Order of Man - Men of Moral Conviction ｜ FRIDAY FIELD NOTES

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

00:00:06.020 When life knocks you down, you get back up one more time, every time.

00:00:10.440 You are not easily deterred or defeated, rugged, resilient, strong.

00:00:15.500 This is your life. This is who you are. This is who you will become.

00:00:19.760 At the end of the day, and after all is said and done, you can call yourself a man.

00:00:24.720 Gentlemen, what is going on today? My name is Ryan Mickler, and I am the host and founder of this podcast and the movement that is Order of Man.

00:00:33.120 I want to welcome you. Whether you're here for the first time or been with us for any amount of years now, this is a show about being a better man.

00:00:40.040 And so you're listening to the Friday Field Notes, which is my thoughts and ideas and whatnot that have been bouncing around in my brain over the past week.

00:00:48.060 But we've also got our interview show, where I'm interviewing guys like Jocko Willink and Grant Cardone and Andy Frisilla and Tim Kennedy and David Goggins, Dakota Meyer.

00:00:58.620 The lineup of men that we have is absolutely incredible.

00:01:02.400 And then we've got our Ask Me Anything episode, which is me and my co-host Kip Sorensen, and that's done every Wednesday.

00:01:09.320 So again, this is a show about being a better man, and I've got a good one, I think, lined up for you today.

00:01:14.700 I've been pretty busy. I'm remodeling my office, which is why you hear the echo in the microphone right now,

00:01:20.920 is because there's nothing in here except for my desk, my computer, some paint, and my microphone.

00:01:27.140 So you have to bear with me for the next week or two while I get this thing remodeled,

00:01:29.960 but once we get it up and running, it's going to be absolutely incredible.

00:01:33.140 And we're going to do a lot more video moving forward as well, so you'll have video interviews from us too.

00:01:38.140 So as I get into this one, or I should say before I get into this one,

00:01:43.040 I do want to let you know that the Order of Man main event is filling up very, very quickly.

00:01:48.320 I just took a look just before I started recording this podcast,

00:01:51.660 and I want to say we have 15, 16, 17 spots left.

00:01:57.040 That's held August 10th and 11th with a special exclusive Iron Council dinner on the evening of the 9th of August 2019.

00:02:04.620 I'd love to have you there, but like I said, there's less than 20 spots now.

00:02:08.380 Go to orderofman.com slash main event.

00:02:11.300 Main as in the state main.

00:02:12.480 Orderofman.com slash main event to get registered, do it quickly.

00:02:16.580 That's it.

00:02:17.280 That's it by way of announcements because what I wanted to share with you today is very, very important.

00:02:21.400 As most of you listening know, you are probably in the United States,

00:02:25.960 and we just celebrated yesterday Independence Day, 4th of July, 1776.

00:02:31.640 And I wanted to talk with you a little bit about that today because I wonder if we have the same caliber of men that we had during those times.

00:02:43.000 Those were men of conviction and men of fortitude and men of action, certainly, and men of sacrifice.

00:02:49.280 And I know there's those of us who would probably fall into that camp, but I wonder if we're losing a lot of those same virtues that we had 200 plus some odd years ago.

00:03:01.680 And what I wanted to share with you today is a couple of tips, a couple ideas or strategies or thoughts that I had to recapture some of this same sort of virtuous living that I think those men presented and had themselves, our founding fathers.

00:03:16.540 And as I was thinking about what I wanted to share with you today, with it being the 4th of July, and we're thinking about barbecues and fireworks and summer and spending time at the lake and all the other things that we do is I really think we ought to just take some time and think about the type of men that they must have been, that our founding fathers must have been to put everything.

00:03:36.240 And when I say everything, I'm talking about quite literally everything, their wealth and their status and their power and their families and friends and in many cases, even their lives for an ideal, for this ideal of the United States of America.

00:03:53.480 And it's a little disheartening when I see people who mock the flag or desecrate the flag or who kneel during the national anthem.

