The first rule of being a hero is don’t tell anyone you’re a hero.
I love that saying from the movie ‘fight club’. It is so applicable to so many situations. And it makes one of the greatest one-liner catchphrases. For those of you that haven’t seen it yet (really what planet have you been living on???) The story is about how the main character sets up a fight-club where only men turn up to beat each other in a fistfight. They are told never to tell anyone, but like any good secret, that’s easier said than done and so the ‘Fight-club’ expands throughout the country. Obviously answering a deep desire and calling that lies deep beneath the surface in nearly all men. Name me the very best cricketer in the world? Name me the very best baseball player? Depending on what region of the World you come from you may not have a clue. But when I ask men name their best boxer ever, you see a massive difference, anywhere you go. Fighting is in our DNA.
However, for the past 10 to 20 years men have been fighting a losing battle. Not only has it been downright disgusting for men to be successful, but men have had to endure multiple accusations from the far left, women rights and the equality brigade, not to mention the male feminists that have sneakily slimed their way in with women by trying to portray other real men as jocks and thugs, when in fact all they are doing is trying a simple strategy that gets them laid. Yes, that’s right girls, your best friend who you can always rely on for advice about all the horrible men in your life and just listens to you, is in fact just trying to get into your knickers!
My issue with the whole equality debate is; Why are women trying to compete head to head with men, when in fact in so many areas they are far superior. Firstly, women have less ego and so can make strategic decisions and be much more creative than men in so many circumstances. I have also found women to be much hardier, than modern-day men. I regard myself as a fairly strong man, but if I am sick for any reason, I am in tatters. Whereas most women will just get on with it because they have to and have little choice in the matter.
I feel very sorry for the new generation of men. They are circumnavigating a world that is so fraught with unseen dangers and have no real identity with which to cling onto. The thing is these new young men have missed out on a vital piece of guidance that could help them succeed and become real men. If you are shown to have more manly tendencies you are almost blacklisted by society. Whatever happened to men being actual Gentlemen? My father was such. He was a strong, quiet individual that showed very little unnecessary emotions, never swore in front of me as a child, never raised his voice to a woman. He would always if possible open a door for a woman, elderly and even other men. And all the while everyone knew he was a man not to be messed with as he could very much handle himself if things ever turned violent.
I am fascinated by Knights of Old, not only because of my surname, Knight, which works wonderfully well, albeit a bit cheesy, and has, therefore, become the name of my company. Knights of the Middle Ages were instructed in the art of Chivalry and by certain reports had to study this art for more than 4 years. They were masters of not only horseback fighting, jousting and swordsmanship, but would also undergo training of kindness, showing empathy and love. All the while maintaining an air of dignity and honour. This then leads me onto the ever so eloquent Victorian English Gentleman. These Gentlemen would practice chivalry as well, as well as stoicism, to maintain a clear, proud presence, in all circumstances. What has become to be known as a ‘stiff upper lip’.
I have created the Manifesto not as a self-help book. Not about how if you just follow 5, 10, or 15 rules you’ll make millions of pounds sitting on your veranda overlooking your own private beach, sipping on Pina Colada’s, soaking up the midday sun and probably a good chance of skin cancer. No, I created the Manifesto as a guide, that has practical activities, for each principle, that will allow you to practice what you preach and implement some of the principles, that you will, if followed correctly, find of great benefit in your everyday life, your business relationships and with your loved ones.
By following and practising the principles laid out in this Manifesto, you will learn how to become a better human being and a better man. A real man, a Gentleman, someone that most people are attracted to and yet somewhat intimidated by. But only due to their own insecurities. You will stand out from the crowd. Have that air of confidence about you that only you know what it is and all of your fellow Heroes.
I have inserted the first principle for you and will over the coming 12 days upload each principle in sequence. If you are one of these inpatient types then simply go to my website and you can download the entire Manifesto for free.
I hope you enjoy and I hope it serves you well.
Principle #1 — Live Life with Integrity
Rule №1 I have chosen this principle as rule №1. Integrity is a vital principle for any true man. To live life with integrity is not only exhilarating but it is freedom. Freedom in the knowledge that you will never be caught out on a lie, never be shown to have taken the easy choice, the one you know in your gut is the easy way out, the shortcut, the hack, that leads to… what?
It takes immense courage to live with integrity. But it is also something that can never be taken away from you no matter what. I shall give you a very simple and somewhat insignificant story about a time when I had to be strong and show my integrity, even though it was going to cost me dearly.
In the year 2000, I had moved to Thailand to start a new life. I realised that in South East Asia, being a White, western male, was essentially a golden ticket. I know that sounds terrible but it is a fact of life. However, this does not mean that you can take advantage of this gift by not being even more diligent and working harder than the next man. Why? Because I was given this ‘privilege’ I appreciated it and knew at what costs it came with. I felt that I was an ambassador to my ‘kind’ and my country and so I did not want to betray, firstly the trust I had been given but also the ‘privilege’ I had not yet earned.
I immersed myself in the culture and lived in a very poor part of town. On the outskirts of Bangkok. This is how good my flat was; Outside in the midday sun, it would reach temperatures of 38 Celsius. And yet leaving my 25 meters squared room, it was actually cooler for me to walk outside into the blazing sun!
I didn’t immediately find a job and so in my spare time, I taught the local children English for free. Why not? After about 1 month I happened to get a job, the only problem was it was building a new factory for a Thai Company in Vietnam. So off I went.
I was due to stay for about 5 days for each visit. And on one of the visits, I completed all of my tasks within the first 3 days. So, I decided to help some of my other colleagues. When it came time to depart, the Manager / Owner explained to me that in fact, they were going to change my flights to a later date, as the rest of my colleagues would be going back then. I informed her that I had finished all of my tasks and had even taken the opportunity to help others, and that also most importantly of all, the day I was supposed to travel back, that evening, I had more than 25 kids waiting for me to teach them. I had no way of informing them that I was going to be delayed. So, for this occasion, I asked if I could carry on with my usual timetable.
The Manager then basically gave me an ultimatum; either you want employment with us or you want to go and teach some poor kids for free?
Easy choice. And so, I went home and taught those kids. I had no employment, very little money, just barely enough to live. But I survived and I knew I had made the right choice which just made me so much stronger. If the company could not see that breaking a promise to children is as bad as it gets, no matter what. Then I did not want to work for them.
Now you may say, but you could have made an exception this one time. And you could have said sorry to the kids and explained why you let them down. Both of those reasons are simple excuses! Look at yourself in the mirror. Go on, take a good hard look. And if you have a decision to make, ask yourself this one simple question; Is it the right thing? If the answer isn’t a clear ‘Yes’ then it’s a ’No’. There are no ‘maybe’s’. There is only a yes or no. if you have to say, ‘well, yeah but…” Then be honest it’s usually a cop-out. Don’t let yourself go down that path. Hold yourself to higher standards. Make life easy. Is it a YES or is it a NO? It’s that simple.
For this principle, I want you to start practising this. Anytime you have to make a decision, it could be ‘Shall I lay in bed for another 5 minutes?’ ‘Should I eat that cake?’ Ask yourself, or even better go to your bathroom, at home or at work, or just look at your reflection sitting on the train and ask yourself “Is it the right thing?”
That’s it, that’s your first principle. Before you move onto the second principle, I want you to practice this principle every day and everywhere you go. I know you may forget at times, but let’s make it a challenge. Use the next section to write down your progress and think of it as a self-experiment. Also, after every week and after one month, write down how you feel and what have you learnt from trying out this experiment? Better yet, take pictures and make a comment on my Facebook page or on my Instagram.
Notes below for the reader to implement your actions
