Go outside, throw a rock, and you will find that your chances of hitting a real man are little to none. Good men are scarce and few these days; instead, they have been replaced by self-centered, flaky, and lazy individuals. Finding anyone (man or woman) who you may rely on consistently is damn near impossible.

This is an epidemic, and a cure needs to be put into place. Below, I have outlined three of the most important things that a real man does. Write these down, memorize them, tattoo them to your ass, do whatever it takes for you to start doing these yourself.

1. He Keeps his word

A real man will never go back on his word. If he ever does, he is poison and you need to distance yourself immediately. In rare cases, I will give a person two chances. Once they abuse both of those chances, I cut off all interaction. Do not give someone the opportunity to make a fool out of you more than twice.

Keep in mind that this applies mainly to promises. No one can be expected to keep true to every little thing he/she says. We are all human, and most of what we say is meant to be taken with a grain of salt.

A couple of good rules to follow:

• If the words “I promise…” ever leave your mouth, you better mean it.
• If the words “I promise…” ever leave someone’s mouth, let them know how much a promise means to you, then hold them to that promise. This heads up is essential because promises may not mean as much to others. Friends deserve to know the weight their words carry with you.

2. He Feels Sympathy, Empathy, & Compassion

You should always aim for all three: sympathy, empathy, and compassion. At times, it is understandable that empathy or compassion cannot be achieved. There is no excuse for a lack of sympathy.

The differences between sympathy, empathy, and compassion:

Scenario: Jack and Lionel watch as a fellow man gets dumped by his girlfriend.

Sympathy: Jack feels pity for the man. He sees and understands that the man is in pain, but does not truly feel it.

Empathy: Lionel remembers last year when Elizabeth dumped him. It felt as if his heart had been torn in two, the pain was unbearable. He has felt the pain the man is going through, and, as he looks at the shattered man, he feels it now.

Compassion: Both Jack’s and Lionel’s feelings for the man are accompanied by the desire to alleviate the man’s pain.

The key thing to note here is Jack’s inability and Lionel’s ability to truly feel the man’s pain. Lionel remembered a similar experience that he had gone through and applied it to the man’s predicament. Both men felt compassion for the man and wanted to end his suffering.

All of us, excluding psychopaths, should be able to feel sympathy after putting in a little bit of effort. And while some of us are gifted with the innate ability to feel empathy and compassion, most of us require life experiences to get in touch with these emotions. The more experiences a man lives through, the more capable he becomes in feeling sympathy, empathy, and compassion.

3. He Exercises

Exercise is a must for every man, and it is a must for you. Besides helping boost your testosterone and increasing your masculinity, working out offers many other benefits, including weight management, improving mental health, and living longer.

A common misconception here is that engaging in exercise means that you have to delve into bodybuilding, go on some crazy diet, or leave puddles of sweat. Many people will tell you that if you are not doing these things, you are wasting your time. I even preached that for a while. If you have the willpower and the time, then definitely take that route. But for the majority of us who do not possess that luxury, a simple hike, bike ride, or full body workout will suffice. Just remember that the more you exert yourself, the more beneficial getting in that exercise will be.

Exercise as often as possible; every day is optimal. If you fall off the wagon, get up, dust yourself off, and hop back on. Do not give up.

Conclusion

Real men do these three things and so should you. Keeping to your word will make others appreciate you. Learning to feel sympathy, empathy, and compassion teaches you to appreciate others. Engaging in exercise unleashes your masculinity and confidence.

You will become a man that others can count on. You will have a better chance of advancing in your career. You will develop strong friendships, and weed out those that are harmful to you.

Once you reap from the benefits, encourage others to do the same. Although this article is targeted towards men, women can take the same concepts and benefit from them – so encourage them as well.

Go outside, throw a rock, and odds are you will not hit a real man. But, you might just hit somebody carrying a torch. Light that torch and show him the way.