As a man who seeks to empower around 30,000 men through my newsletter, I must confess that I'm not totally happy about my own brother's situation.
Let me tell you about my brother: He's a few years younger than me, and he lives in Paris with his girlfriend.
He and his girl met in London; they fell in love and have been together for seven years now.
But his life isn't quite "happy ever after" - he struggles financially, he experiences a lot of emotional distress, and I can tell he goes through a lot of strain and pressure these days.
My brother has always been very ambitious, and I believe that one of the things that attracted him to this girl is the fact that she's really supportive.
It's great to have someone who loves you and encourages you to follow your dreams and all, but if you think about it, it can turn out to be quite unhealthy for a guy.
Let me explain: My brother's situation - in my humble opinion - seems to be a classic case of mixing the science of success with love for the girl.
He treasures this girl so much that he trusts her blindly; he makes this irrational assumption that everything she says is right.
I don't even know why he values her judgment so much.
She doesn't have credentials, she's not a successful person, and she has never even had a real job - yet my brother holds on to her every opinion regarding important matters, plainly because he loves her.
She's his girlfriend, and to him, her word is gold.
That's ludicrous.
Sorry bro, but the fact that you love her doesn't guarantee that she gives you reliable career advice.
I'm sure it's nice to have someone who believes in you and all, but you have to be more discerning when it comes to your own success and achievement.
One of the reasons why I do what I do is because I'd like to give other people a report of what really works in the real world.
"What works" isn't always what's popular, and it isn't always what feels good.
Let me tell you this: Most of the women who come your way will be giving you a lot of their opinions, and they'll probably even sound like experts on certain topics.
Depending on how much you like those ladies, their thoughts might even make you feel good about yourself.
Now, this is where you need to remind yourself that the proof is in the pudding.
Take a look at each self-styled expert and consider what she has actually accomplished in her life - I mean in the real world, and not just in her head.
Does she really have any actual achievements that make her a reliable authority on the subject she claims to know about? I can assure you that I have NEVER let any of my girlfriends tell me how to plan my life, run my business or set my goals.
Every time they tried, I calmly and politely reminded them that when it comes to certain topics, I only take advice from people who have had a considerable degree of success in those areas.
My girlfriends weren't experts in those fields, and I'd be a fool to take guidance from them.
Well, of course I didn't have sex on those nights that I declined their advice, and that kinda sucks.
But considering the lifelong agony I spared myself by not letting them interfere, it's definitely worth it.