Somewhere along the way, self-improvement became a sport.

We went from having almost no options for men’s personal growth to an explosion of retreats, masterminds, men’s groups, weekend warrior events, sauna sessions, ice baths, military-style boot camps, and biohacking trends.

And now? We’ve got guys who are doing so much “leveling up” that they’re not actually leveling up.

It’s become the equivalent of a little league participation trophy—just hopping from one thing to the next, mistaking busyness and spending money for actual progress.

According to a 2023 market analysis, men’s spending on self-improvement retreats and masterminds has increased by 78% since 2019, with the average participant dropping $3,200–$5,800 per event. But here’s the kicker: follow-up surveys indicate only 23% report sustained behavior change after 90 days.

That means most of these guys are right back where they started—except now they’re a few grand lighter with a group chat that’s already dead.

Think carefully about your investment.
 Think carefully about where you go, what you do, and what you’re actually hoping to get out of it. Because you can’t build on an unstable foundation.

Too many men think their lives are going to change from a single event. It doesn’t work like that.

Build the Foundation First. Then Reward Yourself.

If you want to transform, start with your daily habits—your health, your mindset, your behaviors, your discipline. Then reward yourself with an event, a challenge, or a mastermind that enhances what you’ve already built—not one that pumps you up for 72 hours and sends you home with nothing but some swag, a couple of great photos, and a temporary high.

I’ve seen this movie before.

We’ve become so dependent on special occasions, events, and challenges to start, stop, or restart something that we’ve forgotten about the basic, simple premise of setting and maintaining standards.

You don’t need extremes to change your life. You don’t need to wait for the right event, the right date, or the right challenge.

Extremes are just another form of instability. They’re fear. They’re insecurity. They’re the idea that you have to go from 0 to 100 overnight—or from 100 to zero just as fast.

One will blow your engine. The other will fry your brakes.

Temporary Wins Don’t Solve Permanent Problems.

30-day challenges, 75 Hard, three-day fasts—these are temporary solutions to permanent problems for most guys.

Anybody can force themselves to do something for 30 days. Or 75.

But talk to me on Day 76.
 Talk to me on Day 31.
 Talk to me three weeks after the crash diet is over.

Because that’s where real change is measured.

A Journal of Behavioral Psychology study found that extreme challenge programs—like 75 Hard or intense bootcamps—have an 84% abandonment rate, with most participants actually regressing worse than before due to burnout.

I’ve seen too many guys jump into events, experiences, and challenges to “jumpstart” their lives only to realize the juice wasn’t worth the squeeze when they go right back to square one the second it’s over.

What Actually Works?

I’m not saying events, retreats, or challenges can’t be powerful. They can spark transformation. They can create momentum.

But if you truly want to master midlife, get off the emotional, mental, physical, spiritual, and financial roller coaster, and build a lifestyle that actually lasts, here’s the play:

  • Set measurable, quantifiable standards that actually work for your life.
  • Ditch fads, trends, and extremes—they don’t last.
  • Stop chasing impulse purchases and selective challenges—they’re Band-Aids, not solutions.
  • Operate by a clear set of simple rules and pillars that create consistency.

Mastering Midlife = Sustainable Change.

Research shows that moderate, sustainable approaches are 4.3x more effective for lasting change than extreme methods. Participants in gradual, long-term programs maintain new habits at a 72% higher rate after one year compared to those who took extreme approaches.

At Midlife Male, we’re about total life wellness—low friction living, mastering the middle, and doing things that actually work long-term.

How we do one thing is how we do everything.

You don’t need extremes to become the man you want to be. You need a foundation that holds. You need standards that stick. You need the resolve to build something real—day by day—until it’s yours.

Want real options? Need help choosing something that actually moves the needle instead of just costing you time, money, and energy? DM us. Or check out our Inner Circle membership.

In health,
 Greg