Along with many of you, I viewed the much-touted presidential debate. Sadly I do not feel any better informed after the debate than before. This is because:
- I have grown cynical about what is possible versus what is probable in American politics;
- it’s impossible for the candidates to address issues that have gargantuan proportions in any debate;
- the candidates have would still have to sell their ideas to the Congress, which cannot function without pork-barrel incentives.
- both candidates made interesting and valid points in a number of areas, but where does the truth lie amid the quagmire of contradictory “facts”?
But this blog is not about politics. It’s about we conduct our personal lives and the decisions we make to move forward in our goals. It’s about the debates in which we engage each day when we are trying to live out our values authentically.
These internal, daily debates involve our minds and our hearts, our beliefs and our emotions. We weigh pros and cons in order to seek the path which will bring us happiness. Underlying all internal debates is the question: do I feel better informed once I debate issues in my mind? Or is my personal experience eerily similar to the experience I had in the presidential debate last night?
- How do I show that I have grown cynical that my life can be better, more powerful, more satisfying?
- In what ways am I trying to convince myself that my life challenges are just too big to find solutions?
- What are the incentives I use to comfort myself, that complicate, rather than streamline, my life?
- How do my mental pros and cons prevent me from focusing on the facts amid an emotional drive to find quick solutions?
Our lives and therefore our internal debates are not scripted for television, as was last night’s presentation. Our real lives are not a collection of sound-bites. Yet we are profoundly influenced by the sound-bites and tweets we hear daily through the media and from friends. Let’s not do that to ourselves. We deserve better. An effective life coach can help, by being a truly effective moderator of our internal debates.
Contact the Man’s Coach at michael@parisecoaching.com .