When we think about moments that epitomize manliness, we often think of the captain going down with the ship, the men who allow the women and children to go first, the soldier who throws himself on a grenade to shield his brothers from the blow, the old man who attempts to save a drowning child and perishes himself in the waves. The common denominator in such scenarios is this: sacrifice. Sacrifice is arguably the manliest of virtues. It is the ability to give up our desires, sometimes even our lives, to aid and benefit someone else.

While most of us will never be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice, there is one sacrifice every man is both capable of making and should be making: the sacrifice of his time and resources in service to others.

Even men who don’t consider themselves materialistic, can be absolutely greedy with their time. But while holding tightly to our time and resources seems in the moment to protect our happiness, in the long run, this selfishness cankers our souls. The more tightly we hold to things, the less we enjoy them. Selfishness makes us needlessly bitter and contemptible, never feeling like we have enough, always worried that someone is going to take away our stuff. In not sharing of our time, talents, and resources, we end up feeling empty, not full. Service should thus be a part of every man’s life, lest he along with Ebenezer Scrooge should despair, “Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused! Yet such was I! Oh! Such was I!”

Our Obligation to Serve

Everybody knows that life isn’t fair. Some of us have a lot and some of us have a little. We can throw up our hands at this disparity, or we can do as much as we can to add balance to the universe. If you are lucky enough to have more talents and resources than someone else, then show your gratitude for these things by putting some back in the pot. Where much is given much is required.

Part of the warrior’s code that every soldier lives by is the maxim, “I will never leave a fallen comrade.” Thus, in the heat of battle, when someone cries out, “Man down!” the troops mobilize to get their fallen comrade to safety. A medic or another soldier will brave the hail of bullets to save their comrade.

There are a lot of men down these days. They’re wounded on the battlefield of life, not with bullets but with poverty, illiteracy, and hopelessness. As part of the brotherhood of man, we have an obligation not to leave our comrades behind. As the saying goes, “The public service we render is the rent we pay for our place on earth.”

The Benefits of Service

Of course the greatest benefit of service, is the help that those in need receive from you. Service can transform lives, communities, and nations. But giving service is one of the greatest paradoxes of life. For although it seems as if we sacrifice in giving away our time and resources, we actually get a whole host of benefits in return. In giving, we get. It’s a mystery, but it’s absolutely true. Serving can transform your life in the following ways:

Makes you happy. One of the first words a child learns is “mine.” And we often navigate life with this simple philosophy: “What in it for me?” But as mentioned above, such selfishness does not bring us contentment or peace. It’s giving, not getting, they brings us real happiness. I’ll admit that when I’m asked to do a service project or when I’m waking up at 7 in the morning on a Saturday to go help somebody, I don’t always feel very happy. Often, I grumble about it. But every single time I’ve manned up and gone and done the service, I’ve felt happy and satisfied afterward. Every single time. Service just makes you feel good about yourself and about life.

Puts your problems in perspective. We often think that our problems our huge. And they feel huge because we have nothing to compare them to except our own life experiences. But when we serve those less fortunate then us, we come to see how good we have it. Our problems start to seem relatively small. And our gratitude for all the good things we have in life increases exponentially.

Breaks down prejudice. It’s easy to paint people we’ve never had any contact with broad strokes, to think we have them all figured out. Immigrants, poor people, criminals and so on-we think we know their story. We often formulate our opinions on such people without ever having talked to a single one of them. But when we work one on one with people different than us, we come to really love them and know them, and our compassion and empathy grows. We don’t see them as stereotypes, but as flesh and blood people, people whose problems are often far more complicated than we could have previously imagined.

Helps you find yourself. A lot of people talk, and agonize over, “finding themselves.” They want to find their authentic selves, who they really are. To this end, many traipse through Europe or go to grad school. There’s nothing wrong with such pursuits, but there’s no better way to get to the core of who you are than serving others. It will peel back the layers of your artifice and reveal what you’re really made of and what you really value. I can’t explain in words why it has this effect, but it does. I think it’s like the saying, “The watched pot never boils.” The more time you spend thinking about who you are, the more elusive the answer gets. As soon as you turn your focus to others, your true self is revealed.

How to Find Service Opportunities

One of the reasons many of us don’t serve more is not because we don’t have the desire, but simply because we don’t know how to get involved. We don’t know where to jump in. Here are some suggestions on finding a place to volunteer:

Volunteer with a Preexisting Organization

There are lots of established organizations out there that are always looking for volunteers. All you have to do is sign up. You might want to check out these:

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America

The Red Cross

Habitat for Humanity

Boys Scouts of America

Meals on Wheels

Check a Website

There are several websites out there that  simplify the process of finding a service opportunity. You simply enter your location to view a list of positions that organizations need filled by a volunteer.

