Success Coaching for Men » goals

SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL REVIEW: Is a man’s last and only source of freedom his automobile?

Andrew — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:49:01 +0000

From the Super Bowl yesterday – a commercial from Dodge/Chrysler called ‘Man’s Last Stand’:

This commercial bothers me. Listen to the guy’s voice as he rhymes out the list of tasks. Dead. Lifeless. Bored. Sad.

Essentially, it is saying that as a man, I have no choice. And most of the things I do, I hate. My life is on autopilot with the only purpose to please the people around me (especially my wife/girlfriend) so that I can be patted on the head and told I am a ‘good boy.’

And, if I do that, as a reward I will be allowed to play with my toy Charger every now and then. Until it’s time to get back to the real world business of pleasing other people.

The tag line is funny: ‘Man’s Last Stand.’ I am assuming this means that men are losing a ‘war’ and we need to fight to maintain our last shard of dignity and masculinity: our wheels. Without them, we are essentially robots set to do the bidding of the more dominant gender: women.

Two questions:

Is your life like this laundry list of tasks? Are you living a boring but ‘nice’ life?
If so, do you think a shiny new car will change things back to exciting and fun?

More interesting ‘man ads’ from the Super Bowl tomorrow.

Why Do You Not Have a Personal Vision?

Andrew — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:44:07 +0000

Here’s what I think causes most people (including myself) not to have a personal vision:

1. Busyness – staying day-to-day instead of going up 40,000 feet every so often to assess where you are going.

2. Improper Tracking Systems to assess progress and results moving towards one’s vision.

What weaknesses will you have to cover off to create and move towards a compelling vision?

The One Thing That Most Young Professional Men Don’t Have

Andrew — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:28:38 +0000

1. Vision: “What has to happen in your life both personally and professionally over the next 3 years for you to feel happy with your progress?”

1a. An action plan to accomplish that vision.

The majority of guys I coach (and hang out with) are ambitious, hard working, intelligent, and driven. However, deep down inside, past the ego and bravado, a lot of them aren’t really sure of one crucial detail:

“Where is all of this hard work actually taking me?

AND do I really want to end up THERE?“

‘There’ is definitely a very important place. But what if, like many of these guys, you have no idea what ‘there’ looks like?

Stop and think about that for a second. Imagine if you were an Olympic athlete running a race with absolutely no idea where and when the finish line is. Do you see how easily you could slow down, give up, or get really, really, really frustrated?

I do. Because I am that athlete.

I work hard. I help my clients. I read a lot. I try my best to stay connected with family, friends, and people in my network.

But have I sat down to figure out where I want to be in 3 years and if what I am currently doing will get me ‘there?’ No, I must say I have not.

So, that’s what you and I will be doing together over the next month or so if you would care to join me. Specifically, figuring out your 3 year personal and professional vision and the action it will take to get there.

It will be scary, challenging, sometimes tedious, and other times, a whole lot of fun. At the end, I hope we both know better what ‘there’ looks like. And if we don’t like that picture, what we need to change to arrive at a different ‘there.’

Are you with me?