The Overwhelmed Brain

Metaphysical malpractice was a term I was unfamiliar with until a friend of mine mentioned to me how a few metaphysical teachers were incongruent in their teachings. They say and teach one thing, but behave an entirely different way in their personal lives. I have some comments on that I share in today's episode. In Ask Paul, I answer an email from someone who is having trouble keeping her cool at work. How do you deal with disorganized coworkers or supervisors who always have a fire that you need to put out? And what if you put that fire out months ago and they still believe it's lit, so they come to you blaming you for something that A: isn't really a problem now and B: thinks you're to blame (even though they don't realize it isn't actually a problem)? There are steps you can take for sure. In the final segment I talk about what it takes to empower others without really doing much but giving them the choice to make a choice.

Childhood is one of those times that many of us wanted to enjoy, but simply couldn't. Some of us had to suffer because of a dysfunctional upbringing, which caused us to create false beliefs about the world when we turned into adults. These beliefs ruined jobs and relationships, and caused us to question our lives by saying, "Is this all there is? Is this all I have to look forward to for the rest of my life?"Unfortunately, we don't always have the right tools or resources we need to be "functional" after we leave a dysfunctional situation. Mainly because we create beliefs about the world that we think are absolutely true. We bring these "truths" with us as we go through life, then we can't figure out why we keep feeling miserable all the time. This isn't everyone's story, but at one time, it was mine. I share it in this special episode where Alen Standish of innereffort.com interviews me about my past, my relationships, my judgment issues, and what tools I used to get out of the funk I was in for over 35 years of my life. Thanks to innereffort.com and getoutofthemess.com

There's a reason we run into obstacles that stop us from getting what we want in life, and that has to do with what we are aligned with most at a deeper, unconscious level. When we are out of alignment with that, we fall off course and things fall apart. Today I give you a quote, well really a question, to stick on your refrigerator, cubicle wall, bathroom mirror and everywhere else you'll see it so that you stay on course and keep moving along the path on which you are most aligned. In today's Ask Paul segment, I read an email from someone who is disrespected, dismissed and pretty much ignored in her relationship. She's been thinking about divorce, but can't stand the idea of "another failed marriage". One thing I stress to when you don't have a marriage, at least the way it "should" be, then you can't have a "failed marriage" either. The marriage certificate tells the world you're married, but if marriage is being miserable every day... then you're not really married at all. So perhaps it's time to celebrate a successful divorce! Or not - because it's definitely a personal choice that has a number of possible outcomes. Finally, I talk about a neat brain trick where you can have a memory that feels bad, but dissolve or at least greatly diminish the negative emotions connected to it. It doesn't mean you can't learn from it and take those learnings into your future, but you can move forward without having to continue feeling bad about things you can't do anything about. It's not a cure all bad emotion destroyer, but it may just give you enough to not feel so bad about particular events that happened in your life. Today's episode is brought to you by Asha with getoutofthemess.com

Henrik Ibsen said that "Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt." When I was in my first long-term relationship, I wanted to get married, and fortunately, so did she! However, I said we'll get married as soon as we're both out of debt. The next 6 years of being engaged and not being married really made it clear what my priorities were in love, money and life. We never did get married, and soon we were split. Fast forward a few years and I make the same commitment to another woman. This time, we did it, we got out of debt! In fact, the day we got married, we were debt free. AND... we were also flat broke. We had nothing left. We lost our jobs, our apartment, our savings... all gone. And we ended up having to be a part of the welfare system while being sheltered by loving family. BUT... we were out of debt!I guess you have to be careful what you wish for, and be very specific what you mean!We got married the day we were broke. A friend got us a hotel room, and we enjoyed two days of "honeymoon". Henrik has a point. During my first relationship, we were in debt. During my second relationship, we were completely out of debt, and broke. In both relationships, there was financial trouble and it affected us. So what's the secret? Can there be success in a relationship when there are money issues?Yes and...Any and all problems will be amplified because of other problems. That's true with anything. When you have one problem, other problems tend to get amplified because one problem isn't resolved. And problems tend to compound. You might wonder why your partner brings things up from the past. It's because those things are still somehow unresolved - and the problems of today compound those original problems. What's the solution? For me, it was to get single, regroup, and re-order my priorities in life so I didn't bring my dysfunctions into the next relationship. I had money dysfunctions, so I needed to own those and change those without involving anyone else. In the past, we took it on together. But now I realize I need to fix myself before I can do anything about "us". That's the trick. If you're in a relationship, and you have challenges, then prioritize what needs to be tackled first (the biggest problem) and resolve that. Once you get some relief from one problem, your mind can be a bit more clear for the next one. Now, my challenges are mine, and hers are hers. YES we help each other and YES we work together when possible, but at the end of the day, I know I have my own stuff to work on, and it expands who I am when I'm able to really dig into myself and address what's happening inside me. We can come together and we can ask for help, but we also know that we, as individuals still have to do our own internal work. This is an empowered place to be. It's not a reliance on someone else, it's an alliance with someone else to agree to be there as much as you can for the other person, but returning to yourself to continue learning, growing and evolving to be the best "you" you can be for the other person. I still work on this daily. I talk about this on today's episode, and I also share a letter from someone with $200,000 in debt. Hmm, someone who's had money challenges talking about someone who has money challenges... is this going to work? ;)Let's find out! Free month of audible!