Volunteer Match

Serve Net

Serve.gov. Our task today also coincides with President Obama’s  “United We Serve” project, a nationwide effort to get all Americans to do some service this summer to help our country’s renewal and recovery.

Call an Organization

If you already know an area where you’d like to serve, than call up an organization and asks about volunteer opportunities. For example, if you’d like to work in education, call up a school. If you want to help the sick, call a hospital. Other possibilities include prisons, churches, retirement homes and charitable organizations. Or you might try to combine an old passion with your desire to serve by signing up to be a volunteer firefighter.

Join a Fraternal Organization

While we often think of fraternal organizations like the Masons and Shriners in conjunction with their ceremonies and rituals or as those guys who ride around on three-wheelers in parades, one of the main functions of lodges today it to perform community service. Joining an organization like the Masons will provide you with great service opportunities so you don’t have to go hunting them down.

Start Your Own Project

All that’s needed to start a service project is to identify a need in your community and then fill it. For example, Buzz started a project in his town of Montpelier, Vermont to bring firewood to the needy. Energy costs are sky high these days, and many people in places like Vermont can’t afford to heat their home electrically in the winter. They therefore use a wood burning stove to keep warm, but groups like the elderly and the sick aren’t able to go gather the wood they need. Buzz chops down trees (legally), splits the wood, and then delivers it to those who need it. Any man can do something similar. And it doesn’t have to be  on a big scale either. If there’s a little old lady down the street, why not ask  if you can mow her lawn or run some errands for her?

Today’s task: Commit to do some service. You obviously don’t have to do the service in the next 24 hours. Your task is simply to find a project or opportunity you’d like to volunteer for and sign up if you can. Or come up with a project that you’re going to create yourelf. Let us know what you decide to do in the Community.

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There’s nothing quite like the uninterrupted solitude of reading in the bathroom. I’m sure if you go into most men’s bathrooms in their homes, you’ll find a stack of Popular Mechanics or maybe a book or two next to the john. Believe it or not, reading in the bathroom is a manly tradition that dates back to ancient Rome. Some Roman baths contained libraries so you could leisurely peruse a scroll while you took care of business. Saint Gregory Palamas, a monk who lived in the 12th Century, recommended the toilet of medieval fortresses as the best place to get some reading done.

Since then, the manly tradition of bathroom reading has been passed down through the generations. JFK supposedly put the finishing touches on his inauguration speech in the bathroom and W.C. Fields considered the bathroom his personal library. Today, millions of men across the world take part in this ritual.

To recognize this manly tradition, June has been declared National Bathroom Reading Month. I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I’m down with dedicating an entire month to bathroom reading.

While there’s nothing like rolling up a magazine while you’re taking care of business, how would you like to upgrade your bathroom reading with an Amazon Kindle? Interested? Read on.

The Prize

An Amazon Kindle. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. It’s Amazon’s wireless eBook reader. It’s slim, lightweight, and you can download newspapers, magazines, and and up to 1,500 books. It’s the perfect bathroom reading accessory. I’m sure your wife or significant other will appreciate how uncluttered the toilet area will become as you move all your favorite reads to the Kindle. With the Kindle, you can even read the Art of Manliness from the pot. You can’t get much manlier than that.

The Kindle retails at $359. That’s a quite a chunk of change. How nice would it be to get one for free?

The Contest

The fine gentlemen at The Toilet Paper are offering a FREE Amazon Kindle to one lucky AoM reader in honor of National Bathroom Reading Month. To enter, all you have to do is sign up for their free daily newsletter. That’s it! They will record every new signup from the AoM readership and select a winner once the sweepstakes is over!

The Toilet Paper calls themselves “Daily News for the Thinking Man.” Their newsletter is the perfect bathroom reading material. Each day, the editors take a current news story and give you the back story on it with interesting tidbits, quotes, and statistics in an easy to read format. Just print it off and take it with you when you’re doing your thing. When you’re done, your brain canister will be filled with some nifty facts and trivia that you can bring up around the water cooler and throughout the day.

Deadline to enter is June 30, 2009. So you have the rest of the month to enter. What are you waiting for? Do it!

And while we’re on the topic of bathroom reading, what do you like to read while you’re on the john? Let us know in the comments below.

