I recently did something very un-gentleman-like and I feel horrible about it. What’s worse is that I committed a pet-peeve of my own. So what did I do? Well, it’s more about what I didn’t do. Essentially, I told someone I was going to do something and then didn’t follow through with doing it.

There are certainly a lot of excuses that could be made, but it doesn’t change the fact that I didn’t deliver on what someone was depending on me to do and I let them down. And sure this type of thing is common, but I’ve been thinking that I’ve - and perhaps we’ve - become harmfully numb to it.

We often tell people we’ll do this or that just to keep the conversation going, or to even end it. What’s unfortunate is that if we have no intention of following through, we’re giving the other party false hope, which will let them down and potentially cause them to question your genuineness and integrity. 

Becoming a gentleman means becoming more intentional about what comes out of your mouth. Do you really plan on following through? If you don’t and are just making small talk, then find something else to small talk about that doesn’t make you look like a man who lacks proper etiquette.

Change is in the air. It’s that time of year when every men’s magazine shares a fall style preview containing the latest and greatest in men’s fashion, setting the tone for the season’s wardrobe. While autumn editions for magazines like GQ and Esquire report on the must-haves in men’s apparel, we’d like to try our hand in the gentleman’s code must-dos for the season. After all, looking like a gentleman is only a part of actually becoming a gentleman. So, without any further delay, we present to you… 2010 Fall Code Preview, part 3 of 3:

3. Pretense authenticity is the new black.

During the last decade of American illusion, have you really been true to who you are and who you want to be? Have you bought into beliefs and a lifestyle that you wish you could return for a full refund? Have you conformed to pop-culture expectations and mind-numbing marketing even though you know it wasn’t really you? Yes, I know this may sound a bit “come-to-Jesus-esque,” but a little self-examination never did no harm. In fact, it could do an enormous amount of good. And guess what? You’re the beneficiary!

Well then, out with the old and in with the new. It’s time to shake off pretense and start wearing authenticity - not just because it’s vogue, but because it’s the only way to live the good life. That is in case you want to live a lie and you think that’s the good life. If that’s the case, we offer you these wise words from a true gentleman to consider - Wesley of The Princess Bride: “We are men of action, lies do not become us.” So join us in becoming gentlemen by living the next decade and the rest of your life with raw, undeniable authenticity.