The Badass Metric is something I've been refining as a way to keep myself constantly motivated to improve. I am a former video game addict and work best on a system that involves notable achievements and self reward, so this metric feels really natural to me.

Basically, throughout the day there are different things you can do to make your life a little bit better than it was when you woke up. Each of these things gives you a point, and when you rack up six points that day then you can pat yourself on the back because you are a certified fucking badass.

The categories are as follows:

Physical Activity: The obvious and easier answer for this sub is to lift. It doesn't just have to be that though. I like BJJ a lot, my friend rock climbs every chance he gets, I got buddies that skateboard or bike for hours on end. My father landscapes as a hobby, and I don't mean just planting flowers. That motherfucker rolls 200lb rocks around to get the perfect sense of zen balance in his domain. Basically, when you're done doing it, are you sweaty, tired and your heartbeat is raised? Are your muscles heavily taxed? Is there a good chance you'll be sore the next day? Good, you get a point.

Learning and Refining: Read a book or the news. Refine a craft or a hobby. Work on that painting you've been meaning to do. Finish building that cabinet you started last week. Learn Sweet Child of Mine on guitar already. Stimulate dat brain!

Make Money: Simple enough. Did you end the day with more money than you started it with? Good, you did it right.

Advance Your Career: For some, your main source of income and your ideal career aren't the same thing. I do music professionally. This means a big part of my income is teaching privately. My career goals, however, include making my main creative project a huge source of my income. Checking this one off for me is sometimes as simple as booking shows or scheduling rehearsals, sometimes as big as releasing an album or putting 300 people in front of my band at a show. It doesn't always have to be big things. In fact, it usually won't be. Still, an ocean is made up of millions of drops.

The Little Things: Pay your bills, clean your room, do your laundry, be hygenic, get your oil changed. This is my biggest weakness. I often get so focused on bigger shit that many of these slip by me altogether. They are just as important to handle as anything else, and if you let them pile up, the mountain they create will become the biggest thing you have to deal with.

Crossing all five off gets you Discipline. You are your own master, the captain of the ship of your own life. Badasses need discipline to hone their badassery to a fine point, so the only way you can check this one off is by getting the other five categories that day.

I recognize that sometimes people will get caught up in one of these categories for much longer than will allow time to get to the rest of them. If, say, you're working a 12 hour shift for time and a half at your job on a major holiday because you really need the money, then you've gone Above And Beyond. Give yourself 2 points for that category, each of which counts toward Discipline. That way, if you get home super late and just don't have time or energy to work on learning another language, you will still have an opportunity to earn your badassery.

There are also some things that don't count toward discipline, but will give you two points.

Adventures or Doing Tough Shit: These are things like competing in a martial arts tournament, going cliff diving, going camping for a weekend with only a knife and some duct tape (I have a buddy who makes a point of doing this at least twice a year), or other manly-as-all-get-out things.

Confronting Your Fears: Afraid of the ocean? Go snorkeling. Afraid of talking to people? Make conversation with 5 strangers. Afraid of spiders? Let someone's pet tarantula walk on you. Basically, if it scares you, do it. Bravery isn't the lack of fear. It's saying "Alright fear, I see you there, but I'm gonna do this anyway." Badasses are invariably a brave type.

Puppet Mastery: Gaining and wielding social influence, and pulling off Machiavellian schemes. Can you get crowds of people to do your bidding? Can you change others' opinions to match your own? Can you weave a web of influence that lets you make real world things happen with the tug of a single fiber?

A big part of this for me is also killing two birds with one stone. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is a hobby I'm really passionate about. It's incredibly intellectually stimulating and often described as a martial game of speed chess. It's also one of the best workouts I've ever had. Going to a BJJ class at my dojo takes care of the refinement and the physical activity point all in one sitting.

Being a badass is something that a long time ago I decided was important to me. Being who I am, however, I couldn't just mindlessly pat myself on the back for every little thing I did and tell myself I was great. This whole system evolved as a way to reliably measure the progress I make toward my life goals, and it also makes it incredibly fun. It becomes a feedback loop, being a badass is fun so you shoot to do even better, when you can see that you are actually capable of doing better, it becomes even more fun, so you shoot to do better. Pretty soon it's second nature and you're just one bad motherfucker. Call it being a man, being alpha, whatever. The point is, after enough days checking off 6 or more points, it will be impossible not to look in the mirror and see someone you genuinely respect.

I don't get a perfect 6 every day, but that's ok. I usually measure the end of my month. If I was a badass 25 days out of a 31 day month, that was a pretty fucking good month. Just remember, everyone needs a rest every now and then.

I hope this helps you guys as much as it's been helping me. Good luck, gentlemen.

EDIT: Refinement