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As if you didn’t have enough reasons to hang out in the Art of Manliness Community already, one of the best Groups in the Community, the PhotoGroup, has launched AoM’s very first photo contest. The huhman, the Community’s elder statesman and everyone’s all-around favorite Community member, generously set up the whole thing. Here are the details:

CONTEST IS OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS THE ENTIRE MONTH OF JUNE 2009

HOW TO ENTER: Enter a photo by joining the PhotoGroup, and attaching a photo to your response in this discussion, not a new discussion.

CONTEST RULES
1 . Entry photos must somehow be related to “fathers.” (See below for a more thorough explanation of this contest theme.*)

2 . 1 photo per person. Contest is open to all AoM Community members.

3 . Post-processing or photo editing is allowed. Please keep it to a minimum.

4 . Photos must have been taken by the person who submits it. Please do not submit work that isn’t yours. To do so just wouldn’t be manly.

Members are asked to give their opinions about entries. The entries will then be narrowed down to three. This will take place during the first few days after contest ends (6-30-09). The three finalists will be voted on, in a new discussion; and the winner will be determined at the conclusion of the final vote.

Winner’s name will be announced in the AoM Community, as well as on the AoM main site. Grand Prize is a very cool shirt from one of AoM’s best friends, Hawaiiabera. See below… even Brett can look cool in one of these awesome “Friday Night” shirts, from Hawaiiabera (Just having a little fun at your expense Brett, thanks to PhotoShop)

* What is the theme of this photo contest?
In the U.S., and many other countries, June 21, is the day set aside to honor fathers. In keeping with that, we’ve themed our first AoM photo contest around Fathers. (A manly idea, for sure!). Photos can be of your father, your grandfather, you (as a father), or even a snapshot of some random guy doing something in a fatherly way. The possibilities are endless. The point is, this web site is dedicated to the art of manliness; and June is the month set aside to honor fathers. What better time and way than now to do just that! Please caption your entries, and feel free to tell us as much as you’d like to help “capture the moment”. If all goes well, the entries should spark a lot of conversation; and that is exactly what AoM is all about!

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You can tell a lot about a man by the stuff he carries in his pockets. As a boy, I was always intrigued by the things my grandpa and dad carried in their pants  every day. I loved rummaging around in the basket on top of the refrigerator where my dad kept the contents of his pockets. Everything in there just seemed so cool and manly.

Theodore Roosevelt had the same fascination with his father’s pockets as a boy. In his autobiography, he gives this description of watching his dad empty his pockets every day after returning home from work:

We used to wait in the library in the evening until we could hear his key rattling in the latch of the front hall, and then rush out to greet him; and we would troop into his room while he was dressing, to stay there as long as we were permitted, eagerly examining anything which came out of his pockets which could be regarded as an attractive novelty. Every child has fixed in his memory various details which strike it as of grave importance. The trinkets he used to keep in a little box on his dressing-table we children always used to speak of as “treasures.” The word, and some of the trinkets themselves, passed on to the next generation.

Treasures. That’s probably the best way to describe how I felt about the contents of my dad’s pockets. I think I even called them that as a boy. I’ve started to build the manly contents of my pockets. Hopefully, one day my kids will feel the same way about my “treasures” as TR and I did about our dad’s.

This week, we want to see what you carrying around in your pockets. And to help motivate you to share, the folks at W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. is giving away a free Case pocket knife.

The Prize

W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. is based out of Bradford, PA and has been in the knife-making business since 1889. Each knife is handcrafted in the USA by a team of talented artisans, so you know you’re getting a quality tool.

The lucky winner of The Case  “What’s In Your Pocket?” Giveaway will have their pick of one of these handsome Case pocket knives. The estimated value of the knives is between $150-$175, depending on the knife you pick. Here’s a look at your options:

Sway Back Jack

This pattern was introduced less than a year ago. It’s  3-1/5” closed length and weighs 2.2 oz. The Sway Back Jack comes with a  Genuine Stag handle.

RussLock

The RussLock pattern was ‘invented’ by one of Case’s longtime cutlers, Tommy Hart. Tommy was with the company for 50 years! The RussLock is named after Case’s founder, John Russell (“Russ”) Case. It measures 4-1/4” in length when closed and weighs 2.7 oz. It has a navy blue bone handle and a red Case logo shield. The knife’s ‘tail’ allows for one-handed opening.

Mini Trapper

The Mini Trapper is just the right size for a knife newbie – 3-1/2” in length when closed and weighs 2.7 oz.  This handle color is called “Old Red Bone,” and it has a “pocket-worn” look.

In addition to the knife, the winner will get a Case golf shirt and nickle-silver ball marker.

