Equus Series

18 Suck-It-Up Moments that Pack a Serious Payoff
THEGUYLIST compiled by the Men's Health Staff

1. Returning a wallet. With all the dough. Witnessing the owner's delight is worth more than money.
2. Abstaining. If the Starbucks line snakes out the door, thou shalt not whip, frap, steam , cream, or half-caf. When time is of the essence, take it like a man: straight up.
3. Weaving. Your entire hand, not just the middle finger. Thousands die each year in aggressive driving-related accidents. Showing up five minutes late to work is better than showing up 6 years early to your funeral.
4. Stopping at second base on a first date. Especially when she's waving you in from third. Settling for a stand-up double almost guarantees fireworks next time, when you put it over the fence.
5. Donating platelets. One apheresis session yields the same amount of clotting factor as six standard transfusions---and provides crucial help for burn victims, cancer patients, and organ-transplant recipients. Whose life have you saved today?
6. Fighting a bogus ticket. The day we're too tired to fight even the smallest of insults is the day the bureaucrats break out the tattoo needles and bar codes.
7. Voting. Did you do it last month? If you didn't weigh in, you don't measure up.
8. Holding your tongue. Every man possesses a simple superpower: silence. Too few flex it on a regular basis.
9. Dancing. Especially if you can't. No woman can resist a man who puts her pleasure ahead of his ego.
10. Laughing. At that humorless "joke" your dad trots out before family reunion meals.
11. Not laughing. When yur boss ponders what his secretary might do in a closed room with a clown. And in a wading pool. And with Joe Lipa. Standing up for your beliefs doesn't always require a lecture. See number 8, "Holding your tongue."
12. Cashing in your chips. In a perfect world, the dealer would continue to bust and the Mavericks would be a lock at +. But Lady Luck is a fickle lover. Take the money and run.
13. Donating to charity. Anonymously.
14. Ordering salad in a steak house. So what if your buddies are biting down on 24-ounce porterhouses and taunting you mid-chew? Your payoff comes at the beach; theirs vanishes with a belch.
15. Wearing blinders. When the attractive lady with the heaving chest and tiny tank top bends over. So what if she wouldn't notice, or wouldn't mind: You gain more power by exercising restraint when sin comes in the form of 42DD cleavage. To wit...
16. Forgoing. As in "Thanks, but I think I'll pass out on that tap dance."
17. Putting it in writing. It's too easy to dismiss a casually uttered "thanks" or "sorry." If you really mean it, commit it to paper.
18. Concealing your connections. At least at first. Sure, mention your father's first frat days with the mayor and you might score the job. But saving it until you're already n board earns you respect.