1. ISSUE 003 | MARCH’ 2015
Birds on MenTHE MAGAZINE OF MEN’S LIFESTYLE INSIDERS
The Notion of
Marriage
And Love!
Classic Style Advice
7Timeless
Fashion Tips
Men must Learn!
It’s All
About
Mental
Seduction!
•The Fun Factor
•Earthly Desires
•Role-Play
Attract Money
into Your
Life
must read:
Education VS
Experience:
What Matters More?
2. contents
04 “It’s All About Mental Seduction”
An interesting read about attracting
yourself to women
08 “The Notion Of Marriage and Love”
What do you think about the realtionship be-
tween Marriage and Love? Let’s Discover.
FEATURES
14 “Education VS Experience: What
Matters More?”
Education is Important, but but how about hands
on work experience? Is real life work experience
more valuable than an educational pedigree?
20 “It’s Your Opportunity: Time to
Move On”
Waiting for opportunity? Opportunity never
waits you, go out and seek out your
great opportunity with Dr.Richard Norris.
26 Classic Style Advice: 7 Timeless
Fashion Tips, Men Must Learn
34 Attract Money Into Your Life
Ever wonder how money flows into your life?
Discover and help yourself to attract money
into your bank account.
Lifestyle
Looking for a style that will differentiate you
from your peers? Look no further. Learn fashion
essential tips from Antonio Centeno.
3. Contributing Authors
Kin Y.Briana B.
Chief Editor Creative Director
Dr. Richard Norris Antonio Centeno
ISSUE 003 | MARCH’ 2015
Birds On Men Magazine is welcoming contributors.
You should become a contributor of Birds On Men Magazine if you are well-informed
on areas of men culture ( or areas representing your expertise and diverse topics of
interest) and have a passion for creative writing. We welcome contributors passionate
about their chosen topics or want to republish their work on BirdsOnMen Magazine.
Send us an e-mail at editor@birdsonmen.com
4. 4 Birds On Men
It’s All About
MENTAL
SEDUCTION
All girls like and appreciate men who can make them laugh. The Daily Mail
recently ran an article which concluded “the best way to get a sweet young
thing back to the toes is to down on yourself a bit.” To put things in perspec-
tive, the data upon which they based their conclusions were from a study ti-
tled, ‘Dissing Oneself: the attractiveness of self depreciating humor.’ Summa-
rize as: humor and humility work. This is different from putting yourself down
in gross ways, but having a little fun and not taking yourself too seriously is
a major turn on for all girls. Again, you want to be playful but also show your
strength. Being able to make a girl laugh is one of your biggest assets in the
game of mental seduction because laughter and humor make her feel com-
fortable around you. Making her feel good, wanted and in charge (meaning,
she is the one seducing you, she is the one chasing you - you are the one sur-
rendering to her need for you), this is the key to real mental seduction.
Girls loves mystery because they
are wired in their DNA to be cu-
rious; and which means that
you need to learn how to spark
her curiosity for you. A girl that
doesn’t know about you is probably the best start that
will get her to adore you. Loose lips sink ships, and spill-
ing your life story, and every aspect about yourself too
early on in the game just makes a girl feel like you want
a mother, and most of the girls aren’t looking to babysit
anyone – they have their own life problems to handle just
like anyone else.
Curiosity
5. 5Birds On Men
Mental Seduction
Emotional Attraction
Every interaction with her is extremely important because every time is an oppor-
tunity to create an impression in her mind of who you are and what you’re about.
Her perception of you is her reality about you, and you are now gaining the tools to
wield that perception in any way you choose so that she can feel the right type of
feelings for you. In other words, you are going to learn how to influence her emo-
tional tendencies.
• Girls are fundamentally emotional creatures, so the entire game of seduction,
and really understanding anything about her, is all in how you make her feel. If
you’re not getting a successful result then you’re not making her feel the right things
about you.
• In order to get a date with her, you’ve got to go through the doorway of her mind.
Perception is reality in a girls’ world.
All these little tricks is really just a finely tuned system by which to get her to chase
you. Once she is pursuing you (at least in her mind), she’s going to want to get you
alone.
The gate keeper of a girl is her mind. This is why so many attractive girls enjoy playing
mind games because it makes them feel powerful, in charge and untouchable - they
know how powerful her physical beauty is, yet she is incredibly insecure about it for
two important reasons which are ultimately, your best knowledge to counter:
1) She knows that one day her beauty will be gone, and someone else will/can replace
her.
2) She’s also well aware of the fact that many men want to ‘love her long time’ – so
she’s constantly on guard to weed out those men who only approach her based on
how attractive she is.
It all seems like a contradiction right? Here’s the catch. Gorgeous girls are very inse-
cure. That’s right. NO matter how confident and beautiful she may appear to be, she’s
secretly terrified that she is not good enough, not attractive enough – and if you get
inside her mind by making her feel an attraction for you she’s going to want to prove
to you that she’s worthy of your attention – and that’s going to want to make her show
you exactly how good she really is. Basically, she wants to drive you crazy because
she is insecure –she needs to prove to herself that her physical seductive powers are
desirable. All girls want to feel desired by the objections of their affection and that is
exactly where your turn comes in: turning the tables on her in a clever way that will
make her pursue you.
