Order of Man - FFN 086： 5 Books Every Man Should Read in 2018

00:00:00.000 You're a man of action. You live life to the fullest. Embrace your fears and boldly chart

00:00:05.000 your own path. When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time. Every time.

00:00:10.460 You are not easily deterred or defeated. Rugged. Resilient. Strong. This is your life. This is who

00:00:17.240 you are. This is who you will become. At the end of the day, and after all is said and done,

00:00:22.800 you can call yourself a man. Gentlemen, what is going on today? I want to welcome you to

00:00:27.920 the Order of Man podcast, whether you've been listening in for years now or you're just

00:00:31.820 tuning in. My name is Ryan Michler, and I am the host and founder of this podcast and, frankly,

00:00:37.180 this movement. It's been inspiring to be surrounded by so many of you who are on your own personal

00:00:42.040 journey to become a better man. I know that I'm a better man because I'm learning just

00:00:46.060 as much from you as I hope you're learning from me and my guests. And that's what we're

00:00:50.520 all about here, bringing on extremely successful men, sharing their insights, lessons learned,

00:00:55.080 and, of course, delivering them straight to you. Now, if you are new to the show today,

00:00:58.780 this one is a bit different, as are all of our Friday shows, which we call Friday Field

00:01:03.340 Notes, because I'm taking what I've learned from throughout the week of being in the field

00:01:07.540 and sharing it all with you here. But before I get into the quick overview of the five books

00:01:12.540 every man should read coming up in 2018, I do want to give you a couple of quick announcements.

00:01:17.460 First, make sure you go have a look at the details and dates for our meetup in Nashville

00:01:21.520 on January 26th, 27th, 2018. You can get the details at orderofman.com slash Nashville. We've

00:01:28.540 got brotherhood, camaraderie, events, breakout sessions, Q&A. And since we're talking about

00:01:33.620 books today, you'll also get a signed copy of my new book, Sovereignty, The Battle for the Hearts

00:01:38.700 and Minds of Men. You're going to get that at the event when you register. And again, you can

00:01:42.860 register and lock in your spot at orderofman.com slash Nashville. And one other resource I know

00:01:47.880 you'll be interested in, that's our exclusive brotherhood, the Iron Council. This is a digital

00:01:52.220 band of brothers of sorts, having some incredible dialogue, challenges, assignments, and a powerful

00:01:57.460 track to run on, on your journey to be a better husband, a better father, business owner, community

00:02:02.280 leader, whatever it may be that you're trying to gain by being here. You can learn more and band

00:02:07.860 with us at orderofman.com slash Iron Council. I hope to see you inside the Iron Council and also

00:02:13.380 at the meetup in January. Now, with that said, let's have the discussion I wanted to have

00:02:17.280 today, which is my top five recommended books for 2018. It's been said that the man who does

00:02:23.860 not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read. I believe that is true. We have 1.00

00:02:29.060 so much access to the world's greatest minds and thinkers, and all we have to do is tap

00:02:32.940 into those minds through the power of their written words. I didn't always think so highly

00:02:37.180 of reading though. In high school, I would do whatever I could to get out of reading and

00:02:41.380 doing book reports. In fact, the only book that I remember reading was The Old Man in the

00:02:45.600 See, which of course is a classic, but now I read at least 50 books per year, and I make

00:02:51.000 it an objective of mine to read one book per week. Now, I get a lot of questions about how

00:02:55.180 I'm able to do this, and although that's not really the subject of today's podcast, I do

00:02:59.520 want to tell you that it's very simple to read more. I commit to reading for at least 30 minutes

00:03:03.460 every single day. Every single one of us has 30 extra minutes in the day, and if there's

00:03:09.040 one thing that you can do to spend that time more effectively, it's reading. Again, you're

00:03:13.940 tapping into the most powerful minds and ideas in the history of this planet. It's incredible

00:03:18.060 that we have this opportunity. So with that said, and just in time for the holidays and

00:03:22.480 any last minute Christmas shopping, let me share with you five books that are an absolute

00:03:26.900 must on that list of 50 that I would suggest you read. Keep in mind that these are in no

00:03:31.140 particular order, and if you need to reference them later because you're driving or working

00:03:35.160 out or doing something else, you can head to orderofman.com slash books 2018, orderofman.com

00:03:41.960 slash books 2018. Now the first book I want to recommend is As a Man Thinketh by James

00:03:47.540 Allen. This is my most recommended and gifted book because if you get this right, if you

00:03:52.600 get this right, everything else will fall into place. Now As a Man Thinketh was written

00:03:56.580 in 1903, but the insights that are shared are as relevant today as they were more than

00:04:02.300 a hundred years ago. It was described by James Allen as covering quote, the power of thought

00:04:07.180 and particularly with the use and application of thought to happy and beautiful issues.

