Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.R.L. Evans ''One cannot always be a hero, but one can always be a man,'' Johann Wolfgang von Goethe tells us, but sometimes simply being a man can be a mighty struggle. Take heart from this companionable book of daily meditations, a year's worth of friendly words to cheer you on your way. Speaking straight to men who are striving for serenity or trying to maintain emotionally and spiritually balanced lives, these daily touchstones begin with quotations from sources as varied as William Shakespeare, Wendell Berry, Michael Spinks, and Woody Allen and conclude with affirmations that underscore the lessons of intimacy, integrity and spirituality. They explore the masculine role of lover or spouse, father or friend and, like a helping hand extended, case the daily strain of making a man's way.