6. 6 Birds On Men
Be The Alpha Men, that Girls Desire
The truth is all girls crave a cave man type caring, no
matter how independent or feminist orientated she
may appear to be. What does this mean, your ego is
your biggest asset, as we have already discussed, even
if you’re migrating into the area of arrogance, this male
thing you have – called your ego – is your gift.
All girls, regardless of type, stereotype, cultural upbring-
ing or background want, on some level, to be taken care
of. They want to feel like the fairer sex. They want to feel
like you can “handle stuff” because this makes her feel
safe around you. The feelings of security and comfort
are two of the biggest factors which play into whether
a girl attracted to you or not. If she feels comfortable
with the idea of you, she will agree to meet up with you
in person. If she feels comfortable being around you
(and you’ve ignited those other sparks of desire), she’s
going to be with you.
7. In short – these are the qualities of an Alpha male:
• They are fun and fun loving (they are great to be around because they bring an aura of hap-
piness and positivity with them.)
• They are confident and determined (no doubting!)
A side note about presence here: confident men are irresistible men (and that includes in your
messages, and any and all interactions with her.)
• Alpha men demonstrate wealth and intelligence but not in a “imagery attraction-look at me
way” (the same way like a girl may wear attractively to attract guys– which equally good to
look at perhaps – but not all that intriguing – the same goes for you, show a little at a time.)
• Alpha males are fair and humble, they do not brag about their status, because they know that
they don’t need to. They are confident, proud and sure within themselves.
• They display strong Alpha male body language, taking up space and ensuring you know they
are there (standing legs apart, torso facing your subject etc.)
• They are aloof but enticing (that means, yeah – she is attractive, but stop focusing on that
– make something else in your surroundings, or something else about her, your focus. Always
remember, she is only an option for you.)
• Attractive girls have beta males laying themselves down at their feet like doormats all day
long. An Alpha male will never, under any terms, do that because you need her to be more than
just beautiful. (Beauty works for beta males because they don’t value themselves and are pre-
pared to do anything for a little romp in the hay with a half good looking girl – alpha males
require more than good looks.)
It is a girl’s wish to be beyond will, beyond thought – that’s where we want you to take them to
that place. ” They need you to make them (beautiful womankind) get out of their minds and into
their bodies, and you do that by acting like you can handle stuff because you are secure and
confident in who you are. They want you to be in control, they want you to be an Alpha male,
so that they can let their guard down and feel safe, secure and comfortable being around you.
8. 8 Birds On Men
by Emma
Goldman
Notion of
Marriage & Love
Classics
The
The popular notion about marriage and love is that they are synonymous, that
they come from the same motives, and cover the same human needs. Like most
popular notions this also rests not on actual facts, but on beliefs.
Marriage and love have nothing in com-
mon; they are as far apart as the poles;
are in fact opposed to each other. No
doubt some marriages have been the
result of love. Not, however, because
love could assert itself only in marriage;
much rather is it because few people
can completely outgrow a
convention. There are today large num-
bers of men and women to whom mar-
riage is nothing but an act, who submit
to it for the sake of public opinion. At
any rate, while it is true that some mar-
riages are based on love, and while it
is equally true that in some cases love
continues in married life, I maintain
that it does so regardless of marriage,
and not because of it.
On the other hand, it is utterly false that
love results from marriage. On rare oc-
casions one does hear of a miraculous
case of a married couple falling in love
after marriage, but on close examina-
tion it will be found that it is just an ad-
justment to the inevitable. Certainly the
growing of being used to each other is
far away from the intensity, and beau-
ty of love, without which the intimacy
of marriage must prove degrading to
both the woman and the man.
Marriage is primarily an economic ar-
rangement, an insurance pact. It differs
from the ordinary life insurance agree-
ment only in that it is more binding,
more exacting. Its returns are insignifi-
cantly small compared with the invest-
ments. In taking out an insurance poli-
cy one pays for it in dollars and cents,
always at liberty to discontinue pay-
ments. If, however, woman’s premium
is a husband, she pays for it with her
name, her privacy, her self-respect,
her very life, “until death.” Moreover,
the marriage insurance condemns her
to certain dependency, as an individu-
al as well as social. Man, too, pays the
toll, but as his sphere is wider, marriage
does not limit him as much as woman.
He feels his chains more in an economic
sense. Whether the marriage adds val-
ue to each other is another case.
Every marriage stands behind the life-
long environment of the two sexes; an
environment so different from each
other that man and woman might re-
main strangers. Separated by an insur-
mountable wall of superstition, custom,
and habit, marriage has not the poten-
tiality of developing knowledge of, and
respect for, each other, without which
9. 9Birds On Men
every union is doomed to failure.
