This is an ongoing series of posts on various subjects for which I lacked a decent Google-searchable keyword title. Searching Google for ideas produced, “PEARLS of WISDOM”, which has such a rich flavor of hubris and chuzpah that I just HAD to use it.
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This is the second in the series, “Faster horses, younger women, older whiskey, more money”, about the phenomenon of male mid life crisis. In the first part, I talked about how a lot of men tend to look outside themselves for the causes of their discontent, and asserted that the root causes of their dissatisfaction are, in fact, internal. Their circumstances are certainly symptomatic of not living a purposeful life.
If they knew to look inside themselves first, to engage in rigorous self examination, they’d be much more likely to come to the realization that they are the source of everything in their lives. They’d realize that in order to empower themselves they must evolve, examine and re-evaluate their core perceptions as well as their present practices, goals and behaviors. Always, it’s an inside job, first. Many men leave great lives they’ve built based on some significant and worthy core values before they realize that they can empower themselves right within the life they already have. They lack critical discernment.
Likewise, some men stay in situations far too long that are clearly toxic because they feel trapped by their circumstances, lack of meaningful direction and sense of feeling purposeless; and that comes from not going within, as well. It’s always an inside job. First and foremost, an inside job. Always always always.
Here’s what’s worse: as a society we neither support nor encourage men to take time for personal growth, vision quest, goal reassessment, life path correction, any of that. We fail to support our men in living rich lives, mistaking the attainment of financial gain or social reputation for true wealth. We sell them, and in turn ourselves, short by not empowering them to live purposefully. We pigeon hole them, limit them, dishonor them, assigning to them artificial values and inappropriate expectations that hamstring their abilities to truly excell. We fail to afford them either the time or adequate opportunities to do the essential soul searching that is critical for their ultimate fulfillment in work, in love, in Purpose.
A man without a sense of purpose is a sad thing indeed.
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In the next installment, I’ll be wrapping up this article series with some solutions and recommendations to hopefully mitigate the worst effects of male mid life crisis. Come back.
Molly Burke CPCC MSU
Queen of Confidence
www.lifepurposeworks.com
“I’ve bottled confidence and you can, too!”
