Issues Men Face

‘Never enough time’
‘In over my head’
‘My life is out of control’
‘I may not be better off than my parents’
‘Pursuing a dream which always seems just out of reach’

If you have ever thought to yourself or heard anyone you know say any of the above phrases then the book ‘The Man in the Mirror’ by Patrick Morley may be of interest or helpful to you.. This book has sold over 2.5 million copies and is subtitled, ‘Solving the 24 problems men face’.

In the Introduction Morley points out how we men can get so caught up in life. ‘We Americans are so up to our ears in duties and debts – we just don’t want to know (how others are doing). We have so many problems of our own, there is no time left for anyone else – we just don’t have the time to want an answer’.

He then addresses that out of control feeling many men have. ‘More than a few men are swamped – they are in over their heads. After taking care of their own problems they have no capacity left over to help anyone else. They don’t understand why they are so caught up in the rat race, and their lives are frequently spinning out of control’.

According to Morley many men are wondering if they are better off. ‘Other men sense that something isn’t quite right about their lives, but they can’t quite put their finger on the answer. An eerie feeling lingers that they may be running in the wrong race. They see that they are more financially successful than their parents, but they suspect that they may not be better off’.

Morley then raises the point that men may be trying to win the wrong race. ‘…the term rat race has evolved to describe the hopeless pursuit of a good life always just out of reach – a treadmill upon which we can’t stop walking or we will fall off. Many of us today are trying to win the wrong race.

He states at the end of the Introduction that he ‘believes you will be a happier, more focused man when you finish’ reading the book. You will have to read the book and make that determination yourself.

Watch for a discussion of the first chapter titled ‘The Rat Race’.