Most of the average girl from the past
is being told that marriage is their ulti-
mate goal and it still being told until to-
day; therefore her training and educa-
tion are directed towards the ultimate
goal or having her dreams, education
and career being abandoned after a
certain period of her marriage. Like the
mute beast fattened for slaughter, she
is prepared for that. Yet, strange to say,
she knows much less about her function
as wife and mother than the ordinary
profession of her trade. The prospective
wife and mother are kept in complete
ignorance of her only asset in the com-
petitive field—sex. Thus she enters into
life-long relations with a man only to
find herself shocked, repelled, outraged
beyond measure by the most natural
and healthy instinct, sex. It is safe to
say that a large percentage of the un-
happiness, misery, distress, and physi-
cal suffering of matrimony is due to the
ignorance in sex matters that is being
extolled as a great virtue. Nor is it at all
an exaggeration when I say that more
than one home has been broken up be-
cause of this fact.
10. Birds On Men10
Can there be anything more outrageous than
the idea that a healthy, grown woman, full of
life and passion, must deny nature’s demand,
must subdue her most intense craving, un-
dermine her health and break her spirit,
must stunt her vision, abstain from the depth
and glory of sex experience until a “good”
man comes along to take her unto himself
as a wife? That is precisely what marriage
means. How can such an arrangement end
except in failure? This is one, though not the
least important, factor of marriage, which
differentiates it from love.
Now, the time when Romeo and Juliet risked
the wrath of their fathers for love, when
Gretchen exposed herself to the gossip of
her neighbors for love, is no more. Young
people are allowed themselves with the lux-
ury of romance and able to choose whom
they like to be with. It’s the age that people
should able to understand the meaning of
marriage and love.
There is a common moral lesson instilled in
the girl is not whether the man has aroused
her love, but rather is it, “How much?” The
important of practical life of any developed
country: Can the man make a living? Can he
support a wife? That is the only thing that
justifies marriage. Gradually this saturates
every thought of the girl; her dreams are
not of moonlight and kisses, of laughter and
tears; she dreams of shopping tours and bar-
gain counters. This soul of poverty is the ele-
ments inherent in the marriage institution.
Doubtless there are people who continue
to consider love above money and precious
gems. Particularly is this true of that class
whom economic necessity has forced to
become self-supporting. The tremendous
change in woman’s position, wrought by
that mighty factor, is indeed phenomenal
when we reflect that it is but a short time
since she has entered the working arena.
Yet with all that, but a very small number of
the vast amount of women with salary and
pay slips look upon work as a permanent is-
sue, in the same light as does men. No mat-
ter how problematic the latter, he has been
taught to be independent, self-supporting.
Oh, I know that no one is really independent
in our economic treadmill; still, the poorest
specimen of a man hates to be a parasite; to
be known as such, at any rate.
11. 11Birds On Men
A matter of fact, a middle-class girl in mar-
riage, seldom speaks-up of her own feet if
she is not the economic provider, it ends up
allowing the men to have the upper hand to
decides her sphere of life. It is not important
whether the husband is a brute or a darling.
Whether this is a true fact or not, what I wish
to prove is marriage guarantees a woman a
home only by the grace of what’s her own
ability to support and her husband capabil-
ity to earn, which results on the economic
and comfort satisfaction of the couple itself.
There she is who didn’t try to add value to
her self; which she will move about in the
home, year after year, until her perspective
of life and human affairs becomes as flat,
narrow, and drab as her surroundings. Small
wonder if she becomes a nag, petty, quar-
relsome, gossipy, unbearable, thus driving
the man away from the house. She could
not go, if she wanted to; there is no place to
go. Besides, a short period of married life,
of complete surrender of all faculties, abso-
lutely incapacitates the average woman for
the outside world. She becomes reckless in
appearance, clumsy in her movements, de-
pendent in her decisions, cowardly in her
judgment, a weight and a bore, which most
men will get fed up and despise. The inspir-
ing atmosphere for bearing the wonderful
life, is it?
But for the child, how are they going to be
protected, with marriage? If there are thou-
sands of children are uncared and homeless,
what can a marriage really do? Marriage
may have the power to bring the horse to the
water, but it has never made the horse drink.
The law will place the parents under arrest,
and put him/her in convict’s clothes; but has
that ever stilled the hunger of the child? If
the parent has no work, or hides their iden-
tity, what does marriage do then?
It invokes the law to bring the man to “jus-
tice,” to put him safely behind closed doors;
his/her labor, however, goes not to the child,
but to the government. The child receives
but a horror memory of its parent’s prison
clothes.
12. 12 Birds On Men
Love, the strongest and deepest element in all life, the hope, of joy, of ecstasy; love, the
defiler of all laws, of all conventions; Have you ever wondered what is free love? As if love is
anything but free! Humanity has bought brains, but all the millions in the world have failed
to buy love. Humanity has subdued bodies, but all the power on earth has been unable to
subdue love. Man has conquered whole nations, but all his armies could not conquer love.
High on fame and riches, with all the gold and money can command, the man is still poor
and desolate, if love passes him by. And if it stays, the poorest guy you can ever imagine is
radiant with warmth, with life and color. Thus love has the magic power to let a beggar feel
like a boss, a king. Yes, love is free; it can dwell in no other atmosphere. In freedom it gives
itself unreservedly, abundantly, completely.
True love can still be a stranger to most people. Still unable to truly understand, because
it rarely takes root; or so if it does, most of it withers and dies. If the world is ever to give
birth to true companionship and oneness, not marriage, it is the love will be the parent.
