Competitive Man

The competitive man

I’ve been writing about the male POV since 2011. In my Kindle book, 101 Tips, Primarily on Writing Male Characters, I had to use the word ‘primarily’ because I hadn’t collected enough ‘onlys.’ Often a male POV idea can be described as simply human. It’s a matter of degree how much a woman acts like a man and visa versa. Regarding competition, both men and women are competitive. Sometimes in different ways.

Competitiveness in men can be both good and bad. When young men challenge each other to street racing and one drives off a cliff that’s taking it too far. Guys are also more likely to fist fight…

Good can be extracted from a man often in the form of a woman being present. She inspires a man to do better. I’ll offer two recent examples, which came as a surprise to me. I’m in Zumba, and in walks my Bar teacher on a 15 minute break. I danced better without consciously trying. My daughter died of cancer, but before she did, she inspired me to write a better novel and insisted that I try harder to get it published. So I did and yes it will be published.

It is so true that many put their own needs last or accept a certain comfortable way of doing things, instead of struggling to get the best out of themselves. There’s the 80/20 rules. Most of us will complete 80% of the work necessary to ‘finish’ the job. The remaining 20% necessary for greatness is just too much work. Hence, we have the Taylor Swifts of the world. Those whose inner strength, borne of genius, to be sure, press with great energy to use the talents that God gave them to the maximum. It is human nature to take the path of least resistance. What will you say of your life if you cannot reach even one of your goals? No problem. If you analyze and understand your talents and do the best you can with them, you have accomplished the Creator’s goal set for you.

A man dates and marries a woman and wants to make her happy by doing more for her, to work hard at love, to make her feel loved, even adored in a secular way. Some men never leave the honeymoon stage. If they can’t please her, treasure her every day, they’d be disappointed in themselves. Love is the point of life. So make it.

A man left to his own devices may drift. Humans are social creatures, so, at the least, reach out to the community. (Okay, it’s Sunday. It’s preaching I know. Not all men are like this, i.e., striving for excellence in a relationship. This is for the dreamers out there who write books of love. Who deliver inspiration for those who enjoy and sometimes need it.)