House of GEMNEYEmz with Maria Zucchero Denkov gemneyemz.com

What Does It Mean to Be Grounded?

Before we can discuss the practical steps and mindsets you must adopt to become a grounded man, we must begin with:

“What does being grounded mean in the first place?” 

The definition of being and feeling grounded is, first and foremost, about control. Not control over others or external circumstances but control of yourself, your emotions, and the stories you choose to believe about your life.

To “stay grounded” means that you have the ability to stay calm and connect to the core of who you are in the face of uncertainty. It means that you aren’t controlled by the chaos externally but rather your values, purpose and the vision you have predetermined for your life.

Here’s a few examples of being grounded…

When your romantic partner comes home from work and immediately snaps and starts a fight, staying grounded would mean that you remain calm and look at the heart of what is really going on beyond the surface layer actions. Instead of name-calling, losing your temper, or breaking dishes, you calmly step outside to clear your head, breathe and return to discuss whatever the problem with respect, concern and empathy while maintaining strong boundaries for yourself.

The opposite of grounded would be to fight fire with fire and engage in the conflict. To scream louder than her like a competition, call her a “bitch”, and allow her to control your state by giving in to the rage and frustration. Saying things that you don’t mean and exacerbating the situation, leading to further complication and unnecessary hardship.

When you launch a new product for your business and it fails spectacularly, generating a tenth of the revenue you had anticipated, being grounded would mean that you accept the failure in stride, looking for the root cause of your failure, finding the lessons then shifting your strategy, and persevering until you succeed.

The opposite of being grounded would be to view this one failure as the end of the world, to shut down the business, or buy into the lie that you’re “not cut out” for entrepreneurship, and decide to return to a soul-sucking office job for the next 40 years.

When you unexpectedly lose a loved one, being grounded means that you embrace the process of grief, honor the memory of the person you loved, and continue caring for yourself as you attempt to deal with the loss in a healthy way.

The opposite of being grounded would be to use your loss as an excuse to devolve into self-sabotaging habits. To turn to drugs, alcohol, and other distractions, burning your life to the ground because you cannot handle the pain of the loss.

At the end of the day, being grounded means that you are influenced, but not controlled by the chaos of externalities in your life. It doesn’t mean that you are emotionless and aren’t affected by loss or failure.

Simply that you maintain an unwavering commitment to your values, purpose and vision and use them as a guide to grow from the chaos of life instead of running from it.

Why Being Grounded is Essential to Success, Happiness, and Fulfillment

I am not exaggerating when I claim that making the decision to be grounded–and make no mistake, it is a decision–is the most important thing a man can do.

By staying grounded, you will minimize regret later in life.

You will make decisions based on what is true in your heart, not fleeting external circumstances, social conditioning or the opinions of others.

Learning how to stay grounded is hard. And when in the midst of chaos it is harder than ever. But at the end of the day, being grounded is the key attribute that will allow you to live the life you want and become the man you want to be.

By being grounded, you will earn the respect of others, you will be seen as a leader amongst men, and desired by high-quality women. But most importantly