Ok, one more time, guys. This is your brain. This is your brain on a steady diet of typical guy stuff --------------------------------------------------. Right. Try using your brain for something besides memorizing batting averages and recalling the number of touchdowns in last season's Superbowl.
Another part of kicking up one's style a notch or three that should not be forgotten is the mind. In short, use it for something more than trivial crap. There's more to life than large screen TVs, football jersey collections, being gross in the company of male friends, and your "little general." Figure it out.
In short, don't continue to be a nowhere man. Get with the program. Stretch yourself. Step outside your comfort zone. Learn another language. More than half a dozen carefully memorized phrases. Plan a trip somewhere besides Cancun or Cozumel. Try to think in different ways. Read some books on things besides sports, the American Civil War, Iraq, and WWII. Try other more current non-fiction or, oh, I don't know, some REAL literature. No, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Lee Child don't count. Hell, take a crack at some cultural critique and theory if you want to go whole hog. It will piss you off, and keep you thinking about it for days.
Otherwise, read a newspaper, online or hard copy. But not simply the sports section. Find out what's happening in the world today and why. Here's an idea. Take a look at news and current affairs publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, U.S. News and World Report, Scientific American, Psychology Today, or The New Republic from time to time. Time and Newsweek are empty shells these days, so save your money.
Don't worry. There won't be a quiz later. No final exam. You needn't memorize anything. But become conversant in current events and discussions besides what is presented as news on Yahoo or ESPN.
The point is this. Become an intelligent and involved citizen of the world and develop informed opinions. Sure, it might seem safer within the narrow confines of your own little microcosm. But for the love of God, make it your business to find out what is happening beyond your man cave, outside your front door, beyond the borders of your state, and elsewhere on the planet. Believe me. It will help make you much more interesting and contribute in no small measure to your overall style. Remember, it's not always about the clothes and shoes.
In short, don't continue to be a nowhere man. Get with the program. Stretch yourself. Step outside your comfort zone. Learn another language. More than half a dozen carefully memorized phrases. Plan a trip somewhere besides Cancun or Cozumel. Try to think in different ways. Read some books on things besides sports, the American Civil War, Iraq, and WWII. Try other more current non-fiction or, oh, I don't know, some REAL literature. No, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Lee Child don't count. Hell, take a crack at some cultural critique and theory if you want to go whole hog. It will piss you off, and keep you thinking about it for days.
Otherwise, read a newspaper, online or hard copy. But not simply the sports section. Find out what's happening in the world today and why. Here's an idea. Take a look at news and current affairs publications like The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Christian Science Monitor, U.S. News and World Report, Scientific American, Psychology Today, or The New Republic from time to time. Time and Newsweek are empty shells these days, so save your money.
Don't worry. There won't be a quiz later. No final exam. You needn't memorize anything. But become conversant in current events and discussions besides what is presented as news on Yahoo or ESPN.
The point is this. Become an intelligent and involved citizen of the world and develop informed opinions. Sure, it might seem safer within the narrow confines of your own little microcosm. But for the love of God, make it your business to find out what is happening beyond your man cave, outside your front door, beyond the borders of your state, and elsewhere on the planet. Believe me. It will help make you much more interesting and contribute in no small measure to your overall style. Remember, it's not always about the clothes and shoes.
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