Photo by Knowing how to best be a man can be a challenging thing. There are so many different interpretations of „manly“ out there. Some are correct, some are incorrect, and some fall in between. The true answer isn’t in being big and tough. It’s in caring – caring for yourself, your stuff, and for those around you. If you are struggling to determine what caring looks like, take a look at these five tips.
1) Care for Your Teeth
One of the first things someone notices about you is your smile. Taking care of your oral hygiene is very important. In addition to brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing, and using mouthwash to catch any lingering germs or food particles, you’ll want to find out how to treat halitosis naturally. Halitosis, or chronic bad breath, can be an indicator of more serious health issues. If your bad breath persists after practicing good brushing and flossing habits, you should consider making an appointment with a dentist for a check-up.
2) Care for Your Health
Your oral hygiene is tied to your overall health, and vice versa. Taking good care of your entire body is very important. Practicing good overall hygiene, eating right, exercising, and getting regular medical check-ups can all help keep your body in tip-top shape. Many will tell you to keep yourself in shape for others, but doing that can cause more issues than it fixes. Instead, take care of your health for yourself. After all, you only get one body in this life.
3) Care for Your Wallet
Good financial management is a very attractive characteristic. No matter what your income is, you can set and follow a budget to manage your expenses. If you’ve never built a budget before, consider taking a personal finance class to get you started. Then, sit down and take a good look at how much money you have coming in, how much is going out, and where it all is going. Find a way to make the ins and outs balance with each other. Be sure to leave room for fun things for yourself, such as a dinner out or a trip to the movie theater. Building in that „fun money“ will make it much easier to stick to your budget.
4) Care for Your Stuff
Taking care of yourself is most important. Taking care of your physical things is a very close second. You should protect your valuable assets (such as your car, home, jewelry, collectibles, etc.) with the proper insurance. You should also take care of your things by keeping them clean and organized. Whether you live alone or with others, knowing how to keep a clean house is a skill every man should have. Set aside time each week to dust off those shelves, vacuum the carpets, do the dishes, wipe down the counters, do your laundry, and clean that bathroom. Not only will your home look and smell better, but you’ll also find that your things last much longer and bring you more happiness when they’re taken care of.
5) Care for Others
Being a man doesn’t mean being big and tough and getting into fights. Rather, it means that you take action to ensure that those you care for are protected. Taking action may mean speaking up when someone uses foul language or insults them, but it can also mean supporting your loved ones emotionally. Be there for events that are important to them, listen when they’re telling you about things that affect them, and support them through hard times. Don’t listen to people who say real men never show emotion. Instead, show them that real men aren’t afraid to be open and honest about their feelings.
The real secret to being a man is doing what makes you feel good about yourself and how you treat others. It’s taking care of the things and people that are important to you. This attitude shows the world what it is that you value, and a real man is unafraid to show the world exactly who he is.