Dennis Gazarek - Be the Awesome Man: A Young Mans Guide to Achieving Discipline, Success, and Happiness

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
BE THE AWESOME MAN

Dennis Gazarek has provided a road map to maturity with specific and measurable goals. A must-read for the young man in your life.

Doug Manning, educator

Be the Awesome Man is a great resource for young men wanting to make a change and difference in their lives. Dennis provides great advice, supported by real-life examples and practical tools to start any young man on his awesome journey.

Kerry Johnson, EdD, Ontario Tech University

Gazarek offers a mother lode of valuable advice to help young men strive for self-excellence... a practical, solid guide for any young man looking to improve himself as he matures.

Bookz, Cookz, & Nookz

Dennis Gazarek has done an awesome job. Using his experience and knowledge, he gets into the minds of young men and provides them with an insight to explore, estimate and establish themselves to fight the battles, not only for themselves but to inspire others.

Vaqar Raees, president of Friends Indeed Canada

A compelling readBe the Awesome Man diagnoses the problem, then provides inspiring yet practical advice for men who wish to change their lifes trajectory from mediocre to awesome! Highly recommended.

Daniel Whittal, lawyer and martial arts instructor

With a society currently lacking in empathy, inclusiveness, and direction, Be the Awesome Man is the right book at the right time. Sprinkled with relatable examples, this book is a guide for young men to make the right choices and become the leaders and overall good people the world so desperately needs.

Barry Finlay, best-selling and award-winning author of Kilimanjaro and Beyond and the Marcie Kane thriller collection

Be the Awesome Man by Dennis Gazarek is a valuable blueprint for self-actualization that every man should have. The book provides readers with a step-by-step guide on how to become the best version of themselves. Through the use of real-life examples from his life, and the lives of others, Gazarek is able to draw in readers from various backgrounds. His clear and direct language enables readers to easily understand the strategies mentioned; and his practical tips inspires the reader into action to begin their journey of transformation. Regardless of what stage you are at in your life, every man, young or old, will find great value in reading Be the Awesome Man. Parents, teachers, coaches, and mentors, this book is also for you. If you have a role in shaping boys into young men, this book will assist you in helping them become awesome. Get it for yourself. Buy it for a friend. You will not be disappointed.

Jeannine Henry, youth minister, St. Francis de Sales Parish, Toronto

BE THE AWESOME MAN

A Young Mans Guide to Achieving
Discipline, Success, and Happiness

Dennis Gazarek

Fresno, California

Be the Awesome Man

Copyright 2020 by Dennis Gazarek. All rights reserved.

Published by Quill Driver Books

An imprint of Linden Publishing

2006 South Mary Street, Fresno, California 93721

(559) 233-6633 / (800) 345-4447

QuillDriverBooks.com

Quill Driver Books and Colophon are trademarks of

Linden Publishing, Inc.

Cover design by Tanja Prokop, www.bookcoverworld.com

Book design by Andrea Reider

ISBN 978-1-61035-337-3

135798642

Printed in the United States of America

on acid-free paper.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file.

I dedicate this book to the young men of the world who are fighting against the currents of todays culture and seeking to better themselvesour future Awesome Men.

Contents

Part Three:
Be the Awesome Man Instructional and Motivational Guide

Introduction

Have you ever felt you could be so much more than you are now? Are there men you admire and wish to emulate, but have no idea how to go about doing so? Do you sometimes feel that your friends, your environment, and even you yourself are holding you back from being the sort of man you know you could become? Are you dissatisfied with your life as it now is and aspire for so much more? Do you yearn for a life lived with purpose and filled with achievement, happiness, joy, and contentment?

If so, then good! Your dissatisfaction means you are ready and motivated to change who you are and how you live your life. You are ready to do the hard work of growing into the man you are destined to be.

Be the Awesome Man is a tool designed for a single purposeto help you become what I call the Awesome Man. It is written for the individual who wants to make a positive impact on the world, for the young man who has searched within himself and sees that he has a purpose in life, even if that purpose is not yet entirely clear.

Young men have historically played an eminent role in shaping and molding the world. A few have done so by war and conquest, like Alexander the Great, but most have done so by stepping up and shouldering the responsibility that was required of them by their families and communities. They hunted game, captained ships, ran the family business, tended to the ill, built great houses of worship, married and became great husbands, and in other ways too numerous to mention became the rock-solid foundation that society depended on. But every one of these men knew it was the little things that made a difference. Even actions at the smallest levels, such as cleaning out the barn or helping in the family grocery shop, led to transformative results in the world. I define these men as Awesome Men, and in the pages that follow, I will introduce you to some of them. You will see in many ways they are just like you.

Be the Awesome Man provides you with a guide, a road map so to speak, for your journey to awesomeness. And while I hope the book helps you step into a better future, your success in reaching your goals will depend on you and your determination. It will be hard work, because challenging yourself to develop as a man can be uncomfortable at times. But I am on this journey with you and I know you have what it takes.

This is an exciting time for you, and the possibilities are endless. By recognizing the true purpose in your life, and in making a difference in yourself, your family, and your community, the world will benefit. Every little forward step you make to better yourself will reward both you and those you love.

Much like one lighted candle can banish darkness, each positive action you make will illuminate the world.

Young Men Are in Crisis

While there are many Awesome Men around ussome whom we know personally, others public figuressomething has changed in our society. The path to manhood is now strewn with obstacles. The way forward is no longer clear for young men.

Some of you may be familiar with Ryan Lochte, the disgraced US Olympic swimmer who falsified a police report at the Rio Olympics in 2016. For those not acquainted with the story, Lochte and some male friends went partying in Rio one night after his events were completed. Afterward they stopped at a gas station and, in some sort of pseudo-macho display, vandalized the restroom. The gas stations security staff approached them and told Lochte and his friends that they had to pay for the damage or the police would be called. The security staff allegedly pulled their weapons to reinforce the seriousness of the matter. Lochte and his friends made restitution and the matter was settled.