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’. On this episode of Being Well, psychologist and author Dr. Ron Siegel discusses how to heal from feelings of inadequacy and what healthy self-esteem looks like.
In reality of course, we are all special–and all ordinary, and on this episode of Being Well, Forrest and I 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, an 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
- 1:50 – What prompted Ronald Siegel’s inquiry into being ordinary
- 7:00 – Cultural and evolutionary factors
- 12:55 – Fluctuations in self-esteem based on success and failure
- 16:40 – Social connection as antidote
- 18:35 – What being ordinary looks like
- 20:45 – Three ways to drop the myth of the extraordinary
- 31:35 – Rick’s path to healing his own feelings of inadequacy
- 38:55 – Predispositions to having a sense of worth and value
- 44:40 – Love vs. ‘specialness’
- 48:40 – Reaping the benefits of self-esteem without getting caught in its traps
- 56:10 – Recap