Whether true love is common in the future or not, what it matters is we should choose on
having a quality and sustainable marriage, which means; we must never force ourself into
marriage until we are ready to commit, in physically, spiritually, psychologically and eco-
nomically.
“ We come to love not by
finding a perfect person but
by adapting to an imperfect
person perfectly”
15. 15Birds On Men
Are youstressed about finding a good paying job? Are you feel-
ing dispassionate about a job you accepted straight out of college? All of the
anxiety and frustration you feel are normal. If you are wondering what you
can do to get out of the rut you are experiencing, I hope it comforts you that
you do not need to pursue more pedigrees to transform your life to some-
thing you are proud to call your life.
You can increase your earnings or discover what you love to do without spending
more money than you need to spend. All you have to do is build up your work experi-
ence and add a great deal of value to any given organization.
This is not easy, but it is worth it. The only thing that is holding you back from the
success you want is experience. Someone being smarter than you, more attractive or
talented doesn’t really matter. You need to ask yourself what great experiences can
you proudly mention from your story. What lessons did you learn from these great
experiences? When I say great experiences, it doesn’t necessarily mean a positive
experience. Some of the greatest experiences happen through failure.
Sometimes you need to experience major failure in order to appreciate your life a
little better. When I accepted my failures, it was a major realization that I can get
everything I want out of life if I focus on how I will reach my great destination to any
given goal.
@ 1. Build Up Your Work Experience
@ 2. Take Action On Your Plan
The only reason you will hear people living with regret is solely about not following
through on the plan to carry out their goals. You have to do more than just dream
about tomorrows. You need to take action now.
Take a deep breath and ask yourself what do you want out of life. Can you explain this
vision in great detail? How does that future make you feel? Can paint the richness of
such a life? If you can, you are 1 step closer to making it happen. You really have to
believe you can do it before you see it through.
16. 16 Birds On Men
I would love to share my personal experience on how I start my perilious journey. Years
ago when I was still a teenager I had a vision or perhaps a dream where a voice told
me to keep up with my website www.fromgirltogirl.com because great things would
flourish from it. In the dream the voice told me as long as I built on my religious teach-
ings that what I want to do with the website and the community would go far beyond
my imagination.
Manifesting details of the vision in my mind makes the journey so much more exciting.
I can confidently say that I feel I am destined to do great things for the world. If I’m
being honest, I feel like I’m destined to become a great world leader.
You may laugh at that statement,but somebody is going to become a great world
leader. Why cannot that incredible world leader be me? Why cannot that amazing
world leader be you?
If you can envision it in your mind, you can do it. Some people never take the chance
because they believe they don’t have enough time to make a dream happen. Trust
me, there is no better time than today to make it happen.
I embrace taking risk now because I don’t want to go through life and regret what I
did not do years ago. It matters more to me that I went after the things I love as hard
as I can than regret not trying at all. Being the best is not necessary to live the life I
envision. I need some wits, common sense and good connections to make it happen.
You can do the same. However, the only thing you’ll control is how smarter you’ll work
for what you want. What will you give your all to? I chose to give my all to making the
vision of my Fromgirltogirl come true.
I’m taking a leap of faith and I believe that I will lead the way as long as I am willing to
put in the work.
@ 3. Dare to Take Risk, Despite the
Uncertainty
17. 17Birds On Men
I am passionate about teaching people to get exactly what they want out of life if
they are willing to give it their all. Someone beloved to me said I always go after what
I want and it just so happens it’s the same thing that made us connect on a spiritual
level no one but us can break.
After working with people of all walks of life, I realize the most important things in life
to people are money, health and above all love.
To build credibility in any industry, you need to show off your experience and the good
of your character.
What are you looking for? What are the people around you looking for? This is how
you will understand the needs of others as well as your own.
When you know the answers, get started right away on transforming the vision to re-
ality.
In my early years of entrepreneurship, I was trying so hard to think of a product to sell
or a way to develop valuable experience. I realized that I never needed a product to
sell and I didn’t need as much experience as I thought I needed. What I really needed
at the time was to get started on transforming the dream to actuality.
The first product I ever sold was digital content. That is when I learned content mar-
keting was very lucrative and I could grow in this industry by continuously building up
my experience through favors, networking and projects for corporate America.
Through my early years of content marketing I mastered predicting how many people
want XYZ products and the value of the product on the global market. That’s how I
established my career; and today it has beared the fruits of my labour because of my
indestructable passion that pushed me to the limits to achieve success.
@ 4. Passionate in What You are Doing
18. 18 Birds On Men
@ 5. Market YourSelf
by Helping
People
You don’t need a bunch of pedigrees
to become a successful person. You do
need to master selling yourself, your
ideas.
If you’re looking for a job, don’t ask for
a job. It will make you look desperate
to accept any job. When you ask for
something, you want to come from a
place of power. Instead, ask for a con-
nection, recommendation or men-
tor. Ask them to tell you their stories.
It is those same people who will pro-
pel your career. Those same people
will become board members
of your organization. Surround
yourself with great leaders and
you’ll become one yourself.
