So much of how masculinity is portrayed in the media today leads men in the wrong direction. It creates an unrealistic standard of masculinity, creating men who are trying to be “manlier” because they want to get girls.

If you project yourself as something that you’re not, this lack of authenticity can be felt by the girl. She can tell when how you present yourself is just a façade to TRICK her into like you. Any relationship based on this falseness will create problems.

So if this “alpha” masculinity is not expressed in our culture the way it would have been a thousand years ago, what does it even mean to be a man today?

There are so many mixed signals from society that tell us what it means to be a man. Growing up in Ireland the version that I saw was that we should like football and drink beer. That’s what it meant to me growing up. It’s no wonder that to be man is something that a lot of men have trouble coming to terms with, and misguidedly turn to what our culture portrays as the ideal.

I want to suggest my new version of masculinity. To me, what it means to be a man is to act in accordance with my mission. To be a man is to act authentically and expresses myself freely ultimately caring more about my opinion of myself, more than others’ opinions of me.

That's my new definition of masculinity. What's yours?