5 Reasons Men Succeed at Work but Fail in Relationships

And then one day he wakes up and wonders why he “has it all” but is still miserable. His relationship may be falling apart, or perhaps he can’t find/start/maintain one to begin with.

Or, maybe, worst of all – he doesn’t even know who he is, so how could be possibly even know if he wants a relationship in the first place?

Here are five reasons so many men succeed at work, but fail at relationships:

They’re not doing the INNER WORK.

Truly defining your purpose. Your passions. Your path. What you would do even if you weren’t getting paid.

There is nothing more powerful than taking a completely unfiltered and uncensored inventory of your life to determine what direction you’re heading in, and what direction you SHOULD be heading in.

Have you called yourself out on your own shit? Have you faced your inner-most demons and taken a deep-dive to figure out how to defeat them? Have you been brutally honest with yourself about what’s been holding you back from showing up with absolute power in the world?

Have you really reflected on your path and determined if you chose it because it brings you joy and fulfillment every day, or just because you thought it was what you were “supposed to do”?

All of these questions, and more, begin to lead us inward and help determine what truly sets our souls on fire.

They block emotions and vulnerability.

Our society is notorious for discouraging men from showing emotion or vulnerability. This, in turn, prevents men from connecting deeply with women, and as a result these relationships fall apart.

Nobody is advocating for men (or anyone for that matter) to break down into a puddle of tears at every Hallmark commercial, but allowing ourselves to show and express emotion is a fundamental piece of being a fully formed human being.

No matter how strong, or cool, or successful, or hardened someone is – we still all have wants, needs, desires, fears…a full range of the human experience.

Being stone-faced and inexpressive may be helpful in the boardroom or during negotiations, but it pushes people away in your personal life.

We are not building friendships with other men.

There have been a variety of articles in recent years highlighting one of the biggest threats to men is actually loneliness – not just from women, though. A lack of male friendships is preventing us from connecting with others in a way that we simply cannot expect from the woman in our life.

It is unfair and unrealistic to expect our girlfriend/wife to be all things to us, and vice versa. Male friendships allow us to relate to others on a fundamental level and share challenges they will understand and empathize with. We can seek support about issues without embarrassment (hopefully).

The decline of male friendships has added additional weight and stress onto our intimate relationships. We carry our stress home from work and lay it at the bedroom door. Men need to start bonding and being open with each other again. It is easy to find groups of women reaching out and supporting each other, and they are all better off because of it.

We should learn from that model of friendship.

We fill the gap with the wrong things.

What’s left when we can’t build strong intimate relationships OR friendships? Stuff. Stuff is there.

More work. More money. Cars. Watches. Houses. Suits.

Things that should ENHANCE an already enriched life. The frosting on the cake. The decorations on the Christmas tree.

But when these material things are expected to fill the gap of true connection and emotional fulfillment, there is simply never enough.

And the cycle repeats.

We are simply not happy by ourselves.

Not everyone wants to be in a relationship. Not everyone wants to get married. Not everyone wants to have children. We are each free to make our own choices and our own decisions on how we live our life.

I cannot tell you how many clients I have worked with over an extended period of time who started out wanting to find a relationship, and then the further down the line we got, they began to feel like they weren’t actually ready for one.

Why? See point #1.

Filling the gap in our lives with material things is not the only downfall, sometimes we try to fill it with another person.

Relationships bring happiness. They bring companionship. They bring joy. Love. A teammate in life.

But they cannot make a partial person complete.

A man who has not developed his own confidence and self-worth to the point where he is perfectly happy being single, will bring his insecurities and baggage into a relationship and expect his partner to fix them.

It is not her job nor her responsibility to make you whole – it is yours.

Only when you truly dive deeply into who you are right now and define who it is you want to be, can you set on that journey of self creation and empowerment. This takes courage, and risk, and emotional fortitude to face the truth no matter what it may be.

But the bottom line is that if you cannot lay in bed at night and be happy with the person you are, you will never be happy with what (or you) you have.

If you want my help and guidance to finally break through your boundaries and create an even happier and more fulfilled life with healthier relationships, reach out and let’s chat.

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