I have a theory that men today are having difficulties because they are not taught to have values when they were younger. After all, if your purpose in life is to provide labor and comfort and resources in favor of someone else's purpose, what's the point of having values? Your value is to work, that's what! But, all men have the right to have values that are in their own self-interest, and to act according to those values. Values are what gives you the ability to say NO to a shit test. Values give you the knowledge to say NO to a shit deal. Values give you the ability to say NO to the parasites trying to take advantage of you.

What are your values? Why are you on this earth? Is it to get a wife and kids and play servant to them? Or is to build up yourself and your brand, to be self-sufficient, to have a family that represents you and what's important to you?

I'm sure there's plenty of sites like the below, but I like this one because he talks about controllable and uncontrollable values. For example, he talks about making money as an uncontrollable value because although you can be extremely qualified at what you do to make money, they market could still collapse and you could be out of a job. I think the same holds with the sexual market - you can certainly build yourself up, get buff, make more money (haha), and get the girl - but that ain't gonna guarantee she's going to stay with you.

https://markmanson.net/personal-values

What is a value you have that has directly led to you saying no to someone or something? How did you come about deciding that value was important to you?