How To Enter

So are you ready to get your hands on one of these knives? Here’s how to enter the giveaway:

Step 1. Join the Art of Manliness Community.

Step 2. Take a photo of the contents of your pockets.

Step 3. Upload the photo to the Art of Manliness Community photo page.

Step 4. Tag your photo with “Case.” This step is important! If you don’t tag your photo with “Case,” we can’t tell that you entered. If the photo is not tagged correctly, you’re not entered.

I even made a quick screencast to help you visual learners out there. View it here.

Deadline to enter is Sunday, May 2 at 10 PM CST.

The folks at Case knives will then pick the winner.

To start things off, here’s a pic of what I usually have in my pockets:

Billfold, Blackberry, Case pocket knife, hankie, Moleskine, and small pocket pen.

Now it’s your turn. Head on over to the Community section and share with us the contents of your pockets.

Here are the entries that have been submitted so far:

Find more photos like this on Art of Manliness

• Announcing the Winner of the W.R Case and Sons “What’s In Your Pocket?” Pocket Knife Giveaway
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Image from jimlux38

We’re happy to announce the launch of a new feature on Art of Manliness- The Art of Manliness Community. Our goal is to make The Art of Manliness more than just a blog that people passively read. We want AoM to become an active online community where men can hang out and help each other become better men. We’ve been doing a “beta” test with the community page for the past couple of months and have received rave reviews from participants. I think it’s ready to be officially launched. So without further ado, let me introduce you to The Art of Manliness Community page.

The best way to describe The Art of Manliness Community is that it’s like Facebook, but for manly men (and the women who love them). When you sign up, you can create a profile page where you can upload your photo and tell us little bit about yourself. It’s been fun reading everyone’s profile and learning more about the people who read AoM. But the community page is more than just a profile page. It has a ton of features that will allow you to interact with other AoM community members and create your own content.

Photos

You can upload photos of yourself doing manly activities like hunting or working on an engine. Or you can share pics of you and your family. Whatever you want (except porn of course). One thing we’re hoping people will do with the photo section is upload their best vintage manly photos of their dads and grandfathers. I’d love for the photo section to be a place where people can share stories about the men who have inspired manliness in their lives. It can be a place where their legacy continues. If we find a pic that we particularly like, we’d love to feature it on the main site.

Personal Blog

Your community page has a place where you can write your own blog posts. This can be used in an infinite number of ways. First, you can use it  as a personal blog where you share your personal journey on rediscovering the lost art of manliness. I’m interested in reading your insights on what it means to be a man. Another way you can use the blog is to share manly tips and advice. Reading the comments on the main blog, we know there are lots of you out there that have some great advice for men on a variety of subjects. Got a workout plan that you think will work for others? Share the plan on your blog. Are you an expert in an essential man skill? Write a how-to for others. And just as with the main blog, community members can comment on your posts and add their insights to it as well. If we find a member blog post that we think is particularly good, we’d love to share it on the main site. This is a chance for you to get your content read by hundreds of thousands of visitors a month!

Videos

Got a manly video? Then upload it in the video section. So far we’ve had people upload quick how-to videos and inspiring montages. So if you’re tired of watching videos of dudes getting kicked in the nuts, make sure to check out the video section.

Groups

With The Art of Manliness Community, you can create smaller groups of like minded men to discuss a particular subject. If you’re a Christian, you can start a Christian group. If you’re an atheist, you can start a group discussing what manliness means while being an atheist. You can even start fun groups. Right now we have a group dedicated to Scotch Whisky and Photography. We also have several groups for men living in different states. For example, an Oklahoma group and Illinois group. I’d love to see AoM members actually schedule meetups to grab a beer together and hang out. Which leads me to the next community feature…

Events

You can schedule and plan events in the AoM community. Say you’re in Minnesota and want to go hunting for the weekend, but your usual hunting buddies aren’t available. You can easily find another hunting partner by going on the community page and creating an event. Other people will see it and if they can come, they can sign up. After that, you can make arrangements with each other. The event feature can also be used to plan AoM meetups and make some new man friends.

Use the Community, Earn Points, Win Prizes

As an incentive for people to use the community, we’ve set up a point system that rewards individuals who contribute to it. After you’ve earned a certain amount of points, you’ll be rewarded with cool manly gear. Right now we’re giving away an official AoM t-shirt to those who earn 1,000 points, but stay tuned for even more man prizes.

Join Today!

So what are you waiting for? Sign up today and start interacting with the manliest men on the internet.

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Hey everyone. So, CBS Sports was a big bust. I thought people could sign in without me having to invite them, but apparently that wasn’t the case. Because I have limited access to a computer this week, I can’t add everyone who wants in.

