Beyond Success #34: Why Smart, Driven People Struggle Emotionally (& How to Finally Break Free)
Most high achievers learned at a young age that emotions were distractions. This early lesson inspired much of their success… but it came at a terrible cost:
It develops emotional blindspots that quietly, patiently, and relentlessly sabotage you.
Here’s the thing about emotional blindspots:
No matter how much you try to stuff them down and pretend they don’t exist, they don’t simply disappear. Instead, they move underground. They become sneakier. More insidious. And more sabotaging.
Worst part?
There’s only one way to address your emotional blindspots in a way that builds emotional strength and mastery. And it’s not hustling harder, doing more mental gymnastics with your cognitive behavioral therapist, or becoming a master at stress management.
The real solution goes far deeper than these knee-jerk reactions most high achievers have.
That’s what I share in today’s episode.
Listen now.
Show Highlights Include:
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Why avoiding, distracting, and numbing out your emotions backfires and causes them to hijack your behaviors (even without you realizing it) (1:26)
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The “emotions aren’t spreadsheets” secret for understanding why you spiral (and why it’s not a problem you can think yourself out of) (2:34)
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Why “knowing” your emotions doesn’t make you a master at them - the same way “knowing” guitar doesn’t make you play as good as Jimi Hendrix (3:35)
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3 exercises to try when intellectualizing your emotions doesn’t help you master them (5:32)
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Why addressing your emotional blindspots improves your sleep, lessens your compulsive habits’ grip on you, deepens your relationships, and improves your material success (13:06)
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The sneaky way anger, frustration, and anxiety hide your real emotional pain (15:44)
For more about David Tian, go here:
https://www.davidtianphd.com/about/
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Emotional Mastery is David Tian's step-by-step system to transform, regulate, and control your emotions... so that you can master yourself, your interactions with others, and your relationships... and live a life worth living. Learn more here:
https://www.davidtianphd.com/emotionalmastery