When was the last time you went through a day without comparing yourself to anyone–comparing your life to someone else’s highlight reel on social media, or being critical of your own willpower and abilities? Avoiding these mental traps can be quite challenging, especially in a culture that emphasizes the importance of being exceptional, extraordinary, or ‘special’.
In reality of course, we are all special–and all ordinary, and on this episode of Being Well, we are joined by psychologist and author Ronald Siegel to discuss why that might not be such a bad thing. We discuss how to drop the myth of the extraordinary, how to heal from feelings of inadequacy, and what healthy self-esteem looks like.
About our Guest: Dr. Siegel is Assistant Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, international speaker on the topics of mindfulness and compassion, and author of several books including his latest, The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary: Finding Happiness Right Where You Are.
Key Topics:
0:00 Introduction
1:45 What prompted Ron’s inquiry into being ordinary
7:05 Cultural and evolutionary factors
12:55: Fluctuations in self-esteem based on success and failure
17:05 Social connection as antidote
19:15 What being ordinary looks like
21:35 Three ways to drop the myth of the extraordinary
32:15 Rick’s path to healing his own feelings of inadequacy
40:05 Predispositions to having a sense of worth and value
46:45 Love vs. ‘specialness’
50:50 Reaping the benefits of self-esteem without getting caught in its traps
59:00 Recap
Subscribe to Being Well on:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/being-well-with-dr-rick-hanson/id1120885936
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5d87ZU1XY0fpdYNSEwXLVQ
Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (https://amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (https://apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.
You can follow me here:
🎤 https://apple.co/38ufGG0
🌍 https://www.forresthanson.com
📸 https://www.instagram.com/f.hanson