What does it Mean to be a Strong Man?

Some may think that the answer to this question has evolved over time.  Influenced by culture, politics, responsibility, expectations and media, there are countless messages circulating regarding a man’s role in the home, workplace, leadership and society. In this day of technology dependence, where it’s easy to give over hours of your week to the social media scroll, you can pick up a lot of perspective - much of it contradicting and confusing.  

To distill the confusion and simplify the message, being a strong man really comes down to two (highly customizable) roles: provider and protector. These are the two elements of masculinity that have withstood the anthropological test of time and ripple destruction into society when tampered with.  This is why it is critical to know yourself, connect deeply with and honor your intrinsic masculinity and to mindfully and resourcefully integrate your past to remain steadfast as a protector and a provider.  

Let’s explore what it means to be a strong man by way of earnestly fulfilling your masculine roles with integrity and honor.  To develop a sturdy platform for masculine provision, you can invest in five major areas (all of which are addressed and cultivated as integral components of the Repositioning Process): 

• Know yourself: identifying personal needs, desires, strengths and liabilities, triggers and truths
• Cultivate an accurate, holistic and positive self concept  
• Eliminate restrictive and dysfunctional beliefs 
• Resource painful experiences to empower you to improve and strengthen
• Curate healthy relationships with the feminine, money, sex and food 

When you secure mastery in these areas, you equip yourself with a powerful platform from which to best provide for and serve others. 

Being a strong and capable provider does not consistently mean sacrificing or putting your needs below those you serve.  In fact, it’s just the opposite.  When you prioritize your spiritual, mental and physical health with the intention of serving others, you become best equipped to manage the richness of life and all that is gifted to you.  This is exemplified by the oxygen mask metaphor.  

To secure your own oxygen supply, but watch others suffer during an emergency would be selfish and dangerous. But by first equipping yourself with intention, you create the ability to serve others. Similarly through personal strength and development, you secure your ability to holistically provide for others. Investing your time in fitness, financial mastery, emotional control and spiritual development is your metaphorical oxygen mask.  These activities may be time spent away from engaging with loved ones, but when done with purpose, intention and balance, they provide security for your family in ways they could not otherwise receive.  

Masculine provision can be examined across a spectrum of disciplines, including spiritual, physical, emotional, intellectual, financial, relational and creative.  

Physical Provider: Developing and maintaining personal strength and wellness to be fit and capable of protection, home maintenance and serving others through physical labor. 

• Fitness, working out and strength training 
• Eating with nutritional focus
• Getting adequate sleep
• Avoiding poisonous substances like alcohol, drugs and unhealthy food 

Spiritual Provider: Developing a relationship with God, Source, Creator to empower you to lovingly, purposefully, optimally and morally engage with every aspect of life

• Prayer, meditation, visualization
• Connecting with other men through understanding scripture and spiritual guidance 
• Seeking spiritual guidance from others

Emotional Provider: Working on emotional mastery to embrace and engage in challenging situations to provide encouragement to yourself and others 

• Identifying your emotions and empowering yourself to use them as tools for growth 
• Embracing your emotions without allowing them to control you
• Remaining logically balanced in emotionally heightened situations and conversations 
• Remaining emotionally strong and present for those who are not in a state of emotional security or stability
• Providing loving and compassionate conflict resolution 
• Connecting deeply in your relationships through curiosity and vulnerability

Intellectual Provider: Resourcing yourself with continuous education, learning and growth 

• Engaging in media and learning materials that will keep you updated and capable of understanding current issues, human interaction and renewed and expanded perspective 
• Learning to communicate and lead 

Creative Provider: Cultivating creative outlets that allow you to be expressive through art, problem solving, communication and innovation 

• Engaging in artistic activities that intrigue and interest you
• Developing creative solutions to problems 

Service Provider: Extending your time, effort and attention to those who need it 

• Making yourself available within your home to serve your partner and children
• Reaching out to friends and relatives with genuine care and concern for their well-being

Financial Provider: 

• Choosing a purpose, career or job that allows you to abundantly provide for yourself, your partner and your dependents
• Equipping yourself with an understanding of financial systems and mindfully choosing how to spend, save and invest your income
• Consistently working toward financial security and freedom with an abundant mindset

Disciplining yourself to procure this equipment of skills and resources requires an investment in yourself that will greatly benefit all of those influenced and cared for by you.  

Even if you did not grow up in the presence of a strong male leader or role model, there are countless resources available to help equip you to be the man you want to be.  Being a strong man is not easy. It requires a flexible balance of many endeavors and a great deal of discipline, self evaluation and learning.  But you and everyone you know will be better as a result of your choice to consistently choose to be a strong man.

This is your human experience and it is up to you to determine the quality of how you show up to every minute of it by continuously evolving into a man who was slightly better than he was the day before. Repositioning can help you establish, restore and renew your relationship with yourself, your partner and all of life to maximize your roles as protector and provider.