David R. Herz: for Men

Q: How should I communicate with my boyfriend when he said he needs a break from this relationship? Should I stop messaging him, or what is the rule?

You should negotiate that with him. The only rules here are the ones you set between each other.

You might want to ask for one more conversation before he goes (because breaks often are endings) so that you can ask exactly what he thinks he needs a break from, but only do this if you can really give him the space to share what’s there for him. Use it as an opportunity to learn so you can be better in the next relationship:

Read more »

What does this mean? I just want to let you know that I love you. I'm so sorry that I have not been the person that gives you what you deserve.

It sounds like he feels that he just can't, at the end of the day, please you.

There are a number of possibilities here:

Read more »

I was at an event the other night, and ended up spending some time at the bar with a handful of women a few years older than I talking divorce. One was divorced already, another still married, happily I presume, and a third contemplating. She, at least it occurred so to me, was not complete with what was. There was a spark not yet extinguished.

Read more »

Asked on Quora:

Should I support my musician boyfriend pursue his dreams while he depends on me financially completely? He has been trying for about 6 years.

No. You should tell him to get a damned job and pursue his music on the side.

It's time to stop trying and start doing. And when he takes on his job, he should take on doing it with excellence.

And then, especially if he hates his job, tell him to double down on his music. Work full time at his job, and work full-time at his music, with the same damned intensity.

Then he'll know if he really wants his music, or just likes calling himself a musician.

And don't let him get away with just practicing. A musician performs. Make sure he's booking at least one gig a week, and giving it his all.

But don't you dare suffer for his art. If he wants to suffer for his art, that's great. You can drive him to his gigs, be his sound engineer if you want, and be his biggest fan, but he's got to take on being the damned artist.

I let my Girlfriend go because I can't bear to see her cry any longer. Was it the right thing to do?

I decided to let her go, and I'll regret it, but I'm dealing with a lot of problems: dad got a stroke, mom's asthma worsens, and my company is on the verge of bankruptcy. I am very depressed. I drink every night to feel numb. My girlfriend shares my pain and she always cries. It kills me to see her that way.

You are an idiot. You dumped your girlfriend because you can't stand yourself, you wallow in self-pity, she feels for you, and because she feels for you, and you feel guilty about it, you dump her.

No, it was the wrong thing to do. My question: “Do you have the balls to do the right thing?”

The right thing:

1. Declare that you are the source of all your problems.
2. Look at all your problems and find what to be grateful for inside them:
   • Dad had a stroke: Thank your maker that he didn't die, and you still have a dad that you can visit and get complete with before he dies. Acknowledge him for the life he gave you and everything that is good in it. Forgive him for anything that you have been blaming him for. Take responsibility for anything that does not work.
   • Your mom: Same thing. You still have a mom. Find a way to make her smile every day. Find a way to make her proud of you every day.
   • Your company: If you own it, find a way to save it or pivot so that it makes money. If it's going bust and there's no saving it, close and complete it's business in as honorable a way as you can. Get that you actually got the privilege to run a company. That's a big deal, even if it failed. Most do, by the way. If it's someone else's, stop acting like an employee and start acting like an owner. Find ways to add such massive value that it can survive. Or find another job.
3. The alcohol just screws you up. Stop it. Get to bed by 10:00. Get up at 5:30, make your bed, straighten out your room, and get some exercise. Write down ten ideas a day, write down three things to be grateful for, and then reach out to someone in your life and thank them, and don't be afraid to reach back 10 or 20 years and let people know they touched you. Pick one thing that you are going to accomplish that day. Then do it.
4. Find other ways to make money, even if it's cleaning out kitty litter for old cat ladies who can't take proper care of their cats anymore.
5. Last, complete with your girlfriend: How to Leave Your Ex Behind. But in this case, you are not going to leave her behind. She loves you. You love her. Your job is going to be to make her right. Every amazing thing she sees in you, you are going to ask yourself “How can I bring that to the world today?” instead of trying to prove that you are not that.

I hereby deny you any permission to second guess your girlfriend. If she says she loves you, you are just going to have to accept that you are lovable. You are going to take on that she sees every defect, wart, every cruddy thing you have ever done, and she still loves you, and that's okay.

And stop asking stupid questions like “Was it the Right Thing to Do?” That just gets your head spinning about what happened in the past that you can't change anymore. Ask instead: “What is the rightest thing I can do with what I know right now?” And then do that and don't look back.

And if you need help with any of this Hire Me. I promise you you'll have the best year ever.