It is all about execution. You
need to always ask yourself
why you’re doing something
and then you can find ways
to execute it. You don’t have
to reinvent the wheel. In order
to succeed, you need to figure
out how people are succeed-
ing already and how you can
do different or better than the
formula they are using to excel.
Be flexible with your solutions
for any given problem. Why?
Because people invest in peo-
ple, not simply ideas. Be per-
sistent. Help people.
Briana Booker (BirdsOnMen - Chief Editor)
(www.fromgirltogirl.com)
Briana Booker is a Relationship Columnist for the DC
Metropolitan Area. She is also a Digital Strategists for
entrepreneurs across industries to help them create and
execute a comprehensive online strategy that maximiz-
es their brand awareness, while increasing the success
of their online marketing efforts, including content cre-
ation and development, user-centered design and devel-
opment, internet marketing and social engagement, and
data driven performance analysis.
She is dedicated to empowering communities through
social good initiatives.
19.
20. It’s Your Opportunity:
Time To
Move ON
Every opportunity presents a chance
for you to move onward in your life.
Sometimes where you are is not where
you are supposed to be. The challenge
is ending where you are at so that you
can move on.
by Richard
Norris
21. 21Birds On Men
Ever missed an opportunity because you were stuck or afraid of taking a risk to move
on from what you knew? I have. Some of my opportunities could well have turned into
something far more exciting, fruitful and meaningful, but I’ll never know. I never made
the move. I played it safe. But safe is not always what’s best. We men and women are
designed to find our limits and test/stretch the boundaries of our comfort zone. If we
don’t challenge ourselves, we will never know what our best life could be.
My Story
I have moved on a lot. I was a veterinarian for 12 years. I finally moved on. My wife,
Nancy, said I stayed with it 5 years too long. I was very disillusioned with my “dream”
career. She said I was miserable, yet misery can be very comfortable. It becomes fa-
miliar. I moved on from my military career. Whilst I enjoyed the work, what I joined for
was not going to happen. I felt that my career options were very limited. I owned a
business coaching franchise. I learned all I could, but it never lived up to my expecta-
tions. I could not leverage myself. I honored my 5 year contract and then left. I worked
a sweat equity deal with a company for 2 years and tried to ring-fence what was owed
me. I failed. Time to move on. My business was failing. I tried to keep it going. I was in
denial. Finally, I woke up and moved on. I closed it.
These experiences all had similarities. The signs were there to move on to the next op-
portunity (even if I did not know what that was). I sensed there was no brighter future
where I was. I saw little or no fruit from my efforts. I had no peace and had a disease
in my spirit. With each I became frustrated and unfulfilled. I came to realize my work
was done. Time to move on.
22. 22 Birds On Men
There is always something somewhere
from which we need to move on. Job.
Career. Relationship. Habit. Location. Etc.
Others know it often before us. We just
struggle or procrastinate to make the de-
cision and move on.
If you’re like me, there is always one op-
portunity or another near to hand – good,
great or poor. These tend to loom larg-
er when I find myself questioning where
I am at, wondering what more there is.
The challenge then becomes stepping
out of my comfort zone and stepping to-
ward a new opportunity. I admit I have
never found this easy. However, whenev-
er I do it, I discover more about myself
and what I am capable of. I learn more
lessons (whether I made the right deci-
sion or not). Moving on means I grow into
more of who, I believe, I’m meant to be.
Every opportunity carries within it, at least initially, the unknown. Nancy gave me the
opportunity to get married. I really did not know what to expect. I’m sure glad I made
that move! When I was unemployed post-9/11, I took a prayerful risk and invested in the
opportunity of owning my own franchise. I’d never owned a business before. It taught
me so much about business, people and myself.
Along my own Journey of Success, I’ve also failed. Every failure is an opportunity. Failure
means you can count your losses yet learn all you can for your future benefit. I’ve lost
count of how many times I’ve failed. I have learned to accept failure, learn from it and
move on.
From where do
you need to
move on?
Can We Accept Failure?
23. 23Birds On Men
What Does it Mean to
Move ON ?
Moving on is often about leaving the
safety of the harbor. How else can you
sail the seas and live a life of explo-
ration and adventure? Moving on is
about knowing that your current life
chapter has ended; that your work is
done; that there is a next leg of your
journey. As at an airport, to get to
your destination, there is a specific
time and route for you to get there.
“ You cannot go forward if you
are held back; you cannot go up
if you are held down. “
Sure… choosing to take an oppor-
tunity is about heading into the un-
known. But, like Captain James T Kirk
and the USS Enterprise, you must,
“boldly go where no man (you) has
gone before”. The best opportunities
come when we leave our limitations
behind.
24. 24 Birds On Men
I’m Stuck in the Mud. Help!!
For you to let go of your past and present and to move toward your better future,
you must be self-aware. You must know your strengths, weaknesses, your char-
acter, your skills, talents and abilities. It’s likely that you have moved on in your
past and done it successfully. Use that knowledge and experience to bolster you
to move on when the time and opportunity is right.
