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He never stops putting in the effort.<\/strong><\/p>\n When I first started my website in 2013, I set out on the mission to help empower people to build the confidence they need to stop settling for less than they deserved. I also strove to help redefine the concept of how to be a gentleman and what it means to be one in our modern era as it has, of course, evolved over the years.<\/p>\n Little has changed in my mission, and I continue to write and speak about these values every single day. Now, with my website having been read over 37 million times, and accumulating over 300,000 social media followers, it\u2019s safe to say that I\u2019ve had more than my share of conversations along the way that help mold my opinions.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> 10 Sure Signs You’re In Love With A Modern-Day Gentleman<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So I\u2019ve decided to give you 10 lessons I\u2019ve learned along the way about what (I believe) it means to be a real gentleman in the modern era.<\/p>\n 1. A real gentleman doesn\u2019t always look how you\u2019d expect.<\/strong><\/p>\n via GIPHY<\/p>\n Sure, we\u2019re always told not to judge a book by its cover, but how many of us actually practice that? I moved from Boston to Los Angeles a few months ago, and what I learned over the past few years of visiting LA is that the “dress code” is about as casual as it comes.<\/p>\n Sure, you can go to upscale places and find impeccable men and beautifully tailored suits, but during the day-to-day, you\u2019re likely seeing a lot of sneakers, jeans, and t-shirts. In a lot of cases, a suit or a blazer would make you look out of place.<\/p>\n I used to push men to dress “better.” To make sure they always had a blazer on for a date. To step their game up in general. But the clothes don\u2019t make the man. The MAN makes the man, and how he chooses to treat those around him.<\/p>\n 2. A real gentleman stays true to his values.<\/strong><\/p>\n Many people think that being a “good guy” means making sure everyone around you is happy, and in some cases, this is appropriate. But what\u2019s even more important than making others happy is making sure you never sacrifice your own self-worth or dignity in the process.<\/p>\n The truth is, you simply can\u2019t make everyone happy. It doesn\u2019t matter how kindhearted you are, how diplomatically you speak, or how accommodating you strive to be. It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re the best tasting apple in the world, there\u2019s always going to be someone who hates apples.<\/p>\n What people really<\/em> want, really <\/em>desire, and really <\/em>respect is someone who stays true to his (or her) convictions and doesn\u2019t waiver. Of course, as long as these convictions don\u2019t hurt or harm others.<\/p>\n 3. A real gentleman treats everyone with respect.<\/strong><\/p>\n via GIPHY<\/p>\n There are a lot of homeless people in Los Angeles. While I am not always in a position to help them financially, I do understand that they are human beings just like the rest of us \u2014 only, they often times feel invisible.<\/p>\n I think that a lot of us feel invisible at times. In a world that is so focused on getting attention, it\u2019s a bit ironic to consider how little of it we feel at times. Believe me, if you get 1,000 likes on your Instagram photo, but nobody in real life pays attention to you, you\u2019re gonna feel like crap.<\/p>\n A real gentleman will take the time out of his day to make sure that everyone he crosses paths with feels seen and respected, even if it just means trading a simple smile, nod, or hello. Nobody is above or below a man of quality \u2014 we are all equal.<\/p>\n 4. A real gentleman doesn\u2019t have to be asked.<\/strong><\/p>\n He doesn\u2019t have to be asked to take out the trash or clean the dishes or to carry that heavy thing. He does it because he wants to contribute. He does it because he takes responsibility. He does it because he wants to make you<\/em> feel valued and respected. He does it because he understands you work hard during the day, and you deserve a break when you get home at night.<\/p>\n A real gentleman doesn\u2019t concern himself with what\u2019s in it for him; he is selfless in his actions and understands this brings far more fulfillment and happiness than only looking out for himself.<\/p>\n 5. A real gentleman never stops putting in <\/strong>effort<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n via GIPHY<\/p>\n Whether it is his relationship, his career, his entrepreneurial endeavors, his fitness, his self-education, he never stops putting in effort. He understands that the second you stop moving forward, you begin moving backward.