4 Skills Every Man Must Learn

What does it mean to be a man? This question has plagued civilization for centuries with seemingly everyone having an opinion on the topic. A man is someone who is aware enough to take care of his own needs, as well as the needs of others. By no means a comprehensive list, this list of 4 Skills Every Man Must Learn is a start on the path towards becoming a self-sufficient man.

Build a Fire

The magic of fire never ceases to amaze. Creating your own fire makes one feel like a magician creating a life necessity with your bare hands. You never know when this skill may come in handy. There’s nothing more impressive than being able to start a fire from scratch. Providing warmth, purifying water, drying out clothes & equipment, keep animals & insects away, cooking food, and creating signals for others to see if lost are all vital needs in survival situations. A fire is a one stop shop for all of these needs.

Change a Flat

We don’t have to do it often, so remembering how to change a flat tire may have left our minds years ago. The safety of you and whoever you’re with depend on knowing how to stay aware of a potentially dangerous situation. Knowing how to change a tire can also save you hours of time. Don’t be that guy who calls AAA when your car gets a flat. Learning to change a tire is one of the easiest things to do in the world. Best of all, your car typically comes with all of the necessary tools.

Grow Your Own Food

Have you ever tasted a freshly picked sun-ripened tomato from the vine? How about a carrot directly from the ground? The flavors of homegrown, organic food is unrivaled with grocery store produce. Often times, that produce from the store has traveled thousands of miles to your home. It also took who knows how long since it was picked to make it to your plate. Growing your own food is easy–even with limited space, thanks to container gardening. Making a fresh salad daily with ingredients plucked fresh from the soil you’ve cultivated is an incredible experience that can only be had by growing your own food.

Be Alone

We’ve heard the stories of the Spartan child being left alone in the wild to survive and fight their way back to Sparta–when they do, they’re a man. It feels like we’ve come a long way from that point but the same principle holds true. Learning to be alone–just you and your thoughts without the hindrance of technology can be freeing. This can be accomplished through mindfulness meditation, hiking in the woods, or another activity where you can be alone to think and contemplate. It forces you to look at yourself and grow as a human being.

The path to becoming a self-sufficient man isn’t exclusive to these 4 skills but they’ll definitely set you on the right path. Taking care of yourself and being able to step in and help others is an essential trait of any person, let alone men. The confidence in having skills that can get you out of jams or tricky situations will allow you to excel when the time arises.