It Only Hurts Until You Man Up and Get Over It

By Dan’s Tough Dad

March 1, 2015

Let me take you back. It’s 1983. I have a full head of hair and a BMI of 24. I’m preparing to go to the qualifying meets for the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. I was supposed to compete as a biathlete. I was the most promising biathlete the U.S. had ever planned to send to the Olympic qualifying meets. But with all that stress and pressure, I accidentally switched out my left ski pole with my rifle. I fail to qualify, miss all the targets, and shoot two other biathletes and a raccoon.

I was devastated, hopeless, facing three to five for hunting without a license, but I didn’t let none of that keep me down. I manned up and got over it.

Now, manning up didn’t keep me from spiraling into a deep depression that ruined the next thirty years of my life and raised my BMI to 38, but what would have? Life has its ups and downs. You feel down and then you man up.

The universe throws a lot at us. Oftentimes, we feel like we can’t just take it, or even point at it until it goes away. But whether your pain is physical, emotional, metal, or gastrointestinal, you can always man up and get over it.

Manning up doesn’t cost any money and it’s probably healthier than any alternative you can come up with. There’s a whole industry dedicated to helping people feel better. You can read self-help books, take drugs, or eat spicy food at Buffalo Wild Wings until the feeling returns to your mouth and heart. These treatments can be effective, but what could be healthier than slowly building up a wall of testosterone and resentment to keep your worries at bay?

Beware–manning up has its limits. I’m not saying that you can be too man to get over something, but sometimes people aren’t man enough to get over how man you are. Situations like these are tough because you can’t force anyone to man up and get over it.

But you can still help them. First, sit them down in a comfortable chair, preferably one with a headrest in case of whiplash. Second, firmly grasp their jaw from underneath (the more calluses on the hand you use, the faster they’ll man up). Third, tell them to man up and get over it. It’s that easy!

Pain is temporary; man is forever. If we all do our part, everyone can build a firm fortress against emotion, and the world will be a less sad place.