Three simple words that are uttered quite often in my household.

Jess says it to me. I remind her. She says it – quite regularly – to herself. But the frequently missing link is that it’s rare that I allow myself iterate the words in my own head.

Stay the course.

As I continue to spread the message that I’ve let sit on the sidelines for far too long, I finally find myself coming back to this phrase and encouraging myself to hold onto it – tightly.

Serial entrepreneurs like us know that it’s easy to come up with ideas, embrace the initial spark of excitement that comes with the new concept and start to follow through. Until the message starts to become unclear and the road gets a little blurrier.

Then days start to go by where the inspiration takes a back seat to what seem like the “have-to’s” and all of a sudden that huge spark of motivation becomes a fizzled-out match just hanging on by a sliver.

I’ve allowed myself to do just that – with several creative thoughts and ideas coming just to the brink of reality until… they don’t. And I let them go. And I move on to the next thing.

The Modern Day Gentleman is something I’ve had on the back – and forefront – of my mind with the intention of kickstarting for years.

Launched website. Book ideas (with accompanying chapters) written. Facebook business page created. So what the hell is missing?

Stay the course. Stay the course. Stay the course.

I’d let my mind and common sense (lack of?) get in the way of my real message. I’d allow confusion as to who I was truly trying to reach get in the way of just sharing what I have to say, what I know is important to me and letting those that the message truly resonates with just find me.

No more.

There are guys out there like me who know there’s more meant for them – that there’s more to this life than just giving in to the 9-5 lifestyle. And that it’s actually possible.

AND that the motivation for it doesn’t have to come in the form of going to some men’s only retreat where the leader is a former drill sergeant and spends the weekend yelling in your face to pick yourself up and stop being such a pussy (not exactly a viable option for motivational techniques at all, if you ask me).

I started the Modern Day Gentleman with the intention to really explore where we can make a difference in our own lives and in the lives that surround us on a daily basis with generosity and sincerity. My goal is to represent the kind of man that has been overshadowed by the ‘man’ that catches the daily headlines – typically negative.

I’ve allowed myself to make excuses, to become mentally diverted and put the real work on the backburner.

Stay the course.

It’s finally become the phrase that I will say to myself on a regular basis, to ensure that my words are heard by those that need them most.

And if we all use it, we can help be the beacon for generosity and love and actually become the humans that we’re capable of.

Stay the course, My Brother.