Who We Are
Why does ‘Becoming the Noble Alpha’ exist?
To be honest, I never really saw myself as the ‘blogging type’…
Being an IT professional, I've tried my hand at blogging around technical content over the years, but without a great deal of success. I never really gave it much of a chance, though - I think that's one of the earliest adult memories I have that has ultimately led you, the reader, and I to this meeting point.
'There's nothing here…', I remember mumbling.
I think the 'tipping point' for me was a few months ago - my wife and I have a habit of spending some time in our favorite bookstore almost every weekend, typically during our oldest' s band practice. Usually I'm never want for finding something that tickles some part of my brain, whether it be music, technology, classic car restoration, cooking or investing. I'll typically walk the same route every time - periodicals, then new releases, cookbooks, military history, sports, music and finally the 'bargain bin', where I can occasionally find something that's been on my reading wish list for a while, but for whatever reason I've never picked it up. On this particular trip, and to be honest almost every trip since, nothing has piqued my interest.
I vividly recall wandering around the store, almost aimlessly, lost in thought. My wife ( who is very familiar with my normal route ) found me lost in thought in the self-help section.
'There's nothing here…', I remember mumbling.
When she pressed me for what I meant by that, I found myself desperately wanting to find something that spoke to where I was in life. Here I was, a soon-to-be 50 year old married father with a relatively successful career, and I just felt lost and wanting. But wanting for what?
Since then I've tried to peel back the layers of my psyche, put my ego off to the side, and take a hard look at where I am in life. Why was I unhappy? What was missing? Most importantly, could I fix it?
I've spent a lot of time in self-reflection, as well as talking to members of my 'tribe' - close male friends who I could count on to provide honest feedback and ask pertinent questions. Most importantly to me, the questions and feedback came with zero judgement. I don't have many members of my tribe, and quite honestly I’m ok with that - these are guys I've spent many hours with over the years, and we've built a strong mutual respect. Each one brings a different perspective, and those nuances have been very important as I began to flush out the items below.
"What do I Want?"
From that self-refection and those critical conversations, I created the list below - "What do I Want?" :
Less stress in my life
Quality improvement in my hobbies/passions
Better focus on long-term health and wellness
To be the best possible husband and father I can be
To have strong, meaningful friendships
Have the freedom to what I want, when I want
Continuously build upon my existing knowledge
Improve my daily productivity
In the next several articles I'll focus on what each of these means to me, and my plan of attack for each. It is my belief that addressing each of these items will ultimately build what I envision the "Noble Alpha" is.
In short, a Noble Alpha is a man who is confident in his own skin, and while willing to listen to feedback has the internal strength to decide if it’s worth pondering deeply and if not, easily discarding it. He is a protector of those he loves on a variety of levels, but knows to be his best for those he loves he must prioritize and make time for his own needs and passions. He stands tall and proud of who he is, and everyone around him can see it.
My vision of 'Becoming the Noble Alpha' is to provide some loose guide for men who are in a similar position in their lives as I find myself today. I don't have a strong vision of what this will become over time ( yet ), and I will reinforce the fact that I will not be an expert on many of the topics I discuss here. You'll be learning from my experiences, and many of them will be mistakes.
Which I am completely fine with…