So here’s what I’ve done. I’ve switched from CBS Sports to ESPN.com. The group is public and anyone can join. I apologize to anyone who already signed up for an account with CBS Sports.

If you’d like to join the AoM bracket on ESPN.com follow this link.

Art of Manliness March Madness 2009.

Thanks again and sorry for the trouble. Good luck!

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Today the selections have been made for the 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament. Millions of people across the country are frantically creating their brackets and forming pools. The madness has begun! We thought it would be fun to get The Art of Manliness in on the action by having a March Madness contest. We’ve created a pool just for Art of Manliness readers through CBS Sports. Follow the link and sign up.  It’s completely free. I repeat. You do not have to pay money to be a part of this contest. To join the group, you’ll have to enter the “secret” password: manliness.  After you’re all signed up, you can make your picks. Make sure to sign up before game play starts on March 19.

The rules are simple. Each round is weighted. The points for each correct pick goes up as we progress through the tournament.

• First round: 1
• Second round: 2
• Third round: 4
• Fourth round: 8
• Semifinals: 16
• Finals: 32

In the event of a tie, we will use the final game’s total score as a tie breaker. Meaning, whoever gets closest to predicting the total amount of points scored in the final game will be the winner.

The Prize

What’s a March Madness pool without a handsome reward? The winner of the contest will receive their pick of one of our new Art of Manliness t-shirts and a $25 gift certificate to Outback Steakhouse. Nothing better than celebrating your victory with a nice juicy steak.

Good luck!

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Last week, I linked to a company called Beardhead that sells these awesomely funny ski caps that cover your face so it looks like you’re growing a Grizzly Adams-esque beard. I didn’t think much of it. Just thought it was something that AoM readers might find amusing. Then the other day I got an email from the owner of Beardhead  telling me thanks for linking to him and asking if he could give away a few Beardheads to AoM readers. I love giving free stuff to you guys, so I of course said, “Heck yeah!”

With spring break almost upon us, a Beardhead can come in real handy for those of you planning to hit the slopes. They cover your whole head and face in warm beardy delight. Even if you’re not going skiing, the Beardhead is perfect for our manly friends living in  locations, like say the Northeast, where winter is showing no signs of ending soon. Also, they’re good for readers who are planning on robbing a bank and are looking for a way to add a bit of panache to the old ski mask routine.

The Prize

Two splendiferous Beardheads, valued at $24.95 each, are up for grabs. They’re a knit one-size fits all hat that’s machine washable and sure to woo the ladies when you’re shoveling the snow.

How to Enter

Because the Beardhead could come in handy to those of you skiing over spring break, just leave a comment on this post sharing your best Spring Break trip ever. Did you hit slopes wishing you had a Beardhead? Did you go camping with your buds? Let us know.

Deadline to enter is Friday, March 6 at 11PM Central Standard Time.

After the deadline, I’ll draw two random entries and send them their Beardhead.

Looking forward to reading your stories. Good Luck!

Generalismo McKay plans la revolucion de manliness. Rise up comrades!

• ProFlowers Valentine’s Day Giveaway: Win a $70 Bouquet of Flowers for the Woman In Your Life
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In case you haven’t checked your calendar lately, Valentine’s Day is next week. While giving flowers to the woman in your life shouldn’t just be reserved for Valentine’s Day, it’s still a good day to get her some. Even if your lady says she doesn’t want anything for Valentine’s, remember it could just be a secret code that she doesn’t want anything except for flowers.

To help you become husband/boyfriend of the year, ProFlowers.com is giving away five gift certificates to five lucky Art of Manliness readers so they can give the lady in their life a $70 bouquet of flowers. How do you land this prize? Read on.

The Prize

A $70 Proflowers.com gift certificate to 5 lucky winners. The gift certificates can be used on any Proflowers.com flowers and gifts.

If you happen to be the lucky winner, don’t do the stereotypical thing and get your lady red roses. A recent study has shown that 76% of women would prefer something else besides red roses. Don’t know what sort of flowers to get your wife/girlfriend? Then make sure to check out our guide on how to give flowers like a gentleman. It has a short list of flowers and their different meanings.

How to Enter

Leave a comment on this post sharing your best date idea and you’ll be entered into a drawing for the gift card.

Deadline to enter the contest is Saturday, February 7 at 10PM CST. We’ll randomly select five comments and give a gift card to those five lucky individuals. We’re looking forward to reading your ideas.