You must also be aware of what’s holding you back – a person, finances, time etc
– from the opportunity of being a better you. For me, often what’s been holding
me back is myself – my fears, beliefs, a values conflict, my need to have all the
information etc. As I often assert to clients, the biggest limitation that holds us
back is often ourselves. Looking back, I realized there were times when I had one
foot on the gas and the other on the brake. No wonder I was frustrated and felt
like I was going nowhere. All that time and energy I wasted working hard to stay
inside my comfort zone could have been better invested elsewhere.
Opportunity will always lie outside your current comfort zone. Outside your com-
fort zone is unknown and can be scary. The key is to know yourself, believe in
yourself and take a step of faith. I applaud all those men, women and children
who choose to leave abusive relationships. As I understand, sometimes that can
be a very scary thing to do. Yet it’s the right thing to do for them to break free of
their past and discover their future.
Opportunities come and go. Some come again. Some only come once. Make the
most of where you are now to prepare for when the time is right to take up your
next opportunity. When the time comes to choose – to stay the same or to go
and grow – you will do what’s right. It’s your opportunity to BE GREATER.
25. 25Birds On Men
Dr. Richard Norris
(www.leadingmeonly.com)
Leading men to lead at work, rest and play.
Author of Hoof it! 7 Key Lessons on Your Journey of
Success
Finalist 2012 National Indie Excellence Book Award &
America’s Favorite Author Award
Have you felt like you’re not
achieving the success
you desire and deserve?
Get MY Award-winning Book
100% FREE!
26. 26 Birds On Men
Classic Style Advice:
7 Timeless
Fashion Tips
by Antonio
Centeno
27. 27Birds On Men
Keep it simple young man.
A lot of young men, when they first decide to start dressing well, go out and invest in
fancy, expensive items that are much nicer and much more formal than everything else
in their outfits.
That’s not a good way to start!
You spend a lot of money, and you end up with an awkward mish-mash of high fashion
and low fashion; of business formality and casual street wear.
Take your cues from your environment and from what you already own. Unless you’ve
been totally clueless all your life, odds are that your current wardrobe is at least practi-
cal for your surroundings.
Your task is to upgrade, not to replace. Look for basic, sturdy pieces of clothing at a
slightly higher standard of dress than the ones you’re currently wearing.
Avoid items that look like nothing you’ve ever worn before. And definitely avoid mixing
business and formal clothing with casual garments!
Tip 1. Keep Your Style Simple
BE realistic about your environment.
A three-piece wool suit is a nice outfit, but if you’re wearing it in a hot weather, you’re not
going to look sharp. You’re going to look flushed, sweaty, and uncomfortable.
Don’t let fashion eclipse your body’s needs — because your body certainly won’t.
28. 28 Birds On Men
This is basic, practical advice for your wallet.
Thrift stores are an amazing place to start building a wardrobe for a fraction of the cost that
you’d spend buying new.
But getting to know your local consignment and charity stores is also educational. You’ll be
dealing with a mixed bag of styles. Some will be simple and timeless; others will be last decade’s
fleeting trends. Sorting the presentable from the comical is excellent practice for building your
own unique style.
Not everything old and out-of-date is necessarily unwearable.
A good, simple outfit of timeless clothing with one funky period piece thrown in there is fun.
It shows people that you know what the rules are, but also that you’re not afraid to break them
when it looks good.
Just take it easy, and focus first on buying clean, simple looks you can mix and match easily. And
get used to it taking a while — not every trip to the thrift store yields results. If you need some-
thing that looks good fast, you’ll probably have to buy new. But when you’ve got time to kill, the
thrift store (or relatives’ closets, with their permission) is the way to go.
Tip 2. Shop at Thrift Stores
29. 29Birds On Men
~ Eric HofferLocate someone who dresses well, and who is willing to give you a few tips. If they’re local, or a
family member, that’s ideal, though in the age of the internet it’s not strictly necessary anymore.
Performers and public figures, from rock stars on down to local politicians and teachers, are
often more aware of their appearances and the clothing choices they’re making than the average
man. Ask around. See who’s just throwing things on in the morning, and who’s making con-
scious choices.
Tip 3. Study History & the Role of Clothing
There’s a pretty cool story behind most your clothing.
Most details on contemporary garments are there for a reason.
In high fashion the reasons get somewhat arbitrary, but in basic, everyday menswear, the his-
tory is easy — and fun — to trace.
For example, the high-up pocket placement on the breast of dress shirts and work shirts? That’s
a tweak that goes all the way back to the days of hand-loaded, shoulder-fired muskets, when a
pouch high up on the chest reduced the time it took to reload. The high breast pocket has been
an American man’s look since the days of the Revolutionary War (actually – even farther back
if you look!).
Not all the historical details are military. Blue denim and blue chambray workshirts are classic
colors because the indigo dye used to produce them was cheaper than bleach in the early 20th
century, making it easier to re-dye blue clothes with work stains than to clean white ones.
These are just examples. There’s a reason for most things in men’s style. Knowing them is fun,
and it’s also an effective counter when someone gives you a hard time about your clothing
choices.
Tip 4. Find a Style Mentor
30. 30 Birds On Men
Forget about your budget for a minute. Hit up the best store in town, or at least the best that will
let you in the door. (If you live somewhere like New York or London, then yeah, there are going
to be high street designers who literally don’t let shoppers come in off the street and try things
on. Go a step more mainstream than that.)
