Every 21st-century man knows how to do basic modern tasks: use a computer, travel through the city, navigate their way through technology- these are all very commendable abilities. After all, they’re necessary to survive this world, this era that we live in. However, many more skills and self-challenges await anyone looking to improve themselves and give their life a sense of adventure. Here are a few things you can try.
Try Being Vegan for a Week
Men are usually stereotyped as meat lovers. There is some truth to that- a large percentage of men do enjoy meat-based food more than plant-based ones, and it shows. Barbecues, burgers, and other predominantly meat products are advertised towards men. Despite all this hype and association with meat, however, remains the fact that a diet exclusively made of meat isn’t healthy. In fact, it’s quite dangerous.
That’s why as a challenge to yourself, try going vegan for at least a week. Just one week. This way, you’ll learn more about healthier options. Perhaps you’ll find a certain type of plant-based dish that you like. Introducing a sense of variety (the healthy type, at that) to your diet is something older you will thank you for.
Learn How to Style Your Hair- Properly
Most guys opt to find themselves a trusty barber for life and leave their hair up to the pros. Of course, this is a great option if you like to keep your hair stylized professionally. But not all hair is made the same. Some like to maintain long, luscious locks, and some like to do their own waves with their do-rag. If you want to trim your hair, you can most definitely do that at home.
However, heed the advice of professionals, and get yourself a good pair of professional hair scissors. Don’t go cutting your hair with kitchen shears or, worse, small kindergarten scissors. In the end, your goal is to keep your hair healthy, not ruin it with poor-quality tools.
Do an Extreme Sport
People who have tried any extreme sport will say it’s terrifying. But they will also tell you how exhilarating the experience was. This rush of adrenaline and excitement is one of the main reasons anyone wants to try extreme sports. Don’t limit yourself to safe activities like jogging or playing golf.
Go for sports that engage your whole body as well as your senses. Learn to face and manage your fears, and find out all the amazing things the human body can do, all through extreme sports. For starters, go bungee jumping to face your fear of heights. Or if you want something that you can keep coming back to regularly, have a go at parkour. It’s a very well-structured sport that starts from the basics all the way up to extreme levels, like those rooftop chase scenes you see in movies.
Learn Manual Skills
Doing things the old-fashioned way is fast becoming obsolete. After all, what are manual skills for when we have the technology to help us? Well, manual skills aren’t entirely obsolete. They help you appreciate modern technology and understand how it works, effectively making you better at using them. Using a handsaw to cut wood, lighting fire with a flint, and even sewing torn clothing are beneficial skills. Not to mention knowing how to do them comes as a form of bragging rights as these are rather rare skills to have nowadays.
Cook Your Favorite Food
There are two things that the pandemic last year has taught us about food: one, we can actually cook, and two, take out gets boring after a while. Learning how to cook your favorite food is like a crowning achievement on its own. Not only do you have access to your favorite dish at will, but you can also add or change some of its ingredients, making it truly personalized. Of course, this also means you can cook for friends and family, which really makes the experience more useful and fun. Learning how to cook isn’t tied to gender- it’s a skill anyone and everyone should learn.
There are a lot more skills and tricks that are left to learn. Finding them out on your own is half the fun, and the other half is actually learning how to do them. Of course, there’s no harm in not actually learning a new skill. It’s the attempt that’s important, and trying out these things gives more value to our 21st-century life.
