This One Shift Separates Great Men Who Rise from Nice Guys Who Wait

Hey Reader,

There was once a man who lived in a small village, tending the great gate that led to a vast and prosperous land.

He had heard stories his whole life—tales of men who had passed through the gate and found abundance, love, peace, and strength beyond what they had ever known.

And so, every morning, he rose early and stood at the gate, waiting.

Waiting for a sign.
Waiting for permission.
Waiting for something outside of himself to tell him it was time.

He watched the clouds, searching for a symbol in their shapes.
He listened to the wind, hoping for a whisper of approval.
He studied the flight of birds, believing that if they circled the gate just right, it would mean his journey could begin.

But the signs never came.

One evening, an old traveler passed by and found the man sitting there, shoulders slumped, eyes weary from watching.

“What are you doing here?” the traveler asked.

“I am waiting for the sign that I may enter,” the man replied. “The day the gate opens for me, I will walk through and my life will finally change.”

The traveler chuckled and pointed to the gate’s heavy iron doors.

“My friend, that gate isn’t locked. It never has been. It only requires one thing to open.”

The man’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You,” the traveler said. “You must decide to push it open.”

The man sat in stunned silence. All these years, he had been waiting for something outside of himself to tell him it was time.

But the truth was… it had always been his choice.

This Is the Pattern of Every Hero’s Journey

If you feel this way—stuck, hesitant, afraid to take the next step—you’re not alone.

This is the story of every man on the path to becoming who he was meant to be.

Every great hero reaches this point.

The moment where the path forward is uncertain. Where stepping into the unknown feels like stepping off a cliff.

And at the heart of it is the deepest fear of all—not that we will fail, but that the journey itself will expose the thing we fear most:

That we aren’t enough.

That if we step forward, push through the gate, and embark on the path… we will be tested, challenged, and found unworthy.

So we hesitate.

We tell ourselves we need more time.
We search for signs that we’re ready.
We wait for the fear to go away.

But brother, the brutal truth is this:

Staying put all but ensures you feel unworthy.

Because it’s on the journey, under duress, challenge, and adversity, that you discover that you are.

Joseph Campbell said it best:

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”

The thing you’re avoiding is the thing that will set you free.

But you’ll never know that if you don’t step forward.

How You Know If This Is You

Most men don’t think they’re waiting at the gate.

They don’t believe they’re hesitating.

They tell themselves they’re being “patient,” “strategic,” or “just waiting for the right time.”

But the reality?

They’re stuck.

And you know you’re stuck when…

You're doing more sighing than laughing.
You think about the future–a lot.
You think about what other people are thinking about–a lot
You wake up every morning feeling restless, like something is missing, but you have no idea what it is.
You tell yourself you need “just a little more certainty” before you take action—but that certainty never comes.
You’re mentally exhausted, but not from effort. It’s the fatigue of thinking about what you should do but never acting on it.
You distract yourself with work, scrolling, porn, alcohol, food, or random projects, because deep down, you know you’re avoiding what actually matters.
You’re waiting for some external change to feel that it’s okay to move forward—like your woman softening, your finances improving, a job change, a political event, your motivation kicking in, or the timing being perfect.

If You Have a Woman in Your Life, She Feels It Too.

A woman doesn’t need you to be rich, perfect, or have all the answers.

But she does need to feel that you know where you’re going.

And if she senses that you’re waiting, hesitating, or looking to her for permission?

She will begin to resent you for it.

She will test you.
She will push against you.
She will get colder.

Not because she’s cruel.
Not because she wants to break you.

But because she doesn’t want to carry your weight too.

She doesn’t want to become the object and focus of your mission—because deep down, she knows she’s not supposed to be.

And if she keeps pushing and finds nothing—no mission, no fire, no conviction?

She will pull away.

Not because she wants to.
Because she has to.

Because if she doesn’t… you’ll never stop waiting to live.

In any story where the hero refuses the call to adventure, the supporting characters exit the scene.

And that moment—when you feel her turning away—is when most men finally wake up.

But by then, they’ve already wasted years waiting.

Why We Keep Waiting

Brother, I know what this feels like.

I spent years waiting at my own gate.

I waited for my wife to change before I stepped fully into the man I wished I were in my marriage.
I waited for success before I believed in myself as a capable man.
I waited for confidence to magically appear before I stopped shrinking and started standing firm.

And what made it worse?

I thought I was being rational.

I told myself I was “waiting for the right time.”

I thought I was “just being responsible.”

But the truth?

I was just scared.

Scared that if I stepped through the gate and it didn’t work out, I’d prove what I secretly feared:

That I wasn’t enough.

And so, I stood there.

Waiting.

And waiting.

Until I finally decided:

No more.

No more waiting.
No more asking for permission.
No more standing outside an unlocked gate like a fool.

And brother, I want that for you too.

This Is Why I Built the 30-Day Awakened Purposeful Man Challenge

Because I know what it’s like to hesitate at the gate.

I also know what it’s like to finally walk through it.

And I want that for you.

That’s why I created the 30-Day Awakened Purposeful Man Challenge—a self-paced experience designed to help you finally see what’s holding you back, so you can step into the kind of clarity and confidence that comes from knowing exactly who you are and what you’re made of.

For 30 days, you’ll get short, powerful lessons that challenge you to stop waiting and start becoming.

This isn’t about consuming more information.

It’s about doing the work—showing up, pushing through resistance, and proving to yourself that you are already worthy of the life you want.

And you won’t do it alone.

There’s a community of men who are also in the trenches, doing this work alongside you—challenging, supporting, and holding each other accountable.

No more waiting. No more hesitation.

It’s time to step through the gate.

Click here to join the 30-Day Awakened Purposeful Man Challenge.