00:04:12.040 I have tried to make the book simple so that all can easily grasp and follow its teachings

00:04:16.560 and put into practice the methods, which it advises. It shows how in his own thought world,

00:04:21.860 each man holds the key to every condition, good or bad that enters into his life. And that

00:04:26.920 by working patiently and intelligently upon his thoughts, he may remake his life and transform

00:04:32.500 his circumstances. Guys, this is a very quick, very powerful read. And I personally read it three

00:04:37.620 to four times per year and keep a copy on my desk. If you feel like you need to get your mind right

00:04:42.300 about the situations that you may find yourself in, this is the book for you. Now, my second book

00:04:47.240 recommendation is Iron John by Robert Bly. This is a really interesting book and one that I may not

00:04:53.300 really mention or fall into my usual category of books, but it is such a powerful read. Essentially,

00:04:58.920 it's Bly's look into what it means to be a man from his work with men. It's written as a story in

00:05:04.180 which a young man is guided through the transition into a mature man. It covers the archetypes of

00:05:09.600 masculinity and causes you to think about your role and responsibility as a man. And of course,

00:05:13.560 how we show up in this world. Again, that's Iron John by Robert Bly. Now, the third book I want

00:05:18.760 to recommend is Mansfield's book of manly men by Steven Mansfield. Another one of my favorites here,

00:05:24.060 Steven Mansfield breaks down four masculine maxims in this book and really lays the

00:05:28.900 framework for the way good and honorable men show up in all areas of their lives.

00:05:33.640 I personally know Steven, and I can tell you that this is a man who lives by the word he shares.

00:05:38.620 And he's become a friend over the past couple of years. This isn't necessarily why I share the book

00:05:42.980 with you because I found this book and have recommended well before I knew Steven.

00:05:46.600 But if you are interested in learning more about the book, whether you've read it or not,

00:05:50.160 you can listen to my first interview with Steven Mansfield at orderofman.com slash 038 038.

00:05:56.240 We dive into the details and additional questions about, again, Mansfield's book of manly men.

00:06:01.260 Now, my fourth book recommendation is Wild at Heart by John Eldridge. Wild at Heart is one of my

00:06:06.600 all-time favorite books. It does have a Christian undertone, which won't be a problem for many of

00:06:11.640 you, but any man, any man can gain so much insight about what it means to be a man in the first place

00:06:16.640 and why we act and behave the way that we do. For me, one of the most important conversations

00:06:21.960 that is brought up in the book is this idea that boys and men are on a constant journey to

00:06:27.080 answer the question, am I enough? It was written in 2001. And it's amazing to me how much staying

00:06:32.660 power this book has. Although after reading it, it's really not hard to see why it answers a lot

00:06:37.940 of questions for me about my background, why I feel the way I do, why I felt inadequate for a lot of

00:06:43.000 my life and is a call to return to our masculine roots in a society that seems to more and more

00:06:48.000 want to do away with masculinity altogether. And as a side note on this book, I also had an

00:06:52.860 interview with the author, John Eldridge, which you can find at orderofman.com slash 139.

00:06:59.280 Now, the fifth and last book that I want to recommend for 2018 is my book, Sovereignty,

00:07:05.120 The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Men by yours truly. I know this is a bit biased,

00:07:09.740 but if I didn't think my book belonged among the other greats, I can't even really imagine writing

00:07:14.160 it. It's not currently out, but it will be February 1st. And if you head to orderofman.com

00:07:19.240 slash book, orderofman.com slash book, you can get signed up and get notified when the pre-order

00:07:24.620 will be available, which will be pretty soon. Sovereignty explores the idea that many modern

00:07:29.520 men have given up control and power of their own lives in the form of excuses and lies and

00:07:35.340 justifications and rationalizations. This book is about the battle that is being waged against men

00:07:40.680 and the sabotage, frankly, that we inflict upon ourselves. I cover 13 virtues that will help all

00:07:46.000 men reclaim their sovereignty and place them on the path to ultimate control and responsibility over 0.85

00:07:51.300 their own lives. If you head to, again, orderofman.com slash book, you can get the notifications

00:07:57.360 of when that book is to be released. So gentlemen, there you have it. My top five recommendations

00:08:02.100 for 2018. Number one, As a Man Thinketh by James Allen. Number two, Iron John by Robert Bly. Number

00:08:09.720 three, Mansfield's Book of Manly Men by Stephen Mansfield. Number four, Wild at Heart by John

00:08:14.520 Eldred. And number five, Sovereignty, The Battle for the Hearts and Minds of Men by, again, yours truly.

00:08:19.480 Of course, I'd encourage you to read a lot more than that, but you now have a start. If you want to get a

00:08:23.860 quick resource for these books, again, head to orderofman.com slash books 2018. This would be a really

00:08:30.020 great list to share with your loved ones if they are looking for Christmas ideas. So guys,

00:08:35.200 get reading. You've got a couple of books to read. I hope that you're going to read a lot more than

00:08:39.440 just five, but again, just a quick start for you and get your year started off in the right

00:08:43.600 direction. Gentlemen, that's all that I have for you today. Until next week, read lots of great books,

00:08:47.860 tap it in the minds of powerful people. Of course, take action and become the man you are meant to be.

00:08:53.140 Thank you for listening to the Order of Man podcast. If you're ready to take charge of your life

00:08:57.700 and be more of the man you were meant to be, we invite you to join the Order at orderofman.com.

00:09:05.760 Hi, this is Ben Domenech, the host of the Federalist Radio Hour. We're a daily show coming

00:09:09.700 to you five days a week from Washington, D.C., where we interview our nation's top journalists,

00:09:13.820 politicians, authors, chefs, economists, entertainers, and more. If you're looking for a

00:09:18.220 contrarian discussion on news, politics, or culture, give us a listen and subscribe at

00:09:22.540 podcastone.com, the new Podcast One app, or at Apple Podcasts.

Order of Man - December 15, 2017

FFN 086： 5 Books Every Man Should Read in 2018

Episode Stats

Summary

Transcript