How a Man Finds More Joy | FRIDAY FIELD NOTES

Order of Man

Ryan Michler

Business, Health, Leadership, Relationships, Man, Society & Culture, Intellect, Style, Lifestyle, Money, Selfdevelopment, Wealth, Fitness, Selfhelp, Nutrition

4.8 • 9K Ratings

🗓️ 24 October 2025

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Most men are working hard, providing, producing — but not necessarily happy. In this Friday Field Notes, Ryan Michler shares six practical principles to help you rediscover joy and meaning in your life. From cutting toxic influences to reconnecting with purpose, this episode helps you break out of burnout and live with more fulfillment.

Whether you're frustrated, exhausted, or simply drifting, this conversation will help you recalibrate your priorities and bring more joy into every area of your life.

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

Why so many men feel unhappy despite "doing everything right"
The real reason joy isn't selfish — it's essential
How to identify people who lift you up vs. those who drain you
Why you must remove toxic activities to make room for happiness
How minimalism creates margin for peace and purpose
The importance of saying yes to adventure and interesting experiences
How to attach your work to a deeper mission
Why serving others is the ultimate path to joy

Resources & Links Mentioned:

Join The Iron Council – our exclusive brotherhood for men:
www.orderofman.com/ironcouncil

Follow Ryan on Instagram → @ryanmichler

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS

00:00 - Introduction
01:00 - Why so many men are unhappy
02:20 - What's the point if you're not joyful?
04:59 - Finding meaningful work
07:08 - Step 1 – Only spend time with people who fulfill you
09:15 - Step 2 – Eliminate toxic activities & find margin
11:38 - Step 3 – Have fewer things
16:29 - Step 4 – Say yes to things that make life interesting
18:59 - Step 5 – Attach your work to a mission
26:09 - Step 6 – Be selfless and serve others
32:06 - Final message – Take action and find joy

Battle Planners: Pick yours up today!

Order Ryan's new book, The Masculinity Manifesto.

For more information on the Iron Council brotherhood.

Want maximum health, wealth, relationships, and abundance in your life? Sign up for our free course, 30 Days to Battle Ready

Transcript

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0:00.0	if men found more joy in their lives, the world would be a better place. Now, we pride ourselves on
0:06.5	being workers, being producers, serving other people, being capable, learning new skills,
0:14.0	providing the financial provision, taking care of others. and all of those things are wonderful.
0:22.6	But if we can't find joy and happiness in our lives, what is the point?
0:28.6	Years ago, I was talking with a good friend of mine and we were discussing how each one of us were doing, how we were feeling, how life was going.
0:36.6	And he said that
0:37.7	he had a very interesting conversation with his wife. His wife had noticed some changes in his
0:44.1	demeanor, some lack of motivation and enthusiasm for life. And she asked a very poignant
0:50.9	and simple question. And the question was, are you happy? And as my friend
0:57.2	evaluated the question and considered the answer, he realized that the answer was no, that he was
1:03.9	not happy. And it wasn't that he was unhappy with her. It wasn't that he wasn't doing well in his
1:09.8	business, which was very lucrative at the time. It wasn't that he wasn't doing well in his business, which was very lucrative at the time.
1:14.0	It wasn't that he was upset with his kids or dealing with something specific or
1:20.1	some issue that he could point to. He was just feeling unhappy, generally. And I'm sure as a man you have experienced that in your life
1:33.7	maybe you're exhausted maybe you're frustrated maybe you're burnt out maybe you're lacking
1:37.8	enthusiasm or excitement or risk taking maybe you're dissatisfied with your career.
1:46.6	Just the other day I saw a study that said that over 70% of the workforce, people in the
1:53.8	workforce, are unhappy and dissatisfied with their work, which is astounding because of the sheer amount of time, the volume of
2:03.6	time that we spend in our offices or in our work environments. And to know that we're unhappy and
2:10.4	we're miserable and we wish we would be doing something else is very telling and indicative
2:14.9	of the unhappiness that we see in society. And you can see it
2:21.0	in a lot of different ways. You can see it in sedation methods, alcohol, drug abuse, gambling,
	...

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