00:04:03.420 And while I spent time in the military and I fought for the right to be able to do that, I think it's extremely disrespectful, number one, but I also think it's a little bit ignorant.

00:04:13.800 I don't think there's a real clear understanding of the sacrifice required to maintain our sovereignty and our independence like we have.

00:04:23.480 Over more than two centuries.

00:04:25.760 And part of that is because we live in a time where it's easy.

00:04:30.440 You know, we don't have to sacrifice for these things.

00:04:32.500 They've already been paid for.

00:04:34.040 And if we can't remember the sacrifices that are required and we can't live in accordance with those sacrifices, it's not going to be long before we may have to find ourselves in another situation fighting for the same liberties that we've been so fortunate to enjoy.

00:04:47.740 But as I was thinking about what I wanted to share with you today, I came across the last line of the Declaration of Independence.

00:04:55.760 And I think this last line sums up perfectly what I wanted to share with you today.

00:05:01.160 When I'm talking about being a man of conviction, and fortunately and hopefully not any of us will have to sacrifice our lives and some of the other things that these men have sacrificed.

00:05:12.120 But I think we ought to make ourselves more capable of doing so and being those men of conviction.

00:05:18.200 The last line of the Declaration of Independence says, and for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

00:05:33.280 Now, not only do we not talk like that anymore, I think those are disappearing virtues, which is what I said earlier.

00:05:40.500 And I get a lot of questions about how do we return to these ideals?

00:05:44.960 How do we step more fully into the men that we're capable of being?

00:05:48.380 And how do we live the kind of lives that I think in a lot of ways our founding fathers lived?

00:05:52.240 Now, I will say, did they have their flaws?

00:05:54.100 Of course, because they were men.

00:05:56.060 They weren't deity.

00:05:56.880 They weren't gods.

00:05:57.680 They were men with flaws, just like you and I have.

00:06:00.040 But I think there's a trend that's moving away from sovereignty, that's moving away from having this level of conviction and sacrifice and really knowing what our role is as men.

00:06:12.700 So what I thought I'd share with you today is very quickly, four or five different things that I thought of as I was painting the walls in my room, thinking about what I wanted to talk with you about that I think will help us recapture some of this.

00:06:25.720 And number one is very simply knowing what you stand for.

00:06:28.460 I mean, how often in your life have you really taken time to sit down with your thoughts or even a notepad or in front of a computer program and write down what it is you stand for, what you tolerate, what you won't tolerate, what you find value in, what is valuable, what you will sacrifice for, what you are committed to, what is the higher ideals that you're living towards?

00:06:52.500 How are you serving above and beyond your own self?

00:06:56.580 I think this is a critical, critical and foundational piece to maintaining our sovereignty, maintaining our liberty and independence and freedom.

00:07:06.340 And then ultimately, of course, stepping into the men that we are capable of being and also the type of men that our families and our friends and our neighbors and the people that we interact with on a daily basis are relying upon us to be.

00:07:19.200 And if you don't have that foundation, that moral conviction of what you will tolerate, what you won't tolerate, what you enjoy about this country, the freedoms, the sacrifices that came with this.

00:07:31.080 And then, of course, at least an introspection into whether or not you're that kind of man, that you could make that kind of sacrifice.

00:07:39.060 I think all of us could.

00:07:40.060 But I think it's got to be something that we are deeply connected with, that resonates with us.

00:07:46.440 And I think the more clear we are about that, the more purposeful we are about what we will sacrifice for and what we're convicted in, the better off we'll all be.

00:07:55.880 And that's not the only thing we should be doing, of course.

00:07:58.940 Because reflection and thought and mindfulness is all a critical component of being these types of men of conviction, but it takes so much more than that.

00:08:09.800 And that's where the next couple of pointers fall into line.

00:08:13.220 I think the second step of this is sharing it.

00:08:17.420 It's not enough to know what you stand for.

00:08:19.260 It's not enough to have your own ideals established.