If you're a "yes person", you find yourself saying "Yes" to others. However, what you're really doing is saying "No" to yourself. Doing this causes you to reach burn out after a number of years. You get jaded by friends and family taking advantage of your "generosity", all because you're too nice to say no. There's a way out of this, and it will take baby steps, but it's time to gain some empowerment and start saying "Yes" to yourself. In the Ask Paul segment, I read a letter from a woman who starts to feel fear when talking to people, whether that's because she feels stupid or like she's being judged. No matter what causes it, I talk about a couple of approaches that take the fear out of the equation. Finally, I change things up and talk about animals and emotions. In my opinion, there is absolutely emotions in animals - it's a non-issue, but no matter what you believe, this segment explains my experience with the subject and how I can tell emotions are at play and not just animal instinct. Episode brought to you by getoutofthemess.com

There are jerks in our lives, at least that's what we tend to call them sometimes, that just never stop getting on our nerves. We hope they act differently, but they never change their ways. Is there anything we can do? Well, we can open our hearts and see what happens. Scary thought! And why would we want to open our hearts to someone who acts so badly toward us? Find out in this episode. Also, in the Ask Paul segment, I read a message from someone who is in a long-distance relationship and isn't sure what to do since it will be three years until they can be together. What would you do? Would you wait? Could you? Finally, what's your contingency plan in case of a break-up or divorce? Do you have one? I'm not talking about your heart. I'm talking about your finances mostly. Some people are left with nothing after a break-up because they believe that what they had would never end. The truth is hard to face that it is possible that what you have could end, so maybe it's a good idea to take care of yourself at least a little bit in the relationship too - that way if it all goes down, you won't have so many pieces to pick up and put back together.

How can you live with chronic pain? How do you get through the suffering? Is there a path to freedom or is it a never-ending event that will plague you for the rest of your life? Also, in the Ask Paul segment, I receive a letter from a gay man in his 40s suffering from a deep depression who cannot get a good night's sleep and hasn't "come out" to show the world the way he truly wants to live and what he really wants to say. Chronic physical pain is part 1 and chronic emotional pain is part 2. Episode bought to you by getoutofthemess.com - Actual attorneys for less than a dollar a day.

