The Overwhelmed Brain

Emotional Intelligence for Critical Thinkers

Where Is This Mysterious Thing Called Passion? Part 2

If you’ve read Where Is This Mysterious Thing Called Passion? Part 1, you probably left wondering exactly how you can find your passion. After all, it’s great that I was able to find mine, but big deal! You want steps that you can take to find yours.

Here’s part 2:

Having spent 2013 on the biggest IT project I’d ever tackled, installing over 3000 pieces of technology into a large hospital in Hillsboro, Oregon, it was this project that forced me to peel my psychological barriers back and bring to light my true passion.

And even though I felt this passion, I couldn’t quite verbalize what it was yet. I knew that I loved what I was doing, but I didn’t know why! I also realized that I didn’t love everything I was doing, but there were big parts of it that I did.

I love the work I do, but is this my passion?

I pondered that question for quite a few months. There was definitely something about what I was doing that I really enjoyed, but I didn’t know exactly what that was. I sat down and asked myself probably the most important question of all:

What about this work do I really enjoy? [Read more…]

What Is The Meaning Of Life? Oh, THAT Question Again…

When using Google to search for the term: “the meaning of life”, there are roughly 4.7 billion results. When you exclude the term “monty” from the search, you see a significant drop to just over 7.8 million.

The meaning of life is...
The meaning of life is…

Aside from the obvious implication that the Monty Python movie is more popular than the actual philosophical question that has been tossed around for centuries, and that many books, articles, and TV shows have some version of that phrase in their titles, it is still one of the most sought after, but hardly ever attained answers to the question:

What is the meaning of life?

At The Overwhelmed Brain, I look at how everything relates to becoming overwhelmed and stressed. And, how to transform those things into clarity and peace. And I truly believe that when you are able to find your purpose, and the meaning of your own existence, you will not experience overwhelm or stress anymore – at least in the same way.

Acting from a place of purpose gives what you are experiencing an entirely different meaning. For example, if you had unwavering faith that something you were doing was not only the right thing to do, but also made you feel passionate and alive doing it, would you be as easily stressed? [Read more…]

Wherever You Go, There You Are – And Why You’re Really Not.

I won’t argue that we bring ourselves with us no matter where we go, but doesn’t our environment shape our decisions, behavior, and judgments? Even our perception of reality is skewed depending on the environment we are in.

If you were at a rock concert, and you saw a guy get on stage, face the crowd, then dive in, you’d probably guess with certain conviction that he’s stage diving. However, if you saw a guy get on stage at a Toastmasters convention, face the crowd, then dive in, you’d probably perceive him to be psychologically impaired somehow.

photo courtesy of www.pagesdigital.com
photo courtesy of www.pagesdigital.com

Well, I guess you might think that the people in both examples could be psychologically impaired, but you get the point. We judge one situation differently than we judge another. We are, in a sense, different people depending on our environment. Our perceptions are different, our reactions are different, and the way we respond will be unique to what’s happening around us.

Sure, it could be argued that who we are at our core doesn’t change, regardless of the environment (which is what the original saying has us believe), but I’d disagree with that. Our values, our beliefs, and behavior does change depending on our environment. [Read more…]

The Overwhelmed Brain – Let’s Get Things Rolling!

This is the very first post for The Overwhelmed Brain. This blog, the podcast, and my books and deeper learning products are meant to engage your mind and empower you so that you can make decisions that are right for you.

I am here to help you increase your emotional intelligence and strengthen your self-worth and self-esteem. Enjoy the site!

Other resources you might like:

The Love and Abuse podcast for learning about emotional abuse and manipulation.

The M.E.A.N. Workbook to assess the level of emotional abuse in your relationship

The S.A.F.E. Empowerment System to help you through and out of anxiety.