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Merry Christmas from The Art of Manliness. We hope you and yours have a wonderful day full of presents, food, and family.

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For centuries, men have used bags to carry their stuff. Cavemen used manly leather satchels to hold all their caveman gear. Peasants used them to carry seeds. During colonial times and up and through the Civil War, a soldier would always have a trusty man bag to carry his rations and other manly accouterments. But then something happened to this manly tradition. Men’s pants started being made with pockets, men began transferring the contents of their bags to them, and the demise of the man bag soon followed. Women’s dresses lacked pockets, of course, and so carrying a bag began to be seen as the exclusive domain of ladies.

The modern man has too much crap to carry around in his pockets- wallet, change, keys, cell phone, pocket knife, moleskine. The list goes on. And yet he steadfastly refuses to invest in a trusty bag, preferring to haul all this stuff in increasingly lumpy, bumpy, uncomfortable and difficult to access pockets.

And some men take their paranoia about bags to another level; they don’t own anything smaller than a suitcase. These men have made the transition from college student to business professional, and yet they tote around their stuff in a backpack or attempt to carry all their possessions in their arms. When they stay overnight with a friend, they bring over a change of clothes in a grocery bag.

Thankfully, a classy briefcase has never gone out of style, and even the man bag is making a comeback. We’re not talking about the European caryall or “murse” as made famous by Jerry Seinfeld. You’re just going to get funny looks if you carry something like that. The key to pulling off the man bag is that it needs to look manly. Really manly. And there’s nothing manlier than the bags and briefcases at Saddleback Leather Company.

And as luck would have it, we’re giving away a manly Saddleback leather bag to a lucky Art of Manliness reader. Find out how you can get your hands on one.

The Prize

As you know, the Art of Manliness has had some swell giveaways in the past. But gentleman, this is unequivocally the best damn giveaway we’ve ever done. You have your choice of any of the following Saddleback Leather products:

Satchel $275 value

Briefcase $495 value

Messenger Bag $329 value

Overnight Bag $485 value

All Saddleback bags are handcrafted from the finest leather. They’re made without any of the crappy zippers, snaps, and buttons that break on other bags. They carry a 100 year warranty. They’re the manliest bags in the land. They’re the sorts of bags that your grandkids will covet while you’re alive and fight over when you’re dead. And one could be yours.

How to Enter

Remember, you can increase your chances of winning by doing all of the above, so get cracking gents. And ladies (we know you’re out there) feel free to enter as well.

Deadline to enter is Monday December 22, 2008 at 11PM Central Standard Time.

But Wait! There’s More!

Saddleback Leather is offering a 12% discount on the purchase of any Saddleback Leather product just for entering! At the end of the contest, I’ll email all the participants a code that can be used in the Saddleback Leather store. So even if you don’t walk away with the free bag, you can still get a hefty discount on the purchase of one of your own. What better way to spend your Christmas cash than on a manly man bag.

• Congratulations to the Winner of the Saddleback Leather Company Briefcase Giveaway
• A Manly Bag For Your Manly Book: The Saddleback Leather Company Contest/Giveaway
• Congratulations to Saddleback Leather Company Man Bag Giveaway Winner
• West Coast Shaving Classic Shave Set Giveaway
• Briefcase Essentials: The Saddleback Leather Company Giveaway

The Art of Manliness is a big proponent of the classic wet shave. There’s something almost ritualistic about a traditional shave. Between lathering up with a badger brush and guiding a double-edge safety razor across your face, it’s possible to reach a state of zen. Unfortunately, most men shave with cheapo disposable crap that costs an arm and a leg and gives you a crappy shave. Safety razor shaving, on the other hand, is much cheaper and provides a far superior shave.

So when the fine folks at West Coast Shaving approached us and asked if they could give away a complete classic shaving set to an Art of Manliness reader, we said hell yes.

The Prize

West Coast Shaving is giving away a complete classic shaving set valued at $115. It has everything you need to get started with safety razor shaving:

• Merkur HD Safety Razor $29
• eShave Fine Brush $55
• Taylor of Old Bond Street (winner can choose the fragrance) $14
• Extended DE Blade Sampler Pack $21.50

How to Enter

Remember, you can increase your chances of winning by doing all of the above, so get cracking gents. And ladies (we know you’re out there) feel free to enter as well. This is a great chance to score a FREE manly Christmas gift for the man in you’re life.

• Ritual Men’s Grooming Products Giveaway!
• Congratulations to the West Coast Shaving Set Giveaway Winner
• 30 Days to a Better Man Day 30: Get a Straight Razor Shave
• Saddleback Leather Company Man Bag Giveaway
• A Manly Bag For Your Manly Book: The Saddleback Leather Company Contest/Giveaway

If you’re in the United States, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you have a great day spending time with friends and family and chowing down on some delicious grub.

