AP Manhood: Be About More Than Yourself

Happy Friday! Sorry I've been away for most of this week. I've been busy on the homestead. Today's lecture begins now!

In today’s times with the economic crunchcrush being what it is your average citizen at every turn, the logical thinking is to plunge 100% into the self. Meaning no one has the time or resources to be about anything but keeping their own heads above water. Or do they?

As many readers here know, I am a HUGE advocate of volunteerism. Volunteerism allows you to take the focus off of you by sharing a piece of yourself with someone else who could really use a hand. Volunteerism isn’t about writing a check once a month to a charity you get a end of the year tax break on, volunteerism is about seeking out a cause that means something to you, finding something or someone who could benefit from your time, talent, intellect and in some instances strength. And I would encourage you to do it more than once. If you’re schedule doesn’t allow for a weekly volunteer effort than at least do your best to commit to once a month.

Whether it’s being a Big Brother, a tutor, a mentor, a food distribution warehouse worker, an usher at your church, a volunteer gardener, a campaign manager for a political campaign or even seeing a need and taking the initiative to create something to address it yourself. You’ll be surprised at how many different ways your skills, talents and strengths are appreciated by others, and you may even discover you might not be as bad off as you originally thought, thus restructuring your world view of yourself and causing you to walk a little taller, with a little more confidence knowing you’ve done some good for someone other than yourself. Your life will be a little to a lot richer. Maybe not in dollars, but in value.

A man living an Advanced Placement existence knows that his life isn’t just about him.



E.Payne is the author of Investing In An Emotional Letdown and I Didn't Invented Sex. For the past 3 years he has posted 600+ articles about fatherhood, marriage and everything in between here at Makes Me Wanna Holler.com. To learn more, click here.