00:08:22.620 You've got to share this stuff.

00:08:23.960 Share it with your kids.

00:08:24.980 Share it with your wife.

00:08:25.680 Share it with your neighbors and friends and jump on social media.

00:08:30.040 As much of a maybe shitstorm that would create, I think it's really important because it's that old adage, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

00:08:38.500 And the squeaky wheel right now is to bitch and to moan and complain and play the victim card and think about how victimized we are and downtrodden we are when in all reality, that just isn't the case. 0.97

00:08:50.540 And yet we hear from these whiny people who think that they have life bad.

00:08:55.200 But if you were to rewind 200 plus years ago, I think it's safe to say that probably the most poverty stick stricken of us all live a better life than those who were among the wealthiest, even 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 years ago.

00:09:11.440 So we've got to share this stuff.

00:09:14.200 And as we hear from these people who are, well, let's just call it misguided.

00:09:19.400 And I think that's a nice way of putting it.

00:09:21.120 And I think we begin to lose track more and more and more of the reality that there's more of us men in this fight, not only to reclaim and restore what it means to be a man, but to step up in our communities, in our homes, in our businesses, and every other place that you as a man are showing up as.

00:09:40.100 But it's not enough to be quiet anymore.

00:09:42.120 I think it used to be that we didn't hear from a lot of men because why?

00:09:46.400 Well, they were busy doing their job.

00:09:49.040 They were busy being fathers.

00:09:50.580 They were busy helping their neighbor mow the lawn.

00:09:54.320 They were busy doing their work.

00:09:55.940 And so we hear one side of the argument because a lot of these people, I think, have nothing better to do.

00:10:01.780 But the men among us, I hope I consider myself as part of that group, are in a lot of ways too busy to worry about that.

00:10:10.220 But I don't think we can be that way.

00:10:12.040 I think we've got to get involved.

00:10:13.620 I think we've got to share our thoughts on social media and with our friends as we're at a Fourth of July barbecue or just hanging out.

00:10:20.220 I think it's important that we potentially get involved in politics, at least know what's going on locally and casting our voice and casting our votes and really sharing what we believe about.

00:10:31.780 The Declaration of Independence, what we believe about America, what we believe about freedom and independence and liberty and democracy and everything that we've enjoyed.

00:10:40.520 I would hate to lose a lot of our privileges simply because the men who are moral and the men who know what they stand for are too busy or can't be bothered with sharing their opinion.

00:10:55.700 And it's hard.

00:10:56.240 I think it's harder now than it's ever been because we have social media and people refuse to or can't look into the nuances or context of the way that we talk.

00:11:06.500 And we're having fewer and fewer conversations with our neighbor, it seems like, and doing more online and short, punchy jabs at each other.

00:11:13.920 When discourse is critical now, maybe more so than ever, because it just isn't as prevalent as it once was.

00:11:21.800 So I encourage you to share, share what you, what you know to be true, share what you believe, share what you value, communicate that with other individuals and let them know exactly where you stand.

00:11:33.720 I think gone are the days where we could sit on the fence and not really get ourselves in the game, get in the game, gentlemen.

00:11:41.600 What do you stand for?

00:11:43.080 What will you tolerate?

00:11:44.020 What will you not tolerate?

00:11:45.040 And start to get vocal about these things, not only about this movement, but about your liberty and independence and freedom altogether.

00:11:52.260 The third, the next point that I wanted to make and thought of is that we've got to live in accordance with these ideals.

00:11:57.840 It's really easy to pay lip service to the things that we believe.

00:12:00.600 It's really easy to say that we believe in freedom and independence and sovereignty.

00:12:05.840 And we think it's our responsibility to provide for ourselves and those we have an obligation for.

00:12:11.320 That's all easy.

00:12:12.960 The talk is easy.

00:12:14.060 The sharing it is actually relatively easy to living in accordance with it.

00:12:18.960 You know, we can hide.

00:12:19.940 We can hide behind these computer screens.

