/lit/ - Literature

I wanna be a better boxer; motivation runs high, even though I'm just a beginner. Can't believe it took me five years to ignore my father's discouragement and go for it. The man has never showed me any form of support towards anything, and the apathy that defines his way of life is something I would never want for anyone. His words still have sway over me, but little by little I can ignore the dismissiveness, the backhanded insults, the complete lack of faith in the capacity of others and the disinterest he always showed towards raising his sons.

There’s a quote from that cancelled Marco Polo series that goes like: “It’s time to become the man you wish your father was” – and from time to time it comes to mind, because, even if my confidence in myself is still fragile, I know I wanna become said man and that I have to put in the work to do so.
This post marks the first time such feelings are externalized by me, and even if it’s in a Mongolian basket weaving forum, that in itself may be taken as a mark of my progress.

I wonder how many men are here largely due to a lacking father figure.

>>12513658
Sounds like the kind of thing that can make you a gazillion dollars if you are lucky.

>>11908960
>What you said about the Models book interests me. I have little to none self-improvement (aside from being crazy about my job and trying to get better at it) and I have trouble with the vulnerable aspect too.

Most of it is just about these two topics. Dunno if it will help you, but this is a very recent, and one of my first, experiences with vulnerability:
>been friends with a girl in uni for about a month
>she starts realizing I barely give details about myself, besides peripheral info
>It’s always respectful about it though, never really prods
>one day I get really depressed during class
>decide to talk with her after it is over
>tell her all about how I can’t really expose myself to others and vulnerability is the thing I dread the most
>tense as fuck during all of it, can’t look her in the eye and my body language is shut down to the point I’m almost with my back turned to her
>she is kind, and sympathetic towards me
>after telling her I feel enormous relief, like being permeated by a feeling of lightness and optimism
>day by day we start learning more about each other, to the point nowadays she’s one of the friends I like the most
>Been trying to let myself be vulnerable in more situations, sometimes it works, sometimes not, but trying is the most important thing

Not everyone will react as well as my friend did, and you don’t have to go for my method of exposing your greatest insecurities first, but putting yourself even a little in these kind situations, day by day, is vital for your progress. I would do the same thing ten times over if necessary; after all, it helped immensely with my self-improvement and deepened my friendship with someone I really like. Life is not without its adversities though. She keeps flirting with me despite having a boyfriend and mentioning him from time to time, which makes me feel guilty and afraid to fuck up our friendship, and, shortly after we agreed to go out and do something this friday, started calling it a date. God only knows what will happen, and I’m anxious and tense as fuck, but it isn’t a bad kind of restlessness. Just conflicted, I guess.


>Do you think the book will be okay if I read it?

As far as I remember there is no sexism in the book, the author even goes as far as to imply that methods centered on lying to women or treating them like objects are the tools of needy men. He comments in the preface about a lot of women being interested in the book, and even mentions which chapters should be ignored by them (just a couple). Most of the advice in the book is pretty general, and they are as simplified and accessible as possible. He also mentioned the possibility of writing a book completely geared towards his female readers at some point, although I do not know if it was ever written.