We all have dreams. Sometimes, though, we tell ourselves that our dreams are ridiculous or frivolous or just too far-fetched to bother trying to make happen. I’ve certainly done this myself with a number of dreams in my life, and when I’ve suppressed and ignored my dreams I’ve just made myself miserable, sometimes without even understanding where my unhappiness was coming from. But I’m committed to listening to my dreams and making them a reality, and I want to help you to do the same.

A big dream of mine has been to live in NYC. I lived there for several years but I was giving up on my dream by leaving there to come to Philly, and ever since it’s been eating at me. I had all sorts of reasons why I couldn’t live in NYC, and yet, it was still a burning dream of mine, and by denying this dream I ended up feeling small. I had to figure out a way to get past this and bring my dream to life.

I also talk about the “fear brain,” the part of us that tries to keep us safe, that means well but inhibits our willingness to take chances, to take risks, and often, to go after our dreams. Our fear brain tries to stop us before we even get started on something new, and we all have this. It’s biologically hard-wired into us, and for good reasons having to do with evolution and self-preservation, but it doesn’t serve us anymore. I share with you how I handled my fear brain regarding my dream of living in NYC and made this particular dream come true!

It’s important to think carefully about two of the words we use here: Dreams and desires. The word “dreams” has some baggage that I address, and I explain why I prefer to use “desires.” I also teach a strategy around asking a different question as a way to get past a roadblock and make the shift from a fixed mindset to a growth mindset, which is key to actualizing your desires, and I discuss the importance of visualization – why it works and how to do it properly.

I end with Purpose Power Tips, which I offer at the end of every episode.

Thank you so much spending your time with me! And if you aren’t following me already, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to receive my newsletter.

It would really mean a lot to me if you would go to iTunes and review, rate, subscribe to, and download this podcast! And please spread the word and help our community grow!

May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!

I am joined by my dear friend, Louisa Jewell, expert on self-doubt and self-confidence, author, professor, speaker, and founder of the Canadian Positive Psychology Association.

Louisa starts out by explaining why some self-doubt can actually be a good thing. Chronic self-doubt, self-doubt when there really is no justification for it, when it’s holding you back, this is when something needs to be done about it, when it needs to be released.

Louisa also addresses confidence, and in particular the action-oriented type of confidence called self-efficacy. In addition, Louisa and I discuss how self-efficacy relates to positive self-fulfilling prophecies.

Self-doubt and self-worth differ greatly between men and women, and Louisa shares her own theories as to why women tend to have more self-doubt than men, and what women can do about it to combat their own self-doubt.

She introduces Peace at 6, So What?, and some tools to start shifting one’s own beliefs from “I can’t” to “I can!” by gathering supporting evidence. Our brains naturally possess a negativity bias, and we discuss ways to combat that.

Building one’s competence is a great way to build your self-confidence, and there are always baby steps that you can take to build your competence. Break your goals into smaller, manageable tasks as a way to get started and start to feel success and forward progress.

Finally, Louisa and I discuss the socially-constructed nature of self-doubt, and how to handle the naysayers so they don’t feed into your self-doubt.

I end with Purpose Power Tips, which I offer at the end of every episode.

Thank you so much spending your time with me! And if you aren’t following me already, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to receive my newsletter.

It would really mean a lot to me if you would go to iTunes and leave me a review (hopefully a great one!), and make sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode! And please spread the word and help our community grow!

May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!

I am joined by my dear friend, Louisa Jewell, expert on self-doubt and self-confidence, author, professor, speaker, and founder of the Canadian Positive Psychology Association.

Louisa starts out by explaining why some self-doubt can actually be a good thing. Chronic self-doubt, self-doubt when there really is no justification for it, when it’s holding you back, this is when something needs to be done about it, when it needs to be released.

Louisa also addresses confidence, and in particular the action-oriented type of confidence called self-efficacy. In addition, Louisa and I discuss how self-efficacy relates to positive self-fulfilling prophecies.

Self-doubt and self-worth differ greatly between men and women, and Louisa shares her own theories as to why women tend to have more self-doubt than men, and what women can do about it to combat their own self-doubt.

She introduces Peace at 6, So What?, and some tools to start shifting one’s own beliefs from “I can’t” to “I can!” by gathering supporting evidence. Our brains naturally possess a negativity bias, and we discuss ways to combat that.

Building one’s competence is a great way to build your self-confidence, and there are always baby steps that you can take to build your competence. Break your goals into smaller, manageable tasks as a way to get started and start to feel success and forward progress.

Finally, Louisa and I discuss the socially-constructed nature of self-doubt, and how to handle the naysayers so they don’t feed into your self-doubt.

I end with Purpose Power Tips, which I offer at the end of every episode.

Thank you so much spending your time with me! And if you aren’t following me already, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to receive my newsletter.

It would really mean a lot to me if you would go to iTunes and leave me a review (hopefully a great one!), and make sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode! And please spread the word and help our community grow!

May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!

Every single one of us was born for purpose. Research shows that when we’re younger, our search for purpose can be an exciting adventure, but after a certain age this same search can lead to an increased incidence of anxiety and depression, and even suicidal tendencies.

More and more, people are seeking lives full of meaning, lives in which they’re making a difference, and for a growing number of people this becomes even more important than increased salaries. As Abraham Maslow explained over 50 years ago in his Hierarchy of Needs, once we’ve satisfied our basic needs, the final, highest need is that of self-actualization, giving of ourselves to something larger, inner fulfillment. Short-term happiness only goes so far; we need something deeper and more long-lasting. We need purpose.

For me, knowing my purpose has helped me weather a number of incredibly difficult personal experiences. Even on the crappiest of days, I know my life has greater meaning, and that’s the knowledge that I want you to have as well.

One of the reasons that our search for purpose is so hard is that we’re thinking about it all wrong. I clear up a number of misconceptions about purpose and introduce a new way of thinking about it that opens us up to a whole new world of possibilities. In addition, the words we use when discussing and thinking about purpose is often part of the problem, and I provide you with a new vocabulary around purpose. This isn’t just a semantic change, but reflects a much deeper truth about purpose that we all need to understand.

By teaching you the basic ideas of what purpose is, and what it isn’t, I help you get on the path to uncovering your own purpose.

I end with Purpose Power Tips, which I offer at the end of every episode.

Thank you so much spending your time with me! And if you aren’t following me already, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook, and click here to receive my newsletter.

It would really mean a lot to me if you would go to iTunes and leave me a review (hopefully a great one!), and make sure to subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode! And please spread the word and help our community grow!

May you live purposefully, may you love yourself, and may you love life.

Bye for now!