“When you work, work. When you play, play. Don’t mix the two.”
~ Jim Rohn
“When you work, work. When you play, play. Don’t mix the two.”
~ Jim Rohn
The following list has been compiled from a number of sources, like AskMen, Esquire, Popular Mechanics and a few others, as a checklist and guide for all these little things which define us as men. Brains and charm are fine, but a real guy needs to know how to do real stuff. Some of these skills can be real life savers while others will do wonders for your personality and charisma. Each one will add complexity to your own character and, eventually, will help you become a better, more confident man in all the other areas of your life.
A real man should be able to:
1. Give advice that matters in one sentence.
2. Tell if someone is lying.
3. Take a photo. Fill the frame.
4. Score a baseball game.
5. Name a book that matters.
6. Know at least one musical group as well as is possible.
7. Cook meat somewhere other than the grill.
8. Not monopolize the conversation.
9. Write effectively.
10. Buy a suit.
11. Swim three different strokes. Doggie paddle doesn’t count.
12. Show respect without being a suck-up.
13. Throw a punch.
14. Chop down a tree.
15. Calculate square footage. Width times length.
16. Tie a bow tie.
17. Make one drink, in large batches, very well.
18. Speak a foreign language. Pas beaucoup. Mais faites un effort.
19. Approach a woman out of his league.
20. Sew a button.
21. Argue with a European without getting xenophobic or insulting soccer.
22. Give a woman an orgasm so that he doesn’t have to ask after it.
23. Be loyal.
24. Know his poison, without standing there, pondering like a dope.
25. Drive an eightpenny nail into a treated two-by-four without thinking about it.
26. Cast a fishing rod without shrieking or sighing or otherwise admitting defeat.
27. Play gin with an old guy.
28. Play go fish with a kid.
29. Understand quantum physics well enough that he can accept that a quarter might, at some point, pass straight through the table when dropped.
30. Feign interest. Good place to start: quantum physics.
31. Make a bed.
32. Describe a glass of wine in one sentence without using the terms nutty, fruity, oaky, finish, or kick.
33. Hit a jump shot in pool.
34. Dress a wound.
35. Handle roadside emergencies (jump-start a car – without any drama, change a flat tire – safely, change the oil – once.
36. Make three different bets at a craps table.
37. Shuffle a deck of cards.
38. Tell a joke.
39. Know when to split his cards in blackjack.
40. Speak to an eight-year-old so he will hear.
41. Speak to a waiter so he will hear.
42. Talk to a dog so it will hear.
43. Install: a disposal, an electronic thermostat, or a lighting fixture without asking for help. Just turn off the damned main.
44. Ask for help.
45. Break another man’s grip on his wrist.
46. Tell a woman’s dress size.
47. Recite one poem from memory.
48. Remove a stain. Blot. Always blot.
49. Say no.
50. Fry an egg sunny-side up.
51. Build a campfire.
52. Step into a job no one wants to do.
53. Sometimes, kick some ass.
54. Break up a fight.
55. Point to the north at any time.
56. Create a play-list in which ten seemingly random songs provide a secret message to one person.
57. Explain what a light-year is.
58. Avoid boredom.
59. Write a thank-you note.
60. Be brand loyal to at least one product.
61. Cook bacon.
62. Hold a baby.
63. Deliver a eulogy.
64. Know that Christopher Columbus was a son of a bitch.
65-67. Throw a baseball over-hand with some snap. Throw a football with a tight spiral. Shoot a 12-foot jump shot reliably.
68. Find his way out of the woods if lost.
69. Tie a knot.
70. Shake hands.
71. Iron a shirt.
72. Stock an emergency bag for the car.
73. Caress a woman’s neck.
74. Know some birds.
75. Negotiate a better price.
76. Perform the Heimlich maneuver.
77. Correctly identify the symptoms of a stroke and do something about it. Remember these 3 tests: STRoke (S-mile, T-alk, R-ise both hands together. If the person fails at any of these, call 911).
78. Navigate a map and use GPS.
79. Dress for the occasion.
80. Do laundry properly.
81. Hook up an entertainment center.
82. Treat frostbite.
83. Treat a burn.
84. Build a shelter.
85. Find potable water.
86. Shoot a home movie.
87. Perform hands-only CPR.
88. Reverse hypothermia.
89. Move heavy stuff.
90. Change a single-pole switch.
91. Replace a broken windowpane.
92. Set up a ladder, safely.
93. Change a diaper.
94. Grill with charcoal.
95. Drive safely in snow and icy weather.
96. Hitch up a trailer.
97. Play an instrument.
98. Feel confident while dancing once in a while.
99. Handle a high-intensity, testosterone-fueled activity (like football or boxing).
100. Groom and watch his style while still being a man.
Bonus:
101. Manage his own money. He has two to six months’ worth of salary in savings as an emergency fund. He is an active investor.