The Universal Man

A little while back, one of our Universal Men was telling a story about his battle fighting his own inner demons that were holding him back, strangling his growth and enjoyment of life. So what are inner demons? They are something that you struggle within your own mind. The voices or thoughts that have been around a long time, that keep rearing their heads and holding you back. Inner Demons aren't...

All Universal Men gratefully accept the challenge of mastery. They know it's importance for personal growth, confidence, giving back and the ultimate expression of self.   So what is Mastery? and What are the steps and what are the different roles along the journey?   Mastery is the pursuit of excellence. A pursuit of being beyond an expert. It might be sport, music, profession, art, craft.   It's...

This episode was recorded at The Universal Man - Being Great Men weekend. All 12 participants were involved in recording.  Oliver Wightman, Bruce McGregor Brendan Hawes, David Graham, Luke Baker, Jimmy Purcell, Simon McDonald, James Kasch, Bruce Taylor, Liam McGuire, Greg Layton and Damien Price.   Grief, at its simplest is the reaction to a loss, and in the face of that loss, adjusting to a new r...

In this week's episode Pricey interviews Grego about The Zone.   PRICEY: The number of times I'm chatting with you, and you'll talk about a zone. You'll say, "When the guy was in his zone"; "When actually I was in the zone". And obviously that's a really important thing. What do you mean by a zone?   I'll tell you a story to start this off. I remember I was coaching rugby at GPS Premier Rugby in B...

"The unreflected / unexamined life is not worth living." - Socrates Why this topic? We live in this crazy world of noise, rush, schedules, busyness, deadlines. Sometimes in the midst of all of this we can feel lost. It is that treadmill feeling. So many of us really want to find a method or time to just stand still, breathe in deeply and get balance and focus back. See more at  www.universalman.or...

"We are all meant to shine, as children do. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." - Marianne Williamson    What do we mean by The Devil's Apprentice? Several times on Universal Man we have talked about the Wolf Pack - that group of men that we choose to as...

"Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in!" - Anthem - Leonard Cohen   What do we mean by 'feet of clay'? Leonard Cohen's song says, "There is a crack in everything - that's how the light gets in!" When we talk about 'feet of clay' we are saying that central to life is imperfection. No one and no thing is perfect...

"I am not a self-made man. Every time I give a speech at a business conference, or speak to college students, or do a Reddit AMA, someone says it. 'Governor/Governator/Arnold/ Arnie/Schwarzie/Schnitzel (depending on where I am), as a self-made man, what's your blueprint for success?' They're always shocked when I thank them for the compliment but say, "I am not a self-made man. I got a lot of help...

As soon as you honour the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love - even the most simple action.   Eckhart Tolle   What is Awareness? In some ways the question above makes little sense. It is like asking a bird about the air...

"Out of massive suffering emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." - Khalil Gibran   WHAT IS RESILIENCE Resilience is that ability to bounce back and to reframe things in a positive way when you're faced with a difficult time or adversity.   When there is a lack of adversity in your life it's probably not necessarily a good thing. There are times when it's o...

In all long-term relationships the challenge to keep the flame burning never ends.   Like most people you'll have found that in the early stages of relationships life was bliss. You spent hours and hours together every week without distraction or hinderance. You may have also been a bit younger, in less demanding roles and had no children. Whatever, your situation, at some point life gets busier a...

"I believe the first test of a truly great man is in his humility." John Ruskin WHAT IS HUMILITY? Our Universal Man core principle of 'know thyself' comes to the fore in Humility. When you are in touch with your truest self and 'at peace' with who you are you are freed from the ego battles that build within you. As this energy grows it naturally leads to a profound sense of purpose and service of...

"Half the troubles in life can be traced back to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough." - Josh Billings What is saying 'no' Saying 'no' can be one of the toughest things as a bloke. We've all been in situations where for one reason or another we got talked into something we didn't really want to do.  And these tricky moments take a thousand forms. There's a sense that if I say 'no'...

In this episode we talk about Self-esteem.  "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.  Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away". Henry David Thoreau Self-esteem: What is it? People often talk about their 'physical core' and the need to work on it. Each of us shares another 'core' - our sense of self, our sel...

"Wanted, a man who is symmetrical, and not one-sided in his development, who has not sent all the energies of his being into one narrow specialty and allowed all the other branches of his life to wither and die." Orison Swett Marden, Pushing to the front, 1911   In this episode we cover the importance of being 'Well-Rounded' In the speed of modern life things can get out of whack very quickly. We'...

"Your candle doesn't glow brighter when you blow someone else's out"   What is it? The 'tall poppy' is a mentality that seeks to put the performance of another down in order to feel good within our own mediocrity. Tall Poppy thinking is at home in the herd. In the herd mentality the sheep flock to the pool of the lowest common denominator - of mediocrity to help them feel better in their own lack...

We are all spiritual. Just we are all have physical, intellectual, emotional elements to who we are we have the spiritual. This is the space of meaning making, of purpose, of our deepest sense of self; who I am beyond all else. Spirituality is where and how we find meaning and purpose in our lives. It is intimately linked to our truest and deepest self; our inner chief. One could say that coming t...

There is a difference between normal goals and epic goals. An epic goal normally entails some sort of adventure, journey or challenge that requires total and all out commitment of energy, learning and time. The first time you write down this goal or think about committing to it you should be struck by a sense of fear or nervousness about whether or not you can achieve it.

Discipline is a set of practices based on core beliefs that keep you on the path to being the best you. It is not about being rigid and thoughtless, instead it is staying true to a habit / cause / routine over a period of time. It means not taking the easy route and giving up at the first sign of trouble or of easy temptations. In this episode Pricey and Grego explore the challenges, pitfalls and...

In this episode we explore setbacks and how to use them for growth and regaining momentum.    There is not one among us who does not regularly have a setback in some aspect of their lives. Setbacks are those 'gone backwards' time's; a time of loss, of lost momentum, confusion, loss of energy and focus etc. There has been a momentum forward and then surprisingly we encounter a block, a loss, resist...

In this episode we explore your wolfpack and how to ensure it is enabling and ennobling for all involved.    The wolfpack are those people you spend the most time with and those that have a strong influence on your mindset, the events in your life and how you engage with them. We all have wolfpacks.  But the key questions are whether the pack is enhancing your sense of self? - leading you to becom...

Our episode this week explores confidence. It might be you've lost the confidence to a make key moves at work, you're nervous catching up with mates or uncertain around people in powerful positions. The truth is it takes a thousand forms and for some reason you've just lost your mojo. And unfortunately, being blokes, we often prefer to suffer in silence without taking precise action that can shift...

In this episode we are onto one of our favourite topics - traditions. Traditions are rites, rituals, actions, stories, language, gatherings, symbols that give a community a pathway to deeper meaning, purpose and a sense of belonging. Every family, tribe, sporting club, organization, culture or nation has its traditions.    Tradition comes from an inner space that is seeking meaning, deep human con...

There is not a person on the planet who has not been 'stuck' at some point in their lives. Being 'stuck' can take many forms. One can feel frozen, like the proverbial deer in the highlights or lethargic, overwhelmed, foggy, bored, trapped. You get the picture.   The common energy in 'stuck' is one of non-movement. There is nothing happening - you feel blocked, no way out, lacking the needed person...

In this episode Greg Layton and Damien Price talk what labels are and how are they limiting you and others. All of us have reacted to a label someone else has placed upon us. A small inner voice says, "Nah, that's not me!" We have all also done that very same thing to others. We have introduced people, boxed by a label that is our dominant narrative linked to that person and they, in their turn, a...