The lives of men are changing in the 21st century.

The concept of "being manly" is something from a different era. What our fathers may have taught us and what their fathers may have taught them are completely foreign to one another.

What we go on to teach our children will, likewise, be from a new world where men can be and act in a multitude of ways that might not have been normal in the 1960s or even the 1990s. This makes defining how to be a man in the 21st century awfully difficult.

Why? Because a man can be single or married, gay or straight, a musician or a foreman. Today, we'll discuss how to be a man and go over a few key concepts that'll make your life as a man more fulfilling.

You don't have to be a specific way or even understand yourself to be manly, but you do have to understand how to operate within a world with all different kinds of people residing in it. The sooner you learn that, the better a man you'll be.

Figure Out What Makes You Tick

In generations past, being a man might mean that you have to take over your father's manufacturing business or be the star athlete at your high-school. Maybe you had to go to college and learn how to be an engineer or lawyer so that you could meet a nice girl, get married, have kids, and provide for your family.

More and more these days, we're leaving these notions of what's expected of young men and women behind. For many young men now, the idea of settling down and having kids in your mid-20s is absolutely terrifying. To live a fulfilling life, you have to figure out what you actually want to do and who you really want to be with.

These things take time, too. It's important to take the hand that you're dealt and make the best out of it. Figure out what makes you tick - whether it's grilling, brewing beer, and playing with tools (more on that at men's blog Club Mandude) or reading poetry and gardening - and give it your all.

Be Thoughtful, Accepting, and Respectful

There's always been the perception that manly men are strong, brutish people that take the bull by the horns. These kinds of men don't exactly sound great to be around, nor do they sound thoughtful, accepting, or respectful of the people around them.

A good 21st-century man is considerate of other people's needs, doesn't pre-judge people that aren't like them, and treats everyone with respect. You can be "manly" in the traditional sense without being demeaning or hurtful to people that may or may not be physically and emotionally weaker than you.

The old adage goes, "treat others like you'd want to be treated", which is something we teach 3-year old children, but it applies to grown men as well. Sensitivity is a virtue that more and more men possess and, thankfully, it's a culturally accepted norm. Don't shy away from it.

Search For Enlightenment

Being an enlightened person can mean a multitude of things. It doesn't have to mean that you're on a different spiritual plain than other men like you. Rather, it can just mean that you're at peace with yourself and your place in the world.

Almost no one actually feels this way, but the 21st-century man (and woman) is someone that searches for this type of enlightenment. We're seeing how important this concept is in the rise of yoga and meditation in the western world.

Doing your best to seek out inner peace so that you can be more present and thoughtful towards those around you is how every man should approach life.

Your Role In Relationships

Something specific that's been changing throughout the century, thus far, is the role that gender plays, both in society as a whole and in individual relationships.

Traditional gender roles were in place until fairly recently, with the man being the one that works, fixes things, and remains hands-off with the kids. Women, on the other hand, would stay home and take care of everything relating to the household, including the cleaning and other chores.

As years have gone by, this familial archetype has slowly crumbled. Gender equality is closer than ever before and it's manifested very clearly in our relationships. Most households have two income sources in order to support a desirable lifestyle.

Of course, every situation is a bit different. But, as long as you're in a supportive relationship, where both of you are happy and healthy, then it doesn't matter who's going to work and who's not, who's cleaning the house and who's mowing the lawn, or who's looking after the children.

Fatherhood

Speaking of kids, the role that a father plays in their child's life has morphed in the last 50-70 years. One theory for this is that couples aren't trying to get pregnant unless both parties want children, which goes back to equality and gender roles in relationships.

A man doesn't expect his partner to want to have his child and a woman doesn't expect to have her partner's child. Instead, you court each other, discuss having a child, and maybe get married along the way. There are plenty of happy couples that have never tried or wanted kids at all.

So, as a man in 2020, you have a child because you're happy with your partner and you want to become a family. Because men aren't always the breadwinner, fathers are at home, spending more time with their children.

This results in more tightknit family units, where there's mutual respect between the parents. It impacts the child's personality and they'll then go on to have a similar, if not even more progressive, mindset towards relationships in the future.

Learning How to Be a Man Takes Time

There's no book for how to be a man. Each person has their own set of values, interests, and desires that dictate how they act. What we can say, though, is that as long as you're being respectful and trying to live your best life, then you're doing a good enough job.

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