Man Up

"But I can't . . ." "There's no way . . ." "It's impossible . . ." Enough. Get off your ass and make your "someday" goals a priority—today. After years of coaching and consulting hundreds of startup rookies as well as seasoned entrepreneurs, executives, and CEOs, Bedros Keuilian realized that most people who want to start a business, grow an existing business, author a book, make more money, or make a bigger impact usually take the long, slow, painful way to get there . . . and more than 80 percent of entrepreneurs never get to their desired destination or achieve their full potential in business. They treat their dream as if it were merely a hobby and dip their toes in the water, but they never commit to diving in—you get the idea. It's time to cut the bullshit excuses. Everyone has a gift, a purpose. It's your duty to figure out what your gift is and how you're going to share it with the world. Man Up: How to Cut the Bullshit and Kick Ass in Business (and in Life) is your guide to doing exactly that. Keuilian, founder and CEO of Fit Body Boot Camp and known as the "hidden genius" behind many of the most successful brands and businesses throughout multiple industries, will show you how to break out of the sea of mediocrity, get singularly focused on your purpose, and do what it takes—not only to achieve but dominate your goals. With Keuilian's no-nonsense approach in both business and personal spheres, you'll be able to define your purpose and have clarity of vision—and a plan—to make the quantum leap. Whether it's creating and growing a company, leaving a legacy, making a difference, or launching a new brand, you will discover how to use your passion, purpose, and sheer grit to overcome any adversity that attempts to derail your progress. If there's an area of your life in which you need to man up, this book will get you there.

Aaron is outgoing and funny and a whiz at kickball. He's also compassionate and kind, reading books at the old folks home down H street. Basically, he's pretty great. But he's got a problem: everyone calls him a Crybaby. When his friends cheat at Forknife, he cries out of anger. When he sees his friend Tayshawn hurt a neighborhood dog, he cries out of empathy. And when misses his oldest brother, Sage, who's away at college, he cries out of loneliness. His dad, his friends, and his classmates tell him to "Leave that crying for the girls." How can Aaron learn to value his feelings and nurture his sensitivity in a world telling him to "Man up"? The authors of this story are part of an innovative program run by Reach Incorporated. Reach develops grade-level readers and capable leaders by preparing teens to serve as tutors and role models for younger students, resulting in improved literacy outcomes for both. Learn more at reachincorporated.org. Books were created in collaboration with Shout Mouse Press. Shout Mouse is a nonprofit writing and publishing house dedicated to amplifying underheard voices. Through writing workshops that lead to professional publication, Shout Mouse empowers writers from marginalized backgrounds to tell their own stories in their own voices and, as published authors, to act as agents of change. Learn more at shoutmousepress.org

A powerful coming-of-age memoir that aims to redefine masculinity for the 21stde make it clear century male, by an award-winning Latino poet, actor, and writer. Man Up will be an agent for positive change, galvanizing men-but also mothers, girlfriends, wives, and sisters-to rethink and reimagine the way all men interact with women, deal with violence, handle fear, and express emotion.

What does it mean to be a man? Sacrifice.

From career to relationships and grooming to gaming and more, the guys’ ultimate man-ual for living. For every guy too intimidated to ask a question for fear of seeming inexperienced and unworldly, here’s a book to answer all (or most!) of life’s pressing quandaries: Howdo you break off a friendship when it’s not working any longer? What should you cook when a date is coming over for dinner? How do you buy a used car and not get totally taken for a ride? How do you stop a charging dog? In Man Up!, journalist Paul O’Donnell and his team of knowledgable experts tackle 367 of these tough questions, imparting their advice in short to-the-point answers. Organized thematically, Man Up! is packed with essential advice delivered in prose that is as entertaining to read as it is helpful and clever. The tips run the gamut—from how to mix up a killer punch for a party to how to throw a punch when there is no other way out. Hip, engaging line drawings help to illustrate the advice, providing more than just sight gags. For every young man newly embarking on his independent adult life and for a guy at any age wanting to brush up on his skills, Man Up! is like having a trusted friend helping you along the way—except this friend has all the right answers!

In this hilarious and inspirational memoir, Ross Mathews -- best known as "Ross the Intern" from The Tonight Show with Jay Leno -- chronicles his life growing up as an atypical kid in a small Northwestern farm town to living as an atypical adult in Los Angeles, to eventually being his loud, proud, apologetically genuine self on national television. As a young kid growing up in a farm town, Ross Mathews might as well have wished for a pet unicorn or a calorie-free cookie tree to grow in his front yard. Either of those far-fetched fantasies would have been more likely to come true than his real dream: working in television in Hollywood, California. Seriously, that stuff just doesn't happen to people like Ross. But guess what? It totally did. Now, with his first book, Ross takes us inside his journey as a super-fan, revealing the most embarrassing and hilarious moments of his small-town life and big-city adventures. From learning to swear like a hardened trucker to that time in high school when had to face down the most frightening opponent of all (his girlfriend's lady bits), Ross holds nothing back. Oh, then there's his surprisingly shady past involving the cutest pair of plus-sized women's pajama bottoms, deliciously dangerous pot butter, and embezzled sandwiches. And, of course, how he's managed to turn an obsession with pop-culture into one-on-one interactions with celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Tiffani-Amber Theissen, Madonna, Michelle Kwan, and countless more without ever having a single restraining order issued against him. Infused with Ross's trademark humor, unique voice, and total honesty, Man Up! is a mission statement for anyone who doesn't fit the mold. His hasn't been the most traditional way to build a career in Hollywood, but Ross has somehow managed to make his mark without ever compromising who he is. He is as serious about this as he is about Golden Girls trivia: You don't need to change who you are to achieve your dreams (although there's nothing wrong with a makeover every now and then). You just need to Man Up!

I’ve watched men change from confident, decisive, and action-oriented lions to second-guessing, scared-of-their-shadows, don’t-rock-the-boat mice. They don’t feel confident in relationships, work environments—or anywhere. Men are either looking for something or running from something; maybe it’s a bit of both. Well, it’s time to stop running. It’s time to MAN UP to face the real issues. Being a real man is about being true to yourself first. It means finding strength from living authentically and then sharing that strength with others. Being a real man means understanding who you are and how to influence the world for the better. A real man is an asset to those around him. He doesn’t have to “take charge” but he leads the charge, and people want to join in. A real man draws people in. In fact, he is completely irresistible. Men may feel like they have lost the permission they once had to be men, but I’m here to tell you that you don’t need permission. You don’t need anyone authorizing you to be who you were meant to be. It’s time to stop trying to please everyone else. It’s time to stop apologizing for thinking like a man, acting like a man, and being a man. It’s time to MAN UP!

As a black man in America, Ricky Spann sees the need for African American males to unite and provide leadership for the inner-city youth in America. Actions speak louder than words, and complaining about the problems in inner cities is no longer an option. In basketball and in life, crying foul exposes our weaknesses and does not get us anywhere. It's time to determine solutions without violence and stop blaming others for the current state of affairs. Self-governance with political and economic actualization is needed to help African Americans serve the community and to facilitate more influence on the global scene. While assistance can be obtained from others, black men must do most of the heavy lifting in their own communities to defeat the enemies of any society: crime, poverty, and illiteracy. Spann proposes a formal, organized body of African American leaders, named the Black Strategic Alliance (BSA), to promote unity and prosperity among African Americans and help them increase their contributions to society by creating jobs, training workers, preparing leaders, and securing more government positions at local, state, federal, and global levels.