00:12:21.980 We can hide within the walls of our home and we can act differently and out of integrity with the way that we believe and the things that we're saying.

00:12:30.660 So, are you really a man of conviction if all you're doing is shouting from the rooftops how wonderful you are, how much you believe in freedom and liberty and independence and all the while your behavior would say anything but that.

00:12:45.760 So, obviously, guys, we need to bridge what I have dubbed the integrity gap.

00:12:53.980 The integrity gap is the things that we know to be true because we know what we stand for, right?

00:12:58.400 We've talked about that.

00:12:59.240 Uh, the things that we believe about ourselves, the things that we believe about the way society works, and those are in accordance or in action, excuse me, in alignment with, uh, with our behavior.

00:13:12.560 And the greater that integrity gap, the less credible you're going to be, the less relevant you're going to be, uh, the less fulfilled and satisfied.

00:13:20.660 I think there's going to be a lot of contention and animosity and confusion and a lot of frustration in your life.

00:13:27.720 When you widen the gap between what you know to be true and what you're actually doing, that's called the integrity gap.

00:13:35.140 So what I would encourage you to do and challenge you to do is to really inventory yourself, like do a self-assessment, even get other people involved if you need to, and ask yourself, where am I living true to what I believe?

00:13:49.080 And more importantly, where am I not?

00:13:51.620 Where am I not?

00:13:52.520 And you don't need to share this with anybody.

00:13:54.580 You don't need to share with me.

00:13:55.800 You don't need to share with your wife or your kids.

00:13:57.480 I mean, you can, I think that might be valuable, but.

00:14:00.100 But be, be true to yourself, be true to yourself.

00:14:04.300 This is a lot of, uh, the conversation I have with regards to accountability, because a lot of people talk about, I need an accountability partner.

00:14:10.880 I need somebody to hold me accountable.

00:14:12.100 And there's value to that.

00:14:13.820 I have people in my life that I'm accountable to.

00:14:15.980 My wife and kids is a great example.

00:14:17.920 Members of the iron council is another great example.

00:14:20.400 I'm accountable to those individuals, but the higher plane, the higher tier of accountability is accountability to yourself.

00:14:27.420 It's being a man of your word.

00:14:28.680 It's doing what you say you're going to do.

00:14:30.760 It's living in accordance with who you believe yourself to be.

00:14:34.760 Are you that kind of man?

00:14:36.240 And if you're not, and you're falling short, okay, well, at least we know.

00:14:41.880 At least we're not ignorant to that fact anymore.

00:14:44.660 And at least we give ourselves a foundational truth to be able to grow, to be able to shore up some of the areas where we might be out of integrity, where we might be lying to other people and lying to ourselves.

00:14:55.180 And, uh, and not bridging that, that integrity gap.

00:14:58.720 So number three, again, living in accordance with what you believe to be true and what you stand for and what you don't, and then putting your money where your mouth is, right?

00:15:05.520 Making those sacrifices, honoring those commitments and really being the kind of man that we are, we're really meant to be.

00:15:11.700 And the, uh, the last component of this that I wanted to share, and I know this is going to be fairly short for you today, but that's okay because I don't think we need to drone on and on about this.

00:15:20.760 I think a lot of us understand why this is so important and why we need to get involved.

00:15:25.200 And hopefully I'm giving you somewhat of a framework to be able to do it.

00:15:28.620 But the last component is to teach it.

00:15:31.020 Somebody asked me on the, ask me anything.

00:15:32.600 And I think it was earlier in the week, uh, is how do we begin to share these ideals or, or communicate these ideals to, uh, other men and other generations.

00:15:43.200 Very simply teach it.

00:15:45.460 You, you're a man.

00:15:46.700 And because you're a man, part of that, and I've talked about this on probably just about every podcast for the last four years is that a man's job is to protect, to provide, and to preside.

00:15:58.800 Now, when I say preside, I think this is the one that most people, uh, not most people, but gets most confused, I should say, or, or not understood.

