Crisis? Maybe He’s a Narcissistic Jerk - NY Times

Crisis? Maybe He’s a Narcissistic Jerk By RICHARD A. FRIEDMAN, M.D.
January 15, 2008

This article about the male mid-life crisis sure got everyone going yesterday! People wanted to know if this was them, their husband, their ex-husband or their future selves, husband, ex-husband and on and on. Is that why they're making a change? Planning a career change? Working on Work/Life Symmetry and Balance issues? Working on a transition from one lifestyle to another? Trying to change their workaholic ways? Working on stress management? Time management? Trying to Find Focus? It was a Rorschach test and everyone was taking it.

Here are a couple of quick thoughts and answers to some questions.

When you're making your first career decision as a young adult you often don't have all the information you need to make the best one to fit your life, temperament and your expectations can be wildly different than the reality of the work lifestyle. (All the things we work on in TIERS(c) coaching). Somehow you get pulled in and due to different kinds of obligations, societal pressures, momentum you end up staying there. You put up with it and you put up with it even if you don't like it and it isn't working for you until -

Dr. Friedman made a good point that often the change is made based on life circumstances and not only age. Very true.

Some of my clients are men (and women) in their 40s and 50s who are changing their lives. Age plays a role as the article describes.

It's always a good time to change your life for the better, whatever the prompts are. Life is too short and too precious not to be doing the things you want to and living the life you want to live, especially if there are things that you have it in your power to change for the better.

FYI - Dr. Friedman does say that he's 51....hmmmmm....

Enjoy the day - really!
Rebecca "Kiki"