100+ Characteristics Every Man Should Have
I have found there exist a number of lists purporting the qualities every man should have. Not completely satisfied with any of them, I came up with a few of my own.
These are just a few I came up with in about an hour. The list is not completely exhaustive so if you have some add them as comments below.
100+ Characteristics Every Man Should Have
1 Accurately Measure Items
Measure twice, cut once saves frustration and gives you the ability to plan and build
2 Avoid lotion
Greasy hands are for mechanics not your dainty little elbows.
3 Backup a trailer
You don’t want your friends standing around nodding their heads when you can’t back up the
boat.
4 Balance a check book
If you cannot manage money you’ll end up paying someone else to – poor money management.
5 Basic Difference between gun calibers (link)
Don’t go shooting your mouth off or joining conversations where you cannot follow.
6 BBQ
A man slaving over a smokey grill is the modern equivalent of a cave man.
7 Be able to describe the difference between 1080i and 720p (link)
To know quality and match your gadgets is the epitome of modern man.
8 Be Aware of the Cardinal Directions (link)
If you cannot sense north you’re bound to get lost.
9 Be Romantic
She may not remember to lift the seat, but she’ll always remember the roses.
10 Birthstones
You’ll avoid it, but remembering her birthstone will shorten your visit to the jewelry store.
11 Build furniture from a kit
Once you can read a book real literacy is following the pictures for pin A in slot B
12 Calculate square footage
You can buy more, but buying too much is wasteful and makes you look like a dolt.
13 Cast a Fishing Pole
Throwing a ball like a girl is one thing, but when you can’t cast past the dock you’re stuck with
bluegill forever.
14 Change a car tire
You’re not getting a flat when it is convenient. Showing up late with dirty hands makes for a
better story.
15 Clean a wound
Infections are not nearly as cool as the being pick out glass out road grit from your wound.
16 Clean windows
If you cannot see past the grime no one else will either.
17 Conduct an animal funeral
It doesn’t just gain you points in compassion, but disposing of an animal or pet is the best way
to move on.
18 Converse about world events (link)
Your experience matters when you can draw conclusions about the price of corn in Brazil.
19 Dance without music
She’ll think you’re spontaneous, you’ll feel like James Bond.
20 Defend Yourself in A Fight
Getting a black eye is not so bad when the other guy’s girl had to protect him from you.
21 Difference between kilo-, mega-, giga-, and tera-
100 gigs are better than 1,000 kilos
22 Draw a map for directions
They’ll remember you for good or evil – give them proof with your accurate directions
23 Dress Casual, Business Casual & Formal
Denim and cowboy boots are never good for church, nor are shorts and a t-shirt at work.
24 Drive a Manual Transmission (link)
Ferrari doesn’t make an automatic transmission in Formula One racers.
25 Drive a Nail (straight)
You can hit it all day long, but if you can’t hit it straight you’re not going anywhere.
26 Drive defensively
When you can survive stupid drivers it makes it easier to yell at them.
27 Estimate distance accurately (link)
Driving 1 kilometer and a mile are very different in a city.
28 Estimate the height of something taller than you (link)
Laugh at the guy who cuts down a tree landing on his house. Don’t be the guy.
29 Estimate the volume of material
Measure twice, fill once.
30 Find an answer using reference material (not internet)
They use to make these things called books, information was better vetted.
31 Fix a bicycle tire
You ride on 35 psi, you walk on 0.
32 Flirt without being disrespectful or offensive
She’ll appreciate the flattery, it never hurts to be nice.
33 Generally know the horoscope sign for a given date
Tell them you’re a Leo and they’ll be more likely to follow you.
34 Give a Gift Without Expecting Something
Tell them something nice, they’ll thank you. Give them something and they’ll remember you
often.
35 Give a sincere compliment (link)
Knowing how to be nice will get you further than being nice.
36 Greetings in another language(s)
If you only speak to people in your time you’ve missed a world full of experiences.
37 Have readily available tools for basic jobs
If you can’t fix something because you don’t have a wrench – you’ve got bigger problems than
broken stuff.
38 How to Tie a Tie
At some point you will need to go somewhere ties are not optional.
39 How to Use levers and their components
Simple machines are more than effort and load.
40 Identify precious stones (link)
The receipts are different for turquoise and topaz. Rubies are for slippers not a girl’s best friend.
41 Iron a Shirt
Clothes have creases, just not all over.
42 Jumpstart a car
It is hard to explain acid burns when you don’t know the difference between + and -
43 Lift and carry your significant other
Carrying her a couple of feet goes further when her feet stay dry.
44 Lines from Classic Guy Movies (link)
Tom Cruise only repeats line someone else writes too.
