forging A Man, available right now on Amazon.

 (GET THE BOOK HERE)
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