To celebrate Thanksgiving, we’ve dug up this old film from 1950 called “A Day of Thanksgiving.” In it a dad explains to his kids, that there’s more to Thanksgiving than turkey. Enjoy.

• Happy Thanksgiving!
• Happy 4th of July 2009!
• 5 Thanksgiving Traditions to Pass Along to Your Son
• How To Cook and Carve a Thanksgiving Turkey Like a Man
• Easy Thanksgiving Cornbread Stuffing Recipe

We are excited to announce the 10 finalists for the 2008 Art of Manliness Man of the Year Award Sponsored by Old Spice. We received over 120 fantastic nominations. It was agonizingly difficult to pare down the many worthy nominees to just 10. All of the men nominated represented the best in manliness. It was touching and inspiring to read the stories behind these great men. The entries were judged by both the qualities of the men in question, and the essay’s ability to engagingly convey the nominee’s virtues. With the help from the folks at Old Spice, we picked what we think are the best of the best.

The goal of The Art of Manliness Man of the Year Award is to honor ordinary men who represent paragons of manliness. We weren’t looking for celebrities. Those guys get enough attention and accolades already. We’re looking for a man’s man; guys who work hard, support their family,  and give back to their community without expecting to be rewarded for their efforts. The AoM Man of the Year takes on responsibility willingly; he doesn’t shirk from it. He’s has a confident swagger without being a blowhard. He’s proficient in the manly arts. He does the right thing, even when it’s not convenient. He’s loyal to his friends and family.

How to Vote

Visit the official voting page to see the list and pics of the nominees. From there you can read about each man and why they should be the 2008 Art of Manliness Man of the Year. Voting polls can be found in the sidebar, the official voting page, and on each finalist’s bio page.

Voting is open until December 14, 2008 at 11:59PM. The man with the most votes will be named the 2008 Art of Manliness Man of the Year and will receive $2,000 in cash and a manly gift basket of Old Spice Products. The runners up will receive prizes of Old Spice products.

Vote today! After you do, make sure to tell your friends and family to vote, too. May the best man win!

• Reminder to Vote For the Man of the Year
• Only 4 Days Left To Nominate a 2008 Man of the Year: Nominate Today
• The 2008 Art of Manliness Man of the Year: Matthew Chancey
• The Art of Manliness Man of the Year 2008 Sponsored by Old Spice
• Best of Art of Manliness: October 2008

Every man is unique, and every man has his own individual style. I say this to every one of my clients because it’s very important to understand this simple concept. We live in a world where we are constantly bombarded with marketing messages trying to tell us who we should want to be, how buying this will make us cool, how sporting this brand will improve our looks. My goal here to give you a foundation from which to make your own personal style decisions. This article seeks to create a hunger within you to discover your individual style.

The Whimsical Winds of Fashion

Many men are confused by fashion trends, and for good reason. Unlike baseball or engineering, there seems to be no logic or set of ground rules as to how it operates. What’s fashionable today may not be “in” next week, and what looks good on that tall tan athletic male model doesn’t seem to compliment you or most the men you know.

My advice: do not chase the whimsical winds of fashion. Doing this is like trying to catch a shadow; the faster you move, the faster it evades you. Instead seek to understand what styles, colors, patterns, and fit best compliment you. Armed with this information, you will save yourself time and money by immediately eliminating 90% of the clothing out there and focusing on the 10% that highlights your strengths. You will ensure that the contents in your wardrobe are timeless, and that your appearance is the best it can be.

A man’s personal style should be influenced by three things: 1) his physical characteristics, 2) the environment in which he finds himself, and 3) his personal preferences. I will address each of these separately.

1. The Foundation of your Personal Style – Your Physical Characteristics

Men come in all shapes and colors; some are light skinned, short, and thin as a rail while others are dark, tall, and heavy set. And just as every combination of physical attributes yields a unique appearance, every physical combination has a set of style combinations that best enhances it. Aesthetically speaking, there are certain colors, patterns, and clothing silhouette combinations that best compliment each and every one of us. Let me give you an example.

Tom is 6′4” and weighs 200 pounds. Of Northern European decent, he has both light colored skin and hair. Tom faces a number of challenges; he doesn’t want his clothing to make him look lanky, and he would prefer that his clothing’s colors enhance his complexion rather than overpower it.

