Don was doing a halfhearted job of teaching. When his principal talked to him about it, Don promised to try harder and left the conference feeling scared and confused. Part of his confusion came from the gradual recognition that it wasn’t just that home issues were undermining him at work; it was that the same issues that were undermining him as a teacher were undermining him as a husband and as a father. In all areas of his life, he felt a sense of emptiness and meaninglessness.