00:16:08.000 Presiding is about leadership.

00:16:09.780 And because you're a leader, you need to lead.

00:16:12.940 You have a moral obligation and responsibility to take what, you know, to take what you stand for, to be able to live in accordance with it, and then ultimately go out and teach it to future generations.

00:16:25.660 I talked about earlier in the week, our children are being indoctrinated to live in accordance with ideals and the ideology that's at complete odds with what our founding fathers would have had us believe would have had us live.

00:16:42.940 And as we continue to pawn off responsibility of raising our children to the schools and to the governments and everything else that we do, we're going to continue to see more and more of this.

00:16:53.560 So if you're a father, you need to be involved in the, in the, the life or lives of your children.

00:17:00.640 You can't be just pawning them off on football coaches and teachers and school activities and summer camps and all that stuff's wonderful.

00:17:09.400 I'm not saying anything's wrong with that, but if you're not doing your part, you are actually part of the problem.

00:17:14.780 You are allowing this to happen.

00:17:16.880 You are allowing your kids to be brainwashed.

00:17:19.560 And I use that word very deliberately, very intentionally.

00:17:23.480 That's exactly what's happening.

00:17:25.000 Our children are being brainwashed to live an ideology that is at direct odds with what our founding fathers founded this country on.

00:17:34.180 So you have an obligation to share for your children, but not only that, as a man, you have an obligation and responsibility to look outwards outside of the walls of your home and into your community.

00:17:46.060 Because there are a lot of boys and girls who are being raised without fathers, children born out of wedlock.

00:17:52.640 Dad's no longer around for whatever reason.

00:17:55.700 And these boys and these girls are growing up without a masculine presence and without a father figure in their life.

00:18:01.940 If you can be that, even to the smallest degree, you are going to give that child so much more of an advantage over those who don't have it.

00:18:11.840 And every time I say that, I hear from guys who are like, well, I didn't have a dad and I didn't have a father figure and I turned out just great.

00:18:17.580 I'm not saying you, you, it's, it's not possible, but I'm saying in an ideal world, dad would be in the home.

00:18:24.640 And if that's not going to happen, at least there would be some male influences in these young kids' lives.

00:18:29.660 For me, it was my mom, of course, was around, but as far as male presence and masculinity, it was Boy Scouts.

00:18:35.660 And it was my high school football and baseball coaches who were there for me when they didn't have to be.

00:18:42.220 Now, granted, it was a job.

00:18:43.840 It was something they enjoyed, but it was also a calling.

00:18:47.440 It was also a responsibility.

00:18:49.100 It was an, also an obligation that they felt like they had.

00:18:52.540 And I know this because I still have conversation with these gentlemen 20, yeah, 20 years later.

00:18:57.920 Now they have an obligation.

00:19:00.020 They knew they had an obligation to turn outwards and to start raising children in a way, at least to some degree that, that didn't have the same opportunities that maybe they had or that their children have.

00:19:10.780 So guys, I'm challenging you right now.

00:19:13.540 If you're a man of conviction and you have moral principles and ideas that need to be shared, that need to be restored, then you have an obligation to go out and share that.

00:19:25.380 But teach it, help other young girls and young boys understand what this country was founded on.

00:19:33.800 The ideals that we have lived in accordance with, with for hundreds of years, the idea of freedom and liberty and independence.

00:19:42.340 And you need to teach these things.

00:19:44.100 You need to combat what is being taught in a more productive and positive way than I think a lot of what we see in the school system and other places that our kids are learning this.

00:19:53.620 So there it is guys, fairly short again, as I was going through this, this last line, the final line of the declaration of independence says,

00:20:01.200 and for the support of this declaration with a firm alliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.

00:20:13.100 Are you that kind of man?

00:20:14.740 Are you the kind of man that would be able to not only make that declaration, but sign your name on a declaration like that and then live in accordance with it and potentially pay the ultimate sacrifice for honoring that declaration, for honoring that statement or that commitment?

