Being an extraordinary man has to do with making your primary focus in your life your character. When decisions come from your character, you life takes on a completely different meaning. You get in touch of core of who you are as far as developing financial success, friendships and relationships. Character has to do with your value structure. Today’s society primarily has become a society of indifference. Ethics and honesty and integrity become situational, whether its business or relationship, its situational. Character focuses strictly on a value system that is a fixed system.

There is no greater honor in life than to serve. This is so ingrained in my belief system, life takes on whole different shape. As I go through my daily life, I focus on how I can make a difference in the world and with other people, as well as how I can influence my surroundings in a way that supports the good in people and the good in situations.

Become unfailingly honest. Try the 24 Hour Truth Challenge. It’s the only way I know of to have a shift in consciousness. Most people who commit to doing it have a shift. 24 hours allows a person to start to focus and be acutely aware of their actions and their words, including their internal dialogue. Most people have epiphanies in the first hour—they will notice behavior they may have not been aware of. Because it’s a 24-hour period, they can start to make subtle shifts in their behavior, start to make decisions that aren’t so situational that they start to think about it in a different way.

Be clear about your desires and the driving force behind the desires. If a man has a desire to have it all, and the driving force behind it is happiness and fulfillment, chances are the person will not obtain that outcome because rarely do happiness and fulfillment come out of external goals in life (money, perfect relationship, etc.) My research says if you want to have it all, having it all starts inside you. People will disagree with that and that’s OK but my experience tells me people who operate situationally are missing a piece of themselves.

Practice forgiveness. Our culture is not versed in forgiveness. A lot of men don’t know how to honor themselves, a lot of men don’t know how to receive, and forgiveness is something you receive, it’s an honor you give yourself, honoring your spirit and soul and the person that you are. That mere fact right there, when you enter forgiveness into your life, you change by the act of forgiveness.

Be a better listener and communicator. With your spouse, be more transparent. With your children, be a role model of authenticity. Always remember that once you were a child and you were a sponge and you paid attention to everything that went on in your small world, everything your parents said in your presence. As an adult, it gave you a values guideline that it’s OK to lie.