Spend some time looking around a really nice store. Browse through the racks. Handle the
clothing. Try on a couple outfits (full outfits, not just individual pieces) that you like the look of.
And then put it all back. Don’t break the budget.
The point is to get a sense for what true quality looks and feels like. In the same way that aspiring
artists visit museums to see the works of the old masters, you’re looking to see how men with
much more experience and money dress well.
It gives you an idea of what to look for when shopping in cheaper stores and thrift stores. You
learn what good fabric should feel like against your hand, what a quality cut looks like, and so
on. That way, you’ll spot those rare, fantastic deals when you spot them.
Just for example, a $400 suit may not sound like a cheap price to a casual shopper, especially
one on a budget. But if you recognize that the suit’s made from an extremely fine and expensive
tropical weight wool that usually retails for thousands of dollars, and that it’s being made to
measure in your size by a talented tailor, and that it will fill a need in your wardrobe for the next
decade or so — suddenly it becomes a pretty good bargain, even if it means being a little tight
on cash for a month or two.
Tip 5. Visit the Best Menswear Store
31. 31Birds On Men
Seriously, spend some time with a needle
and thread.
Get over any issues you have with the
“masculinity” of it. Most of the master tai-
lors in the world right now are men.
More importantly, it’s a real time and mon-
ey saver. If you don’t have even the most
basic skills, you’re looking at ten bucks to
sew a button on your shirt; twenty-five to
get your pants hemmed.
In terms of labor costs, that’s on a par
with doctors and specialized mechan-
ics. Save yourself the money by learning
to do it yourself. It’s not hard — and, if
you’re a younger man in college or a large
house with lots of other guys, you can start
charging those ten bucks here, twenty
bucks there, sorts of rates to fix you bud-
dies’ clothing up.
It’s good practice for you, money in your
pocket, and the comforting knowledge
that you’ll never be dependent on finding
a tailor for some quick repairs when you
travel.
Tip 6. Learn to Sew
32. Antonio Centeno
Founder of Real Men Real Style and ATailoredSuit
(www.realmenrealstyle.com)
(www.atailoredsuit.com)
Antonio Centeno is a former US Marine turned
fashion expert. He helps men learn casual style and
go into greater detail across more mediums when it
comes to exactly how to dress and build your ward-
robe, besides that he also teach men on how to cre-
ate fine-tuned custom clothing online in minutes.
Tip 7. Teach Others
A final tip for young men: teach other young men!
That doesn’t have to be formal. Just talk about
clothes, go thrift shopping with other guys, or
spend some time answering questions on a mens-
wear web forum.
The more you think about how to advice other
people, the more you’re thinking about advice that
holds true for you, too.
It’s widely acknowledged that to demonstrate mas-
tery in a skill, the practitioner has to be able to ef-
fectively instruct someone else in the skill. If you’re
not there yet with fashion and wardrobe-building,
don’t sweat it — but do aim for it.
You’ll know you’re a sharp dresser when other
guys are coming to you for help, and you’re pro-
viding it without even thinking hard.
35. 35Birds On Men
Have you ever looked at someone driving a nice car or driven through a neighborhood full of
nice houses and wondered how those people got all that money? If so, you’re about to learn
the secret to attracting more money into your life, and as you’ll soon realize, it’s not some-
thing you can learn in school.
But first, let’s look at some popular myths about wealth that will help anyone with having
more of it in their life.
MYTH #1: Making Alot Of Money is Hard
Believe it or not, making a lot of money isn’t hard. It’s just
different. Just think about how hard you’re working in your
life to make money right now. Are you using all of the time
and energy and resources you have available to you? If so,
you’re already working as hard as you need to in order to
become wealthy.
So why aren’t you attracting dollars into your life by the mil-
lions?
Because of the strategy you’re applying to earn money, and
once you change this, you have a whole new world of op-
tions. You have just as many hours in the day as anyone else
does, and you probably have about as much energy to spend.
But what really makes a difference is how you’re spending
your time and energy.
Most people are using the model of trading hours for dollars
in order to earn income. The obvious problem with this is
saturation; you only have so many hours in a day. Therefore,
no matter how hard you’re working, the method that you are
applying towards earning income has a cap on it.
The key is developing a new strategy that does not limit you
to earning a limited amount per hour, per day, per week or
per year.
36. 36 Birds On Men
The belief that money is evil is a certain way to ensure that you’ll never have a lot of it. After all,
who would want to willingly acquire more of something in their life that they considered to be
evil? Even worse is the belief that having money causes you to become an evil greedy person.
Who would ever want to see themselves as evil or greedy? This alone is probably one of the lead-
ing causes of mediocrity and even poverty. Let’s just put this into perspective for a moment . . .
Evil is not a term that can applied to inanimate objects such as money. The intention to do evil
requires the power of choice, and money cannot make choices. It is only subject to the choices
which are being made by the person who possesses it. Therefore, if it has any moral character-
istics at all, those are simply the characteristics of the person who has it.
This means that as long as you know in your heart that you are a moral person, money is not
evil, and it’s perfectly okay for you to want more of it.
