Prep Time

When does a boy become a man? Is it at a certain age? Is it when you reach a maturity level accepted by society? Maybe it’s when you show you can be responsible for other people.

Many cultures had a rite of passage for a boy to become a man. I’m not sure how many still practice this, but I know that the vast majority of Americans do not. We can’t even agree on what makes a man a man.

Many things go into molding a boy into a man. We aren’t going to talk about that yet though. Let’s talk about the prep work before manhood.

So you did it. You turned 18. The U.S. Government now considers you a man. Responsible enough to purchase a weapon and join the military, but not to purchase alcohol. Now what?

You have a few decisions to make that are going to shape the rest of your life.

What’s next?

So what’s your plan? I hope you have it figured out already. I was going to go to college, but life happened. Literally. I had a daughter. I wouldn’t change a thing though. That doesn’t mean I suggest taking this road so early. Parenthood is amazing but better to be on your feet first.

What do you want to do? Are you going to school, the military, or straight to work? Maybe you want to start a business. I hope you don’t think that just because you chose one, you can’t do the other. Your youth is the time to explore who you are (safely) and find your path. You might go down a few before you find the right one. That’s what happened to me.

Plenty of people work their way through school. If school is your choice, I suggest you get a job and pay for yourself. You’re more likely to get good grades and graduate when you’re paying for it yourself.

You can join the military and they will pay for you to go to school. I don’t know the exact numbers, but I know they pay a good deal.

Don’t forget a trade school. Personally, this is the path I suggest. It’s what I did after my daughter made herself known. Little did I know, that this wasn’t my path either, but it’s a great one.

God had other plans for me. It took several years before I found my path, but it doesn’t have to be the same for you.

If you are a religious person, I suggest you pray on it. If not, then I suggest you dig deep down and go with your gut. Don’t worry about what everyone else is doing or what your parents want for you. It’s your life and this is one of the first steps towards manhood.

You chose a path

Now that you’ve chosen a path, you have a huge decision to make. Unless you chose the military because you no longer make decisions for yourself.

Where are you going to live? If you chose college, you have a few more years before you make this decision, but you will have to make it. It is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever make. One that it seems most people don’t give a lot of thought to.

Where you live will affect you in a lot of ways.

First, it affects your earning potential. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or you have a career. How much you can earn is reliant on where you are. If you’re a tech guy and you’re living in Baton Rouge, LA, you won’t earn nearly as much as if you lived in Austin, TX, or Silicon Valley.

Second, is the friends you’ll make. Yes, your location affects your friendships. Naturally, you made friends during high school and college, but that shouldn’t be the end of your friend-making. Friends impact your life in so many ways. I won’t go into all of them now, but at some point, I’ll write a whole piece on friendship.

Third, and most important, your location will determine who you marry. Yes, your future wife is in that city somewhere. Though if you do things right, you have a few more years before you start dating her.

Conclusion

Up until now, all of your training for manhood has been in the hands of the adults around you. It can be overwhelming making all these decisions. I highly suggest speaking to people you respect. I mean get deep into it with them. Tell them your concerns, and what you want to achieve. Don’t just talk to one either. Talk to many. Take in everything they say to you and use that to sort through your thoughts.

Pray on it. Speak with your spiritual leader(s) about it. God will always point you in a direction that leads you to something great.

As I said before. You might go down many paths before you find the right one. You have the time and you’ll gain the knowledge to make the final decision and set your course for your future.

In the meantime

Read! The most successful people in the world read about one book per week. I’m not saying you have to become a bookworm, but you need to read.

Read about people you’re interested in. Read about the people you aspire to be like. Read about the path you chose. Read about philosophy, Psychology, Logic, and Strategy. Read about anything that interests you.

I also want you to read fiction. Escaping reality every once in a while is healthy for you. Go on an adventure to save the kingdom, solve a murder, and be the Captain of a space pirate ship.

Reading is the best way to keep learning after school is over. A man should never stop learning. To stop learning is to handicap yourself in life.

Keep a journal. Write in it at least a few times a week. You want to write down what you’re thankful for, every day. You want to dump out all your worries, your triumphs, and failures. Every month or quarter you want to review your journal and see how far you’ve progressed, and how you’ve overcome your obstacles.

So there you have it. A few things to prepare you for the journey ahead. There’s so much more that goes into manhood, but if I tried to cover it all at once, it would take forever. I hope this helped someone.

I’ll see you in the comments.