Circle of Trust

I’ve been reading How To Be a Man: The Path to Strong Masculinity—And the Brotherhood that Builds It by Don Ross, Ross does an amazing job depicting how the 90s through today our culture has fantastically demonized masculinity and its traits. The problem with that is the demonizations blurs what was once obvious for younger generations to emulate and follow. Being male is genetic, automatic—you were born that. But becoming the kind of man who can stand firm under pressure takes work. That work is what it takes for a man to exhibit true characteristics of masculinity. Masculinity starts with strength.

These traits that we will be uncovering each week are morally neutral — they are neither good nor bad. Possessing and demonstrating them makes you a man; learning to use them in benefit of others around you makes you a good man. 

Today’s beatdown was purpose-designed to reveal our First pillar in our Forged series: Strength. You carried the weight, climbed the challenge, pressed at the top, took the opportunity to push yourself, held the plank when your body told you to quit. That was the forge.

In a forge, raw metal meets heat, pressure and hammer. It bends, it cracks—unless it’s made to stand. If it’s properly formed, a tool emerges: ready for the work.

You didn’t just lift today. You resisted dropping. You didn’t collapse when the weight landed. That’s the mark of strength.

Challenge for the week: Think of the burden you’ve been avoiding. Pick it back up. Because strength is not just for the showdown—it’s for the next day’s alarm. It’s for when no one’s watching.

Get ready, because next time we’re going further.