MYTH #2: Money is Root of All Evil
MYTH #3: You Can Attract Money by the Power of Your Thoughts
There’s a lot of talk about how you can attract more financial prosperity into your life by chang-
ing the way that you think. While your thoughts certainly do influence your beliefs and your
actions, thoughts alone cannot attract more money into your life. They must be accompanied
by specific plans of action, which are executed with wisdom and persistence.
In the best-selling book of Think and Grow Rich, the author Napoleon Hill said:
“ Riches do not respond to
wishes. They respond to
definite plans,
backed by definite
actions through constant
persistence.”
And this quote gives you the clue as to how you can actually attract more money into your life
. . .
37. 37Birds On Men
Principle #1: Wealth Only Happens on Purpose
Other than believing in the above myths about money, there’s one principle thing that makes the difference
between poverty and wealth: taking proactive control of your financial destiny as opposed to leaving it to
chance.
You’ve probably noticed that everywhere you go there are multiple opportunities for you to spend your
money in order to build someone else’s dreams instead of building your own. We call these opportunities
advertisements, and those who are lured in by them are people who have no definite plan of action for their
money.
An interesting thing about money is that it moves in one direction and one direction only: toward those
who are proactively forming plans of action for attracting it. This means that it HAS to be flowing away
from the people who are not proactively forming plans of action for attracting it.
This is never going to change. But what you can change is which end of the currency flow you’re going to
be on. The first step towards proactively managing the flow of financial assets in your life is keeping record
of four things:
1) Where your money is coming from
2) How much money is coming in
3) Where your money is going
4) How much is going out
As simple as this sounds, it’s impossible to form a plan of action for attracting wealth before you have a
clear picture of what’s happening to the wealth that’s already in your possession.
TIP: The only way to do this is by writing down all of your financial transactions so that you can have a clear picture of what needs to
change in order for you to manage the flow of your financial resources.
38. 38 Birds On Men
If you’ve never followed the statistics about lottery and Powerball winners, it’ll interest you
to know that the jackpot doesn’t guarantee financial stability for life. The majority of winners
spend it all within a few years. Why is this? In their eyes, the money that they win doesn’t have
a value equal to money they had earned.
The reality is that the same principles by which a person acquires wealth are the same principles
required to maintain wealth. If you’re completely clueless about how to build wealth, you won’t
be able to keep it in your life for very long.
You probably know at least one person who is making a reasonable amount of money but is
always broke and has nothing to show for their healthy salary. This is because they don’t fully
understand the value of money and how to build wealth out of what they have.
No matter how much they make, they will always end up in the same place: broke. On the other
hand, you have people like Donald Trump who have lost almost everything they had at least
once in their life but have built it all back up from basically nothing.
Principle #2: Wealth Only Stays with Those Who Know How
to Build It
How is this possible? Because wealth has more to do with the person who has the money than
how much money they actually have. Give $100,000 to someone who is irresponsible with mon-
ey, and it won’t be long before all of that money has flowed out of their bank account and toward
someone who had a proactive plan of action for acquiring it.
On the other hand, take that same $100,000, but give it to someone who is financially respon-
sible in that they understand how to build wealth, and they’ll have more and more until they’ve
built a fortune out of it.
39. 39Birds On Men
Principle #3: Wealth Is Not Only Measured in Dollars and Cents
Have you ever heard the saying “time is money”? If so, you’ve had at least a small glimpse into how wealthy
people think. The rich measure the value of their time and their energy at all times, not just when they’re
earning money.
They don’t sit on the phone for a half hour and squabble over a one dollar charge on their electric bill. They
would rather spend that time working on proactive plans for acquiring more wealth in their life: starting
their own business, investing, etc. They also don’t waste their time chasing after income opportunities sim-
ply because they can make a lot of money.
Instead, they focus on doing things to earn income that fill them with a sense of passion, purpose and mo-
tivation. They understand that the value of this passion and motivation is that it will help them to become
truly excellent at what they do and open doors for them to earn more.
On the other hand, millions of people choose
careers that make them unhappy just because
they can “make more money.” But most of the
extra money gets spent buying things in or-
der to make up for the missing happiness and
sense of purpose in their life.
If you want to have wealth in your life, you
need to start measuring the financial value of
the other things in your life. Valuing the non-
financial aspects of life will help you to refocus
your energy and resources in a way that will
allow you to attract more money in the long
run.
For example, how valuable is your time, your
passion and your natural sense of purpose and
motivation? How much more value could you
add as a business owner, an entrepreneur or
an employee if you could commit all of these
things toward your trade? How much more
money could you potentially earn as a result?
As you might guess, this is simply not possible if you’re doing something only because you can earn a big-
ger paycheck, but which provides you with no sense of excitement. No matter how impractical something
might seem on the surface, it’s important to remember that in every field you can find at least a handful of
experts who are making a LOT more money than the average person in their line of work.
TIP: Sit down right now and ask yourself what one thing you’re most passionate about, most skilled at and which inspires you with the
greatest sense of purpose. Then, get to work on a practical plan of action that will position you to earn an income doing it.
These are the people who love what they do and who are working at it with all their heart. If you want to
attract the kind of money that they’re attracting, you must be able to do the same.
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