Everything is Happening, All the Time
In the wake of tragedy. Masculinity, Culture, and Transformation by Boysen Hodgson The world is not a safe place. It never has been. I bet my life it never will be. Shadow and Light. Order and Entropy. The question, for me, is what is the QUALITY of this risky world? How am I co-creating it? What are the feelings I want to be nurturing in myself and others, even as the world continues to spin and the universe unwinds in its chaotic...
The ManKind Project and Robert Bly
by Boysen Hodgson Right now, filmmaker Haydn Reiss is working on a documentary film about Bly’s life and career called “News of the Universe.” In the film, one of the things Reiss will do is look at some of the myths about Bly and the ‘men’s movement.’ He also has a great interview with John Densmore, the well known drummer from the 1960’s band The Doors, to talk about an oft misaligned ‘tool’ of men’s gatherings, the drum. Reiss has...
It’s OK to make mistakes
by Mike Robbins [reprinted with permission] (For this week’s audio podcast, click here.) I was scheduled to fly to Dublin, Ireland a few weeks ago for a speaking engagement and when I got to the airport I realized I’d forgotten my passport at home. I felt mortified and embarrassed – and then angry when I realized I wouldn’t be able to get on my flight. After a few hours of stress and drama, I was able to get myself on another...
How’s Your Relationship? We want to know.
by Jimmy Ocean How would you define a fulfilling relationship? Does your current relationship match it? Is your current relationship leaving you drained or does it have you energized? How clearly can you identify what is working and what is not? For most of my life I felt lonely in my relationships. When I saw my first girlfriend talking with other guys, I really got upset. At the time it would make me furious and afterwards I would...
‘The Heart Grows Smarter’ … here’s how MKP helps.
by Boysen Hodgson On November 5, 2012, the New York Times published a new op-ed by David Brooks entitled “The Heart Grows Smarter” about a long term research study of men which was launched in the 1930’s and tracked men through the rest of their lives. Though the researchers hadn’t intended to study male relationships … the most compelling results of the study were all about relationships. More...
Meditation as a New Warrior Tool
EDITOR’S NOTE: Here I will present three separate but connected stories … all concerning meditation. Meditation is a core practice for many New Warriors (men who have completed the New Warrior Training Adventure). There are multiple approaches to this in the ManKind Project, from basic sitting practices, ‘sit-spot’ practices done by many outdoor trackers and indigenous skills teachers, TM (transcendental...
Your Email Is Doing This Better Than You Are
by Steve Harper I lived in New York on 9/11. It’s a long story and I won’t go into here, but essentially I was heading downtown on a crowded bus (to work) when the second tower fell. It took me 6 hours to get back uptown to my apartment when I realized my workplace was closed. Buses were packed. Subways weren’t running. Pay phones were out of commission: lines were busy or phones were broken. I didn’t have a cell at the time. What...
Secondhand Lions
Often men in movies are portrayed as somewhat incomplete characters – the fumbling dad in the family comedy, the hard-ass action hero, the angst-ridden sensitive New Age ‘guy’ and so on. What chance does a teenager boy, moving into manhood, have of becoming a Jason Statham-type? (Not that I think it is even desirable) What […]
In The Event Of A Loss Of Cabin Pressure
I was born in 1958, part of a generation where many were raised in accordance with Dr. Benjamin Spock’s book, “Baby And Child Care,” often by parents who didn’t have a similar upbringing to which they could refer for any kind of comparative frame of reference. As a result, at least if my practice is any indication, […]
Confidence and Specificity
Tuesday morning, I was driving my 4 year old daughter to preschool for the day. We got talking about music. I asked her, “Would you like to learn to play instrument?” She said, “Sure.” I said, “What instrument do you think you’d like to learn?” Just after asking the question, I thought I’d try […]
Review: Patience
As The Beatles sang, memorably, many years ago, "we all want to change the world." Patience would be a terrific place to start — not to mention an excellent New Year’s resolution!
The Gin and Tonic Perspective on Time Management
My friends and clients know the importance I put upon the PERSPECTIVE we operate from. How do you see a thing, what is the metaphor, what is the story you make up? This is always much more important that the actual situation itself. Some of the common metaphors in time management include working on the […]
Four Steps to Surviving the Heart-Ache
by Steve Harper As the Rolling Stones said: “You can’t always get what you want.” That’s what I’ve been negotiating in my creative life these days. After months of continuing my search for TV writing work, I’ve not yet gotten a job. I’m still in the game, no question, but it’s been frustrating and difficult. And it’s gotten me thinking about the challenge (familiar for all creative folks) of being far from the opportunities we covet....
Songs from ManKind Project Men of the Northwest
Editors Note: Mike has done a yeoman’s job of putting together this collection of New Warrior Music! Check out my three favorites – Be Real, We are Warriors, and Fall Away! All sales of this album directly support the ManKind Project Northwest Community’s Scholarship program. by Mike Biskup It Takes a Village to Raise a Man by 27 NW Men Inspired by The Mankind Project – 100% of Profits for Scholarships!...
To bless or not to bless – that is the question!
Last night, I facilitated an evening workshop on the King Archetype with my friend and Brother, Pål Christian Buntz. En route to the workshop, I felt somewhat flat and hollow. I am familiar with that feeling. What I yearn for then is being filled in some way, to “feel seen and embraced for exactly who […]
What Is Commitment, Really?
We live in a disposable culture, addicted to constant stimulation, new thrills, and instant gratification. In that kind of model, with all the blends of media encouragement to keep it up, and the pressures of trying to keep up with life, where is your relationship fitting in? Is it falling prey at all to “Hamster-itis” […]
Feedback Foes Can Be Fruitful
Feedback. It’s the original F word. Not all feedback, mind you. There’s the good kind, and there’s the toxic kind. In its ideal form, feedback is designed to help someone improve. When given with trust and respect, feedback can be heard and acted upon. But when it’s toxic, it can get ugly. Many a […]
Now Dig This: Charles White
He was not only an extraordinarily gifted artist who produced powerfully moving works of art; he was also an important pioneer who inspired a generation of young black artists to believe that they, too, had something of urgent importance to say.
Nine things successful people do
It’s been a long week, so I am just going to present this article, from the Harvard Business Review, on Nine Things Successful People Do, in list format, and I encourage you to read more. 1. Get specific. 2. Seize the moment to act on your goals. 3. Know exactly how far you have left […]
How To Save Your Creative Life
by Steve Harper A funny thing happened to me on the way home from an event in downtown L.A. I was performing in a benefit for Playwrights Arena, a theatre company – in an ensemble number from a show written by a friend of mine. Driving downtown can be tricky in Los Angeles, with commuter traffic and parking restrictions, and I ended up making a quick decision to park in a lot a few blocks from the Los Angeles Theatre Center,...
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     The ManKind Project® is a global nonprofit education and training organization dedicated to helping men find and live the best of who they can be as men. We support over 1000 men's groups in over 10 countries around the world. Our flagship training is the New Warrior Training Adventure. Over 58,000 men have stepped out of their comfort zones to make a better life for themselves and their families. |
