Millennial Bad Boys
The traits of today’s BAD MFers.
Each generation has its bad boys.
Their youthful, masculine spirit makes them irresistible. Women want to be with them, and men want to be them. The bad boys are the guys college girls call daddy when their real dad is not around.
From James Dean in his muscle cars and that iconic red leather jacket to Brad Pitt’s anti-capitalist rantings as Tyler Durden in Fight Club (also in a red leather jacket), bad boys are a staple of popular culture.
But the bad boys are almost always countercultural. They embody the masculine values that mainstream culture seems to have forgotten or ignored.
So who are the millennial bad boys?
Freedom Is Their #1 Value
Freedom is a core masculine value. The millennial bad boys want to be their own masters and do things to get them there.
You can find them in any industry, but they tend to be entrepreneurs, musicians, and artists. You’ll also find many of them doing freelance work.
They despise the 9-to-5 slavery. They will work, but only as long as it’s on their terms.
They Have High Standards
Popular culture is filled with mediocrity and excuses. For example, most millennial men don’t know when and how to file their taxes, they’re fat, and utterly depressed.
The millennial bad boys of our time are nothing like that. They hold themselves to incredibly high standards. They want and expect the same of their friends and family.
They recognize that they’re the average of the people they hang out with the most. They’re not afraid to cut their loser friends, but are more than willing to lend a helping hand if they’re asked.
They Are Strong
Millennial men are much weaker than their parents. The millennial bad boys recognize this. As a result, they do what they can to become and stay strong.
They know that we don’t have to do as much manual labor as previous generations. Having our asses in chairs for most of the day takes a toll on our bodies. Our muscles atrophy and we become unable to handle stress.
The millennial bad boys go out of their way to build their strength. They hit the gym to lift heavy weights. They take on hobbies that require manual labor.
They Know How To Handle Themselves
As much as our lives are online, millennial bad boys have their feet firmly planted in the physical world.
They know there’s a real threat of physical violence between men. They train for it. Their preparation makes them dangerous. It also gets them into less trouble than they would have gotten if they didn’t train for it.
They know their limits. They know the limits of the average person. They grew up in the era of mixed martial arts. It makes them grounded to a reality that most men are oblivious to.
They Are Hungry For Knowledge
The average millennial is getting dumber. Millennial bad boys think nothing of it. They’re always looking to fill their minds.
They’re always on a quest to improve themselves and the people around them. You’ll see them carrying books around, always taking advantage of their casual downtime to get smarter.
They know that knowledge is power. They’re always taking in new information, improving themselves, and their skillsets.
They Yell ‘Bullshit’ When They See It
Whatever their political opinions are, they all agree that we live in a world filled with snowflakes that take offense to damn near anything.
Millennial bad boys yell bullshit when they see it. They don’t care if their opinions are popular, or if their opinions are so outrageous that the Twitter mob would come after them with their digital pitchforks.
Ironically, this attitude makes them bulletproof. They can stomach the shots fired at them, and they manage to turn the shots into their advantage.
They Reflect And Ask Questions
Despite speaking their minds without restriction, they don’t speak without having a clue about what they’re talking about.
They’ll study and reflect back and forth on questions and topics they’re pondering. Not until they have a good grasp of what they’re talking about do they open their mouths with an opinion.
Before that, they only open their mouths for questions. They listen to each other, their mentors, and also their opponents.
They Play The Long Game
The biggest returns in life are compound returns. Whether it’s in finance, friendships, or love, constantly investing your time and effort into these things will make them improve.
Millennial bad boys are absolutely aware of this. They are willing to reap some rewards right now, but they always have their eye on the bigger picture and embrace the power of compounding.
(I deliberately left out a GIF here because compounding isn’t sexy. It’s slow, and everything that compounds requires a ton of discipline and a ton of patience.)
They Value Their Time
Most people waste their time. Whether it is internet, social media, or television, most people spend 4 to 6 hours distracting themselves from who they can be every day.
Millennial bad boys don’t play that game. They know their time is valuable and spend their time accordingly. They focus on their goals and won’t let distractions get in their way.
They’re Stoics
Nassim Taleb once said “a stoic is a Buddhist with an attitude problem.” Millennial bad boys are exactly this.
While most people confuse stoicism with a deadpan character who never has any fun, millennial bad boys know stoicism for what it is: a philosophy that helps you deal with the harshness of life while being able to retain some of the benefits.
Growing up during the Great Recession, which combined an economic downturn with a massive improvement in life quality, many of them learned how tough life could actually be when they entered adulthood.
Millennial bad boys are no strangers to hard work and the humble grind. They are stoics willing to eat shit, but prefer steak.
They’re Old School Risk Takers
If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve noticed that the millennial bad boys are actually kind of old school. They aspire to be like the men they idolize.
They seek out advice from commandos, fighters, professors, entrepreneurs, artists, and more. Common to all their heroes? They all take risks for their ideas.
Millennial bad boys want to take those risks.
Fifty years ago, none of these values were controversial or “bad boy” at all. Today they are.
We live in strange times.