45 Make a Salad With More than One Type of Lettuce
Iceberg is not the only green.
46 Make At Least One Meal Well
You may tire after a week of the same thing, but you live longer.
47 Make things water resistant
Water belongs in pools, puddles and poetry not the middle of your living room.
48 Military Ranks (link)
Generally speaking Captains are not Private about rank.
49 Mix and pour cement
Soupy cement doesn’t set well for steps.
50 Move an Object alone weighing more than you.
You don’t have to lift an elephant to move it somewhere.
51 Mow a Yard
Unmowed patches of grass look worse than an unmowed lawn.
52 Multiple ways to utilize duct tape
Nothing is ever broken for he who can hold the world together with duct tape and bailing wire.
53 Operate a DVD / TV
Eventually you’ll get a break from romantic comedies.
54 Parallel park a car
It is ironic that people don’t like their bumpers bumped.
55 Patch a hole in the wall
They’ll never ask if they don’t see it.
56 Perform Basic Maintenance of a Vehicle
Didn’t the dealer make enough money from you when you bought the car?
57 Perform CPR
Giving breath is so easy, you’re not using it anymore.
58 Perform mental math (link)
Four out of three people will believe anything with numbers.
59 Phonetically read another’s name
They didn’t choose their name, don’t make them hate their parents all over again.
60 Pick Out a Cologne
Nice cologne, but don’t marinate in it.
61 Player from a local sports team
You don’t have to be a season ticket holder to know their names.
62 Polish dress shoes
If you’re as polished as your shoes they’ll never look down around you.
63 Pour a carbonated drink without spilling
It doesn’t take much to tilt a glass to serve without making a mess.
64 Prepare and paint a wall
Nobody has to be an artist to paint a wall well.
65 Produce more than they consume
Contributing to society means providing more than you take.
66 Professionally shake hands
A firm handshake and a smile goes a long way.
67 Properly Tip in a Restaurant
Sections of society support their families based on the service they provide for you.
68 Put out fires
You can’t rule your universe if fire rules you.
69 Read a Map
You can’t know where you’re going if you don’t know where you are.
70 Read a popular book about spies (link)
Only in fiction do men live like men dream explore your potentials.
71 Recognize when you are boring someone
Listening means while your speaking you hear the reaction of your words.
72 Remove a car stuck in mud
If you’re going to off-road you’ll have to get back on road sometime.
73 Remove a tick
The sofa is safe, but life happens outside.
74 Repair minor electrical problems
Taking a shock is awesome, avoiding it is Divine.
75 Research products before purchase
Caveat emptor – dissolve the hype.
76 Reset an electrical breaker
It is almost as easy as flicking a switch
77 Ride a Motorcycle
Two wheels, 500cc, open road – priceless.
78 Row a Boat / Kayak
Because it beats being stuck on shore.
79 Run Fast When you Have To
We don’t fear leopards, but sometimes it is fight or flight.
80 Separate and wash clothes
You can wash a load without them all coming out pink.
81 Setup a a computer
Sometimes the Junior High kids are in school.
82 Setup a tent
It is the best way to keep the boogey man away.
83 Sew a button
Don’t be helpless, it is just a needle and thread.
84 Sharpen a Knife
The best to cut a side of meat.
85 Shave Without Nicks
Right tool, right job. You don’t have to participate in daily self-mutilation.
86 Shoot a gun
Go ahead, make my day.
87 Show someone else constellations
These tales have come down through the ages, carry on the traditions.
88 Start a Fire
Cooking or clinging, fires have defined man through the ages.
89 Stop Bleeding
The life you save may be your own.
90 Sweat copper tubing (link)
Real men use fire to build things.
91 Swim
Nobody needs to call you Flipper, but you do have learn to swim.
92 Tell a clean and funny joke
Leave them laughing, be invited back.
93 Temporarily Fix an Appliance
Nothing should stand between a man and his pop tart in the morning.
94 Throw A Spiral (link)
You’ll never be Joe Montana, but you can throw a wobble-free ball.
95 Tie a dozen knots
Granny is not a knot, sheepshank just sounds cool.
96 To Catch and Dispose of Rodents
They have a place just not in your home.
97 Turn Off the Water Main
Control your lifeline during repairs and improvements
98 Type with more than two fingers
It is a modern world, join us
99 Use a Fire Extinguisher
It is there for a reason and the reason is not decoration.
100 Use caulk
You can fill voids of doubt and understand with caulk.
101 Way to start fire without matches or lighters
Man has evolved, fire has not.
102 Wrap a gift
Half the fun is when they tear through your artistic efforts.
103 Write a letter (not email)
How many emails have you ignored, how many letters have you kept?
104 Your suit size
A wardrobe is more than waist and inseams
