Alright so couple of things here to address right off the bat. First off you don’t have to be a nerd to benefit from what I’m about to say here. Two I plan on showing off some of my more nerdy side here which is something I don’t think I do a lot of. And third what exactly is a renaissance man. To me a renaissance man is a well rounded and complete man. The warrior poet sort of ideal I blab on and on about.
A man who can fight and love, who can walk among kings and paupers and not lose his bearing kind of deal. And a whole lot more. A man who has shored up his weaknesses and made his strengths even more powerful. I think you get the general idea. So how does one go about becoming a renaissance man (in the true ideal)? Well there are a couple different ways to go about it.
But I’ll be using some archetypes to discuss one way in which I think when applied to your life is going to do all sorts of good for it. So like I said you don’t have to be a nerd to get value from this, plan on delving into some nerdy stuff myself, and you understand at least the general gist of what a renaissance man is and what you can be.
The Three Archetypes
Read enough fantasy or play enough RPGs and there are some archetypes that you’ll see pop up quite often. For the sake of this discussion there are three that I’m going to talk about and that are going to outline our discussion for today. Now I realize that there are many archetypes to pull from but like I said these are the ones that are most applicable for what we’re talking about today.
Those three archetypes are The Warrior, The Rogue, and The Wizard. And they outline a strong line of development for a man to follow and become all that he can be. And become a true renaissance man (or alpha or whatever word works best for you, don’t get too caught up in that word if it doesn’t work for you). So what does these archetypes have to do with your development as a man?
Well most people are generally born with a strength in one of these areas and they use it to get by in life, never fully developing it and using it to not have to develop in other areas. For me personally this would have been the warrior (though at times the rogue). For you it might be something different. Point is most people end up a parody of one of these things and end up unbalanced and uneven. Not just leaving themselves not complete but also hampering their strengths from having its full effect.
So the key is to develop in each area to become a well rounded person and become the man that you were created to be.
The Archetype Of The Warrior
This is the one that I have the most familiarity with so will talk about first. What are things that mark a warrior? Physical strength and physical ability. Strength and power. Courage and bravery. All of these are very good things and things that all men should look to develop in themselves. Warriors are generally men of action (another good trait) and don’t take crap (and another). But when used as a parody they are also generally dumb, reckless, and foolhardy.
Which obviously aren’t great traits to have. There are many ways to develop the warrior aspect of oneself. By this point I’m beating a dead horse but I’d personally recommend combat sports (boxing, MMA, BJJ, etc. anything with full contact sparring). But things like going to the gym, hiking, taking on challenges all work to help the warrior aspect of oneself. But don’t be limited by this list as there are many different ways to develop this aspect.
The Archetype Of The Rogue
Now we turn to the rogue. What is the rogue known for? Being sneaky and crafty. Generally being good with thinking on his feet and witty. Where the warrior possess strength and power the rogue has speed and grace (or dexterity). Again all great traits to have. Rogues generally also have the gift of gab (important) among other things. Rogues also don’t mind going against the grain either.
But they can also be sneaky (in a bad way), untrustworthy, and mousy which aren’t such great traits to have. To develop the rogue aspect of oneself there are as always many ways to do so. To me learning something like sales and persuasion can be part of this. Graceful sports as well so as gymnastics and dance (which neither are girly by the way). Again I don’t want to limit you here but understand this archetype and find your own way to develop it.
The Archetype Of The Wizard
Of them all this has been the hardest for me to develop, which is funny considering my brother has it in spades. What are good aspects of the wizard? Intelligence of course. Knowledge of things that are beyond most. Wisdom, and higher level thinking. Strategy. Again all good things to have and traits to develop. Wizards are generally steeped in knowledge and know the great value of a good book (great traits). The Wizard has many good aspects to take as part of yourself.
But wizards can also be frail, unaware of people/events around them, and know-it-alls (who never do) which aren’t such great traits. To develop the aspect of the wizard there are things like playing chess, reading good books, meditating, and a whole lot more that you can get yourself into to develop this aspect of yourself. As always let your creativity work and just use what I lay out here as a jumping off point.
The Renaissance Man
The complete man or renaissance man is going to take all three of these archetypes and meld them together into something greater. Sort of like the Avatar. By melding the archetypes together you have the strengths flow into one another cancelling out and filling out the weaknesses of each individual one. To be strong, cunning, and intelligent. To figure out where you’re strong and sharpen it as well as find out where you’re weak and build it up.
Take these things, combine them, and make them greater and stronger than they could have been on their own. Choose at least one aspect of each archetype and a habit that will forge it. For example I have combat sports for the warrior, copywriting/sales for the rogue, and reading books for the wizard. Is this complete and all-encompassing? No, but it’s a start and what’s most important is starting and putting one foot in front of the other.
If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!
-Charles Sledge
