When I’m done with that, though, I’d like to revisit the question of life coaching. I think it’s good, and I think it could reach a lot of people. In previous podcasts, I talked a lot about literature and the arts, but life coaching could help people right NOW. So I’m in agreement.

Will is focused on a very specific need (attracting women) and addressing the need with specific action (coaching others out in the field). Being an ACTivist means taking action that results in a measureable achievement.

William,

That “About” section is okay. I was more talking about clarifying BAM’s vision for yourself and where you want to take BAM.

I think in addition to William and I discussing PUA, you and I should be discussing how to create this AA movement! I’m looking forward to it. We’ll have another Thymos meeting really soon; I’ll let you know when that is. I also have another project which I’ll e-mail you about.

I like the idea of William writing a book too. Once it’s solidified, that could be powerful! Books are cool because they’re long, structured lines of thought which any PUA/activist/anyone else could find transformative. William, I’d be the first on line to get that book!

Thank you for your feedback. I do like the idea of generalizing my original vision for the website into something broader, and that is certainly something I’ll be thinking about as we move forward. After getting all of the feedback that I have been receiving from the fighting 44′s, as well as from my ongoing discussions with Byron, I am working on changing a few things on the existing website within the confines of my current mission, which is to provide a means for Asian American men to get better with women. I would like to move forward and expand betterasianman.com, but I’d first like to focus on getting this part right. The volume of _positive_ feedback that I’ve received through the website from Asian American guys who share a similar history of obstacles in romance as I have encountered serves to prove to me that my current focus must be solidified before it is expanded.

I look forward to hearing more of your ideas in the coming weeks as I continue to work with Byron to grow and mature the contents of betterasianman.com. I very much like the idea of writing a book or developing a screenplay based on the events of this past year in my life, and I appreciate your support of such an idea.

Regarding the clarification of my goals and values that you referenced is the “ABOUT” section on my website lacking sufficient detail?

-William

William,

That’s good to hear. I don’t think that you should take all the criticism that you’ve gotten as a message to stop doing Better Asian Man. I think there are some AA guys that could benefit from the program.

In general, I’ve found that I can often learn more from criticism than from praise–as painful as the former is. There’s a saying that it’s your “enemies” who show you what your weaknesses are and what you need to improve on.

Regarding BAM, it could help to define what your “strategic vision” (to use a corporate catchphrase) is for the program. If you clarify this vision and what your values are, that can take you a long way.

Not to go off on too far of a tangent, but when you think about it, BAM and PUA classes are just a subset of Life Coaching and the Self-improvement industry like what Tony Robbins et al. do.

I thought what Byron wrote in his review of BAM was intriguing:

Read “The Game” by Neil Strauss, and you’ll see how surprised the actor Tom Cruise gets when meeting Strauss. He says something along the lines of “Imagine what PUAs could achieve if they put their energy into doing something more constructive.”

What would it be like to develop a Better Asian Man into a more generalized life-coaching program that includes–but is not limited to–sexuality? Or for that matter, could one develop a similar program for AA women–a Better Asian Woman?

And finally, I read your comments about your life’s experiences on your blog:

http://www.betterasianman.com/blog/?p=276

Beyond your website, have you ever considered writing a book about your experiences or a screenplay or making a kind of documentary about them?

Your personal transformation touches upon larger issues of Asian American sexuality and identity that would probably resonate with many people.

Byron,

I never heard it phrased this way, but your point that “it’s a fight to move the zeitgeist in our direction” is spot on. That’s the broader vision which should animate Asian American activism–beyond particular political projects, events, media campaigns, or even podcasts.

In short, it’s about creating an AA movement–politically, socially, culturally–that transforms everything from institutions to even personal identity.