<\/p>\n The world doesn\u2019t stop turning, and if you allow yourself to falter or come off of the throttle, you\u2019re going to miss out on progress and opportunities that bring value to your life, and the lives of those around you. Nobody is perfect, and we cannot be \u201con\u201d all the time, but small steps are better than no steps at all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> 15 Definitive Signs You Snagged A Good Man (As Written By One)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 6. A real gentleman doesn\u2019t let the world steal his shine.<\/strong><\/p>\n Life is difficult. Times get hard. We face challenges, losses, failures, shortcomings. We get defeated. We want to quit. We wonder why we are doing what we are doing. But we keep going.<\/p>\n A man who knows how to be a gentleman will never let the world stop him from being the person he has decided to become. Feeling unappreciated will not stop him from being kind. Facing failure will not stop him from chasing success. Being heartbroken will not prevent him from loving again.<\/p>\n A gentleman is who he is because that\u2019s who he\u2019s decided to be. Permission from the world is not necessary.<\/p>\n 7. A real gentleman empowers those around him.<\/strong><\/p>\n In a society that is seemingly becoming more and more self-centered, a gentleman understands that it is important to lift up those who are around him. He lives his life in a way that inspires others to do and be better.<\/p>\n He encourages you, he doesn\u2019t criticize you. He believes in you, he doesn\u2019t doubt you. He acknowledges you, he doesn\u2019t ignore you. He loves you, he has no need or reason to tear you down.<\/p>\n 8. A real gentleman protects those he loves.<\/strong><\/p>\n via GIPHY<\/p>\n Family, friends, significant others. A gentleman will do whatever it takes to make everyone around him feel safe \u2014 not just physically, but emotionally. <\/em>He will make you feel safe expressing yourself, opening up to him, being real and genuine with yourself.<\/p>\n He will live his life in a way that brings the best interest of those he cares about, to the forefront. He will not put you in harm\u2019s way or tolerate anyone who does. He will speak with you about difficult topics, he will shine the light of his experience on your path to guide your way. He will lend you his strength to ease your pain.<\/p>\n 9. A real gentleman shows emotion.<\/strong><\/p>\n Never would I advocate for any grown man or woman to break down in tears every time an emotional Kleenex commercial comes on TV, but it is important for us to all be in touch with who we are as emotional human animals.<\/p>\n Past generations made men feel lesser for expressing themselves. And what happened? We saw men who vilified feminine qualities, who had a “machismo” viewpoint on strength and associated it directly with force. We saw lack of communication, connection, and contribution to society and those around us.<\/p>\n We are evolving as men and are understanding that we can be strong and sturdy but also connected with our human reality. I would argue it actually shows more <\/em>strength to be open about your feelings than it does to push them down, pretend they don\u2019t exist, and then face the consequences later.<\/p>\n 10. A real gentleman never forgets those who help him.<\/strong><\/p>\n As much as we all like to think we \u201cdid it ourselves,\u201d the reality is that we all need some help along the way. We need someone to give us a chance. To buy our product. To use our service. To hire us for that job. To give us a second chance.<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re an entrepreneur, a life-long employee, a trust fund baby, or a janitor. Someone gave you the opportunity to prove yourself in some way. A real gentleman will never forget those who helped him along the way, and never fail to show his appreciation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" He never stops putting in the effort. When I first started my website in 2013, I set out on the mission to help empower people to build the confidence they need to stop settling for less than they deserved. I also strove to help redefine the concept of how to be a gentleman and what it means to be one in our modern era as it has, of course, evolved over the years. Little has changed in my mission, and I continue to write and speak about these values every single day. Now, with my website having been read over 37 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[9],"class_list":["post-39","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-love","tag-love","has_thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dategd.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}