00:20:38.780 I hope that I hope that I am.

00:20:40.400 I try to live that way.

00:20:41.960 I don't think any of us know until we get ourselves into that situation and hopefully we never do where that needs to be challenged.

00:20:48.100 But I strive to be that kind of man.

00:20:50.800 I know most of you listening strive to be that kind of man as well.

00:20:53.900 I don't think you'd be listening to this podcast if you didn't believe that we have an obligation to teach these things, to live these things, to share these principles with other people.

00:21:03.440 And I thought this would be very fitting as we are ending the celebration, the 4th of July celebration.

00:21:10.360 So remember, last night or this weekend wasn't all about the fireworks and the barbecue and the picnics and the lake and the whatever else you're doing.

00:21:20.220 All of that stuff's wonderful and we should enjoy those things because we have those privileges.

00:21:24.380 Remember what this day is really about.

00:21:26.160 It's about honoring men who made commitments to give us these freedoms.

00:21:34.920 And I don't want to say even give, to earn, to earn the freedoms that we enjoy.

00:21:39.600 And are we just simply enjoying it without thinking about what went into the freedoms that we have the luxury of enjoying?

00:21:45.020 Or are we honoring these men by being like these men in a lot of ways, by being men of conviction and having the same sort of moral fortitude and conviction that these guys did?

00:21:59.360 Anyways, that's all I've got for you guys today.

00:22:01.880 I hope that one resonated with you.

00:22:03.620 If it did, please share it.

00:22:04.920 This is another great way to share the message of masculinity and reclaiming and restoring what it means to be a man.

00:22:09.960 And I've planted my flag.

00:22:12.120 I know what I stand for when it comes to masculinity.

00:22:15.040 I know what my role is here.

00:22:16.780 I know what my job is.

00:22:18.160 And I'm going to continue to share it.

00:22:19.580 And I'm honored that you know that as well.

00:22:22.100 And that you're on this path and you're on this journey and you're standing shoulder to shoulder with me.

00:22:25.540 But I think we can do a better job sharing this with other men who may be lost.

00:22:30.980 Other men who don't quite have it figured out to the degree that you do.

00:22:34.400 And what a great opportunity that we have to be able to share this podcast and message of reclaiming and restoring masculinity.

00:22:40.900 I know that you are, but I ask that you double down on it.

00:22:43.600 Share this episode.

00:22:44.300 Share this message.

00:22:45.340 Invite them to the Facebook group.

00:22:46.720 Invite them to our main event.

00:22:48.720 Order of man.com slash main event.

00:22:50.660 Main is in the state.

00:22:51.400 Main.

00:22:51.940 Let's get you out here. 0.71

00:22:53.080 Like I said, I think 17 roughly spots left.

00:22:55.840 Just under 20 spots.

00:22:57.280 And I want to have you here.

00:22:58.580 Got some great things planned.

00:23:00.000 Order of man.com slash main event.

00:23:02.360 Main is in the state.

00:23:03.060 Main.

00:23:03.840 Anyways, guys, that's all I've got.

00:23:05.220 Enjoy this 4th of July.

00:23:06.620 This Independence Day weekend.

00:23:08.740 Remember what this is all about.

00:23:10.460 And ask yourself if you're that kind of man.

00:23:12.300 And if you can answer in the affirmative, congratulations.

00:23:15.580 I know I have room for improvement.

00:23:16.860 But if you also have room for improvement, it's a great time to reflect upon those things.

00:23:21.480 All right, guys.

00:23:21.960 Go out there.

00:23:22.540 Take action.

00:23:23.440 Become the man you are meant to be.

00:23:25.100 Thank you for listening to the Order of Man podcast.

00:23:28.080 If you're ready to take charge of your life and be more of the man you were meant to be,

00:23:32.100 we invite you to join the order at orderofman.com.

Order of Man - July 05, 2019

Men of Moral Conviction ｜ FRIDAY FIELD NOTES

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