A capable man is smart, adapts quickly, learns from his mistakes and keeps improving every day. A capable man is the one who solves problems. These claims are all true, no question about that. Still, in real life, it is not easy to achieve all of that. Sometimes, men can be frightened, clumsy, insecure. It’s all good because we’re all humans, and we don’t need to follow the mainstream media’s demands of perfectionism to be real men. But, we can get close. We don’t need to have chiseled abs and perfect hair to win her attention. We don’t need money. All we need is confidence and some skills. No woman in the world doesn’t like to see a man operating a big, complicated machine and saves the day. There are three specific areas you should concentrate on more; the way you behave, the way you look, and how you perform outdoors. Here’s how to be a real man:

1. Good manners

Few things can compete with a well-mannered man because there is no amount of money or beauty which can replace ill manners. When you meet someone, a firm handshake and look in the eye says a lot about you; that you are confident and looking forward to further talk. While talking, use basic courtesy phrases such as “Please” and “Thank You” to show your respect and politeness. Be polite to everybody, especially people who serve you. While communicating, keep your voice down and don’t use slang. Another important aspect of good manners is listening. Don’t interrupt other person’s talk – be patient to answer when it’s time. Holding the coat and doors to your lady friend is the sign of your attention and care. Also, be careful about your overall politeness, meaning stay out of gossips, trivial subjects, and impolite jokes. In order to be a real man, you should pay attention to your behavior more, and be more polite cosmopolitan.

2. The way you look and represent yourself

“Suit does not make a man“, says the old proverb, but I can add „but it completes him“. A real man should always know how to dress properly for the occasion. Your clothes don’t have to be expensive; the way you wear them and how it fits you is much more important. Longer sleeves or smaller by one number is considered as a sin, and I tend to agree. A man in a well-maintained suit and nicely paired shoes shows a perfect image, so why not show to the world the best you have? Ties can be worn, of course, and it is even better if you know how to tie one. To be honest, it is not much of a big deal, and it will give you the much-needed confidence. One more important requirement: your clothes have to be tidy and perfectly clean. Which brings us to the next important thing:

A real man knows to maintain and clean his clothes

Probably the worst nightmare for the “Average Joe,” doing laundry is quite the undertaking. All the symbols, degrees, hieroglyphs, and codes are hard to understand. Where does the detergent go? Do I need bleach? What is this sign here? These are the very first thoughts when a man stands in front of his nemesis. But, steel yourself, you can figure this out. The basics are next: All the colored laundry needs to be washed at 30 or 40 degrees Celsius, and those ordinary white cotton shirts can go to 90. The number of rounds per second is also vital, because the faster the machine goes, the worse the wrinkles will be. Due to a high diversity of types of machines, I can point you to this guide which can help a lot, as it did to me. When talking about clothing and the way you look, another device which gives an average guy a nightmare is the flatiron. Ironing your shirt is quite stressful, because of all of the wrinkles, slow progress, and frustration. That is why you need to take a step back, and to start from the basics. Socks, old t-shirts and other simple and worn-out items will be an excellent practice. You need to take care of the temperature, so start with the minimum, and increase it slowly, so that you will see which one is the most efficient for certain textiles.

An important part of a competent man’s looks is grooming

A real man knows to groom well, and maintain a sleek look, no matter the style. In case that you have decided to follow this trend, you have to start from the basics. According to several studies, bearded men are, in fact, cleaner than their bare counterparts, but a certain level of hygiene is required. Beard can be seen as long hair, in terms of maintenance. Regular washing and even combing (if it is a longer one) are a must, so you must be ready for every to every other day maintaining. As for the girls, the current fashion trend favors bearded men, but you must stay consistent to yourself. You are wearing a beard because you like it, not because others tell you to do so. To have a perfect beard all the time, you’ll need a fine grooming set.

3. Be Capable Outdoors

Outdoor activities can showcase a man’s capability and confidence the best. A real, capable man can handle situations and problems and operate many devices with skill. We’re talking about yard maintenance, house repairs, and technical stuff. As a capable man, you should know to operate these devices:

Lawnmower

Almost every man learns how to use lawn mower at the early age, so no big introduction is needed. The only thing which can vary is the type of the mower. Those man-powered are of the simplest type, you need just to push it around, and it will mow. More complicated are those powered by gas or electrical energy. These utilize rotating blades, which represent a potential danger because a pebble hit by this becomes an instant projectile. That is why you need to wear adequate shoes or boots.

Leaf sweeper

Every autumn, the leaves falling from the trees threatens to make your backyard ugly. To avert this, you need to take out the leaf sweeper and start cleaning up. Raking the leaves is an old and outdated method, so why not utilizing one of those pushed-around ones? The process is relatively simple, and I’m sure you will figure it out without my help. Depending on the type of the sweeper, you’ll have to take care about the leaf container.

Chainsaw

Is there anything more masculine than a lumberjack? Recent fashion is favoring men with beards, so if you are wearing one, let some swarf fly around, and hopefully, you will get that ruff look. Stay alerted, because injuries made by chainsaws can be life or limb threatening, so always wear safety goggles and gloves. In addition, be very careful about the “kickback effect.”

Be a capable man. Win the day.

Are you looking at how you perform in these three areas? If you improve them one at the time, you’ll become a more competent man. It won’t go unnoticed, I promise. Featured photo credit: republika.co.id via static.republika.co.id

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