One night my girlfriend asked me to grab her lip balm before crawling into bed. I looked around, but couldn’t find where she asked me to look.

She got a little annoyed. I don’t know if she was annoyed that it wasn’t there, or annoyed at me because she thought I missed it. I asked her where else it might be.

She directed me to the bathroom. I looked around but still didn’t see it. She said emphatically, “It should be right there against the wall.”

I looked again… Nothing. So like a good boyfriend, I started searching for it elsewhere.

She told me to give up on my search. She said, “Don’t worry about it. If you can’t find it, I’ll go without.” But that old people-pleaser behavior in me dusted itself off and kicked in to gear. And in that moment, I made it my mission to find it. (read more…)

Do you enable behavior that you don’t like? Is it possible that the people that cause you stress do so because you are allowing it in some way?

This episode covers a very important topic that may help you get your power back if you adopt and apply the message.

Social anxiety can be debilitating. In this bonus mini-episode, I talk about one way to start thinking about it differently so that it doesn’t have such a grip on you.

If you experience social anxiety or any type of social phobia, you may benefit from the S.A.F.E. Empowerment System. It’s an audio program designed to be used in the moment of anxiety. Almost like an emergency anxiety toolkit.

If they’re not like you, you don’t like them. If you’re not like them, they don’t like you.

You have opinions, so do they, but should your differences separate you and cause you so much stress that you would rather lose relationships than accept people for their differences?

This is a full episode with many angles, including social awkwardness and social anxiety. If you experience social anxiety, look into the S.A.F.E. Empowerment System. It’s like an emergency anxiety toolkit.

Trying to find happiness is hard enough, but trying to do it when other people are in your life (or are interfering with your life) is even harder.

The first email I read on this episode is from someone who has a problem with his girlfriend smoking pot. He wants the relationship, but not the pot.

The second email dives into how deeply religious parents might want to continue controlling you even after you leave the nest. This episode is all about finding your true path and making the decision to follow it.