Gents Weekly: Fun
Issue #10: The manliest newsletter on the internet • March 16, 2026
LIVE MEN’S MEETING HAPPENING THIS WED 3/18 AT 12PM (ET) / 9AM (PT)
Welcome to issue #10 of The Gents Weekly, a newsletter for the modern man.
Every Monday, you’ll receive a weekly roundup of inspiring ideas + products to help you become a better man.
Brought to you by the men of Gents Journey — Dean Bokhari, Stephen Seidel, and Matt McManus.
This week’s issue is about a core pillar of manhood: FUN.
Let’s dig in…
📝 THE MESSAGE
A timely piece from the gents.
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A lot of men are starving for something they don’t even realize they’ve lost:
Fun…
Not distraction. Not cheap dopamine.
And definitely not zoning out on your phone while your life passes by.
What I’m talking about is authentic fun. As in, this is a damn-good time kinda fun.
The kind that makes you remember that being a man isn’t supposed to feel like carrying a refrigerator up a mountain every day of your life. (Could be a great workout though.)
Too many men these days are in survival mode…
Wake up. Work. Handle problems. Pay bills. Answer texts. Put out fires. Repeat.
And after a while, they start calling that “life.”
That ain’t life, bro.
A man needs responsibility. He needs purpose. And he needs discipline.
But he also needs moments that make him feel fully alive.
That might mean lifting heavy. It might mean going on a hard-ass hike. Or it might mean talking trash with your boys over a game of basketball. Wrestling with your kids in the living room. Riding dirt bikes. Fishing. Camping. Woodwork. Building something with your hands.
Masculine activities that you find enjoyable are like fuel for you as a man.
Engaging in them resets your mind. It brings energy back into your body. It puts color back into your days.
It reminds you that life is more than just an obligation.
But don’t confuse escape with enjoyment.
Doom scrolling isn’t fun. Numbing out isn’t fun. Sitting around half-dead, overstimulated, and under-inspired isn’t fun.
Fun should leave you feeling more like yourself afterward.
So if your life has gotten too serious and mechanical - don’t just push through that…
DO something.
Change something.
Plan something that makes you come alive again.
Call a buddy and go hiking. Book a trip somewhere. Run up a hill. Chop wood. Build something manly.
Become a man who knows how to have a good time.
When you deliberately infuse more fun into your life, it’ll help you bring a different energy into everything else you do too…
You’ll produce better work. Your marriage will improve. You’ll be more present.
Find something fun (and manly) do to this week.
On your own or with your buddies.
You’ll be grateful you did.
— Dean Bokhari
Co-founder, Gents Journey
📰 THE MOMENT
Sh*t that’s happening now, ICYMI
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This Week’s AI Prompt: Fun
Remember that thing you said you’d do “someday”? Today’s the day.
You have a mental list of fun shit you’ve been putting off forever.
That restaurant you saved on Instagram six months ago. The pottery class you mentioned to a friend. The road trip you keep saying you’ll take. The hobby you used to love but “don’t have time for anymore.” The concert you almost bought tickets to. The weird random thing you saw once and thought, “I should try that.”
It’s all sitting in your phone notes, your browser bookmarks, your “Saved” folder—collecting dust while you wait for the “right time.”
There is no right time. There’s just now.
This prompt helps you pull one thing off that list and actually fucking do it.
THE PROMPT:
Copy everything below and paste it into ChatGPT or Claude:
I have a list of fun things I keep saying I'll do "someday" but never actually do. Help me pick one and make it happen.
Help me:
1. List everything I've been meaning to do for fun but keep putting off
- Restaurants, experiences, hobbies, trips, classes, events, random ideas
- Include the stuff in my phone notes, saved posts, bookmarks, and "someday" mental file
2. Ask me: Why haven't I done these yet?
- Is it money? Time? Fear? Laziness? Waiting for someone to do it with?
- Be honest—what's the real blocker?
3. Pick ONE thing I should do in the next 7 days
- What's the easiest, most fun thing I can actually pull off this week?
- What would make me feel alive again?
4. Give me a step-by-step plan to make it happen
- How do I book it, buy it, schedule it, or just show up?
- What's my excuse-proof action plan?
5. Hold me accountable
- Make me commit to a specific day and time
- Tell me why I'll regret it if I don't do this
Here's my "someday" list: [List everything you've been meaning to do for fun]
Here's why I haven't done it yet: [Be honest]
Don't let me rationalize. Make me pick one thing and do it this week.WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
The AI is going to force you to stop waiting for “someday.”