We all have a snapping snapping point and it can change our world when it happens. I remember the first time I stood up for myself. I was 10. We had just finished wrestling, as boys tend to do, and I was done... but he wasn't. I sat at the table, tired and really not interested in wrestling anymore. And he kept saying, "Come on, let's wrestle some more." I was like, "Nope, I'm done. Too tired, don't want to anymore." "Come on, let's wrestle again!" "No. I don't want to." "Come on!" (play slaps my face) "No... I'm done!" "Let's go, let's just wrestle a little more!" I don't know where it came from, but my hand turned into a fist, and my body twisted while my arm swung towards his face. My fist connected with his jaw, and he went to the ground holding his mouth. I sat down calmly and spoke softly, "I told you, I don't want to wrestle anymore." He eventually got up (seemed like 5 minutes, but it was probably like 20 seconds or something - who knows!) and went home. Up until that time, I had been a real pushover. That "friend" was actually a bully that forced me to be his friend mainly because I didn't know how to say no. There's only so long you can be forced to do something you don't want to do until you snap. That buildup had been going on for over a year or more, and I'd had enough of his bullying. Wow, that felt good. The next day, he apologized and said he and his mom were going to get Chinese food and asked if I wanted to go with them. Honestly, I didn't want anything to do with him ever again. I hated him. But I felt my old ways kicking in and said "yes" as I always did, and we started hanging out again after that. Those years, where I HAD to be his friend, were quite grueling for me. You'd think once I snapped and knocked him down, I'd have this sense of empowerment and self-confidence. And for that brief moment, I did! But I let my old personality return and I was back where I started in no time. I never got to experience that snapping point again until I was well into my 30s. But that time, I didn't have to punch anyone - I just had to realize that I WAS IMPORTANT. I am important enough to honor and respect AND protect from things I don't want in my life. The event that took place is another story for another time, but when this realization occurred and I honored myself for the first time in decades, I was old and wise enough to make it stick this time and from now on. At that moment, I thought something to the effect of, "I will always honor myself even if the consequences may be unpleasant." Of course, I would pick and choose situations to do that, but it was a new way of being... a new philosophy by which to live. Do YOU honor yourself when there's a chance it could lead to unpleasant circumstances? Or do you hold back and let people walk all over you so your're honoring THEIR boundaries over yours? If you've spent a lifetime honoring other people's boundaries at the cost of violating your own (like I have), then maybe it's time to treat yourself as your own best friend. A best friend will guide you and stand up for you. They will be there when you need them. When you can be your own best friend, you will change your world. Your best friend will help you keep your dignity and live authentically. Your best friend will keep you from reaching that "snapping" point where you can't take anymore, because you will have already taken care of yourself. That's what I want for you. I also answer a letter from a woman who finds herself not really feeling compassionate towards people's petty problems. Get a law firm for $20 a month: http://getoutofthemess.com

Brene Brown said it so eloquently: "Daring to set boundaries is about having the courage to love ourselves, even when we risk disappointing others."Many years ago, I remember having to disappoint my bosses during my one year anniversary. They brought me in for my evaluation, gave me a promotion, praised me for the amazing work I'd been doing over the past year, were excited about where I was going in the company, and gave me the tiniest raise I'd ever been given in my life. I was like... "Wow... Thank you?"That's what I thought in my head. But what I SAID was, "I'm rather disappointed. I thought I'd be getting a lot more money. With all the weekends I put in, all the projects I took on, and all the time I've spent helping out everyone I can, I really expected a lot more."They were like, "Oh..." The look on their faces went from excitement to confusion, and the moment got awkward. Then I said, "I really have to think about my future here. Don't worry, I'm not quitting, but I do need to think about things."And that was how I thanked them for their praise and generosity. It may have seemed ungrateful, with so many people unemployed at the time, but what was most important to me was that I valued myself enough to stand up for myself. I valued "me" enough to speak my mind, politely of course, but I honored myself that day and it felt pretty damn good. 3 months later, I left that position and started a coaching business. My life's never been the same. I believe in standing up for yourself when you know it's the right thing, and accepting the consequences of doing just that. Not many people are willing to accept getting fired or getting dumped or whatever the consequences are, but when you live and express your truth, your true path is revealed. The hard part is accepting that there will be a hard part!I talk about that on today's episode. Also, I read two letters: One from a woman who wants to know how to honor her boundaries without getting so much resistance, AND a really great letter from someone who calls me out! She thinks I have some sort of pathology and may need therapy. Is she right? Let's find out! Attorneys for $20 a month http://getoutofthemess.com/

So much of our emotional pain that doesn't get expressed can turn into actual physical ailments that won't go away until those emotions are expressed and released. Sometimes the damage can be permanent and we'll need to seek medical attention, and other times the healing starts right away. One thing for sure, you start healing when you start expressing. In today's Ask Paul segment, a woman is still holding on to emotional pain from being cheated on. Can she forgive and move on while being married to someone who really does appear to have changed, or is she doomed to feel terrible for the rest of their marriage because she can't get over it. Finally, I read a story of giving called The Gift of the Magi. It's a unique episode and one I know you'll enjoy. Happy holidays! Today's sponsor: Get legal insurance for less than a dollar a day! http://getoutofthemess.com