The 21 Laws of Manliness
1. A man must be self-reliant.
2. Understand the hard work that success, even happiness, requires of you.
3. Forge your own path. Step into the arena. Don’t be the coward who lives a small life.
4. Practice self-denial. Completely forget about instant gratification.
5. Don’t be afraid to stand alone on your principles and values. The weak need numbers because they have none.
6. Fight. Even though you know you may lose, fight. A coward will throw someone else under the bus to clean up his mess. That isn’t you.
7. Accept responsibility for your actions. Go out of the way to take the blame. A coward rarely sees his own faults, and blames others for his lack of success.
8. Don’t be afraid to fail. Be far more afraid of never trying. A coward fears everything, and does nothing.
9. Practice kindness, but not weakness.
10. Be just and fair.
11. Never turn a blind eye to injustice. Never walk past a fellow man or women in need, if you can help.
12. Read often. Read everything.
13. Unplug weekly.
14. Laugh daily, especially at yourself.
15. Don’t live on the internet.
16. Be chivalrous.
17. Have at least one grand adventure.
18. Speak with your actions, not with your mouth.
19. Don’t chase money, find meaning.
20. Be the best at what you do.
21. Make the best out of every situation.
I don’t just miss you on the bad days –
yes, I miss you on the days soundtracked
by too much sleep and playlists
saturated in midnight blue
but also on the days
when I discover a new song
to play on repeat
as I dance around my room
soft light stroking
the whispering walls
creating
a bubbling blue
atmosphere.
- Kristen Costello