It’s going to pick the thing you’ve been avoiding and make you commit to a date, a time, and a plan.
And then you’re going to actually do it.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Life gets serious fast. Work. Bills. Responsibilities. Deadlines.
And somewhere along the way, you forget to have fun. You forget that the whole point of working hard and being responsible is so you can actually enjoy your life.
This prompt reminds you: Fun isn’t a luxury. It’s fuel.
Do the thing. Feel alive. Repeat.
Run this prompt. Pick one thing. Do it this week.
Drop what you’re doing in the comments. Let’s hold each other accountable.
— Matt McManus
Co-founder, Gents Journey
👊 THE MOVES
Media for men.
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Watch | What did you want to be when you grew up?
Featured video from our Gents Journey YouTube channel.
(Watch the video above before reading.)
As kids, we loved to have fun. The world was our sandbox. Every day felt like an open invitation to imagine, build, explore, and dream about who we might become.
Then something happens.
Life happens. Society slowly starts telling us what we should and shouldn’t be doing. Somewhere along the way, we start hearing “no” a lot more than “yes.”
I remember I wanted to be like “OJ” as he was an athlete, reporter, and actor, the real “triple threat”, but then he went onto a whole new threat level. :O
However, those big dreams — astronaut, athlete, magician, actor — slowly fade into the background of our memories.
But they don’t disappear entirely, they’re always there — waiting for your heart to reconnect to them.
Which brings me to a question from our Journey Deck: What did you want to be when you grew up?
The Magic That Brought Me Back
When I was young, I was actually held back in school because I couldn’t hear very well — though no one knew that at the time. Eventually, I got T-tubes and began hearing my teachers clearly, but before that, I spent a lot of time in my own head and even attended Pre-first, a made-up grade.
One thing that truly captured my imagination was magic.
The idea that someone like David Copperfield could walk through the Great Wall of China — or even make the Statue of Liberty disappear was beyond my wildest dreams.
I begged my parents to take me to magic shows. I remember seeing Rip Taylor perform tricks at the Philadelphia Car Show, and it blew my mind.
Magic was hoping.
Magic was believing.
Magic was having fun.
As I got older, I’d occasionally check in on performers like David Blaine, Criss Angel, Zach King, and Penn & Teller — and every time, I felt that same spark.
In my early 20s, someone gave me the book The Artist’s Way. One exercise stuck with me: write down 3–5 jobs you wanted as a child, and then find ways to bring pieces of them into your life today.
For me, one of those dreams was being a magician.
My stepdad showed me a trick called “Keychee Boo,” and I started learning how to make pennies disappear. And you know what? The simple act of practicing brought back something I didn’t realize I’d been missing.
A sense of play. A sense of joy. A sense of fun.
Bring the Dream Back
When we reconnect with something we loved as kids, something powerful happens.
It restores a sense of play and possibility. It keeps us feeling young. And it reminds us that life doesn’t have to be all pressure and responsibility.
Sometimes the smallest things — a hobby, a magic trick, a creative outlet — can bring back optimism we didn’t even realize had faded.
So think about it: What would happen if you had more fun today?
Chances are, you’d feel a little lighter… a little more energized… maybe even a little more hopeful about the road ahead.
There’s a reason Young, Wild & Free by Wiz Khalifa has racked up close to a billion streams. The message resonates.
After all, if it’s fun, it gets done.
Funny story — Wiz actually got his start performing in my DU fraternity house at Pennsylvania State University.
Life has a funny way of coming full circle.
So go ahead — be a little young, wild, and free again.
— Stephen Seidel
Co-founder, Gents Journey
🔗 MEANINGFUL MENTIONS + MAGIC LINKS
Fun stuff you’ll dig.
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Our next monthly men’s meeting is 2 days away, THIS WEDNESDAY, and we’ll be talking about a core pillar of manhood: Fitness. You’re not gonna wanna miss this one.
Details below:
Date: March 18th
Time: 12 pm (ET) / 9 am (PT)
Location: Zoom
We’ve decided to do something crazy and give EVERY attendee a FREE 30-MIN COACHING SESSION (Regularly $500) as part of our 2026 initiative to help as many men as possible. Be sure to RSVP here.
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💻 REAL MEN HAVE A COACH IN THEIR CORNER
Stop playing small, step into the man you know you are.
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We’re looking for ten men who want coaching and guidance to level up in life + work. If that’s you, fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch.
Until next week,
—The Gents
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