Consequently, Tom wears clothing that downplays his height and gives him a bit more weight – he loves cuffs on his trousers along with a ticket pocket on his jackets. On single breasted jackets he has his lapel’s notch slightly lowered (to de-emphasize his height). Yet his favorite jackets are his double breasted ones whose extra buttons and details give him a bit more girth. As for the choice of fabric, Tom prefers heavier weaves that add weight to his thin frame. He chooses patterns such as checks, whose horizontal lines cut him down to size, and coordinates his colors so that there are no stark contrasts. Contrasts between dark and light colors draw attention to themselves, and Tom smartly keeps these distractions to a minimum.

Mike is physically the opposite of Tom. At 5′ 4” and weighing 200 pounds, he is of North African decent and has both dark colored skin and hair. Although Mike’s dressing obstacles appear to be very different from Tom’s, his goal is the same; he wants to look proportional and downplay certain physical features.

In order to minimize his girth, Mike chooses clothing that gives him the appearance of increased height. His wardrobe is full of 2-button jackets that fit him comfortably and are without vents. He doesn’t try to force a tapered waist, but instead allows an eloquent loose drape to mask his heavy middle. Mike has rediscovered suspenders and wears his pants at his natural waist (think right below the belly button); in addition to making him look taller by lengthening the appearance of his legs, he also finds they are more comfortable. When it comes to fabric selection, Mike seeks out contrast as it accentuates his dark complexion. He utilizes the elongating effect of stripes, and owns two black suits because of that color’s ability to slim down the wearer.

2. Your Environment – Further Refining your Personal Style

The second factor in determining your personal style is your environment. A banker in Orlando, Florida is going to have very different needs than a teacher in Chicago, Illinois. Both men want to look professional, but each has different environmental and professional factors that affect their choices. Using our same gentlemen, let’s further illustrate this point with two examples.

Tom teaches high school in a large midwestern city with mild summers and freezing winters. His job doesn’t call for suits, but does require him to look professional. Paying attention to his environment, he wears sports jackets paired with jeans, along with check shirts. In the winter he layers up with heavy tweeds, sweaters, and a classic wool overcoat. He occasionally wears a suit if he has a meeting but never dons a tie as he doesn’t want to appear stuffy.

Mike, on the other hand, works at a bank in one of the hottest and most humid cities in the US. His job requires a suit and tie everyday. In order to stay comfortable, most of Mike’s clothing is made from cotton, whose properties allow it to pass heat and moisture away from the body efficiently, and lightweight tropical wools. Even though the mood of the bank is distinctly conservative, he does flash a bit of color in the stripes he chooses for his clothing and in his choice of ties.

Each man has made choices based off of his environment. If they were to switch places, both would have to alter their wardrobes. But in their respective locations, both Tom and Mike have made solid clothing decisions.

3. Your Wants and Desires – Completing your Individual Style

Finally, the most important factors in determining your personal style are your wants and desires. How do you want to appear to others? Creative, intelligent, a team player, authoritative – all of these are possible. Although at this point we have narrowed down the range of clothing at your disposal, we have by no means stifled your choices. No, there is still an endless array of accessories, colors, patterns, and details that will take the menswear that best compliments you and make it yours. Once again, let us use Tom and Mike as examples.

Tom considers himself an outgoing and creative person; although he teaches mathematics, he isn’t in the least bit formulaic. To liven up his appearance and help it reflect who he his, Tom always throws a pocket square into his jackets, uses knot cufflinks in his shirt cuffs, and wears dressy but slightly offbeat shoes (think burgundy oxfords). Three small things, perhaps not employed simultaneously, but whose effect on the overall ensemble is to make it unmistakably unique.

Mike manages the staff at his bank and likes to subtly signal to patrons who’s running the show. Wearing a conservatively patterned red tie with point collars to elongate his face, Mike never takes off his jacket as its short cut, smooth appearance, and lack of horizontal detail creates the illusion of height. As a retired Air Force man, he pays homage to his service by wearing light blue shirts with dark blue stripes and has a pair of cufflinks with the Air Force Seal. So despite wearing a suit daily, Mike never becomes one.

Final Thoughts

You can wear whatever you want, whenever you want, however you want; my intention here is lay out a thought process so that you can dress yourself in a professional manner no matter who you are and where you may find yourself. While not perfect, I have found it useful in helping hundreds of men look and feel better about their appearance.

Please note: I will devote an entire article to what styles, fabrics, colors, patterns, and fit compliment each body types and complexion.

Written by
Antonio Centeno
President, www.ATailoredSuit.com
Quality Custom Clothing & Sound Style Advice
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