Dealing With Your Feelings: Purpose, Death, and Perfectionism | AMA Vol. 10 with Dr. Michael Gervais

Michael Gervais (0:00)

Hey, Dr. Michael Gervais here. Before we get into this week's episode, I have a really exciting announcement that I want to share. This fall on November 7th, I'll be releasing my first book, The First Rule of Mastery, Stop Worrying About What People Think of You. It's all about understanding and overcoming what I believe to be one of the greatest constrictors of human potential, our fear of people's opinions, also known as FOPO. I am so excited to introduce this book to you and to our community if you feel like you're on a treadmill, chasing after the approval of others. The First Rule of Mastery is an off-ramp to a better life. If you're interested in learning more and to pre-order the book, head over to findingmastery.com forward slash book, where you can also find some amazing pre-order bonuses that we put together for you. Again, that's findingmastery.com forward slash book. With that, let's jump right into this week's episode of Finding Mastery. I got a call on the way in today from a friend of mine. He says, I got some news.

I've got six months to live. I mean, what do you do with that information?

Welcome back, or welcome to another Ask Me Anything on Finding Mastery. I'm your host, Dr. Michael Gervais, by trade and training a high-performance psychologist. And the purpose behind these conversations, behind these AMAs, is to hear from you, to explore the topics and questions that you've been wrestling with on your path to becoming.

The goal is to expand on the themes and lessons and best practices that we've discussed on the Finding Mastery podcast in order to make them even more applicable to your own life. Now, our co-host, O'Neill Sespedes, is back. Just make sure that we keep it real. We dive into your questions on how to find your purpose, dealing with your feelings, why perfectionism is a fool's game, designing your life for your eulogy, and so much more. So with that, let's jump right into Vol. 10 of Finding Mastery's Ask Me Anything.

O'Neill, AMA, number 10

O'Neil Cespedes (2:15)

Number 10, Dr. Mike, how you doing?

Michael Gervais (2:17)

I'm doing great. How about you?

O'Neil Cespedes (2:18)

I'm going to be real with you. I'm going to be real so people can relate to people out there. I'm tired.

Michael Gervais (2:23)

I'm glad you said that.

O'Neil Cespedes (2:24)

Yeah, I'm being honest.

Michael Gervais (2:25)

I'm kind of feeling the same thing.

O'Neil Cespedes (2:27)

You feeling the same thing too?

Michael Gervais (2:28)

Yeah, travel and sleep. I've got the intermittent wake up kind of thing that I'm doing throughout the night. So I'm working through that.

O'Neil Cespedes (2:36)

I see mine's a little different. I had a war with a duvet cover.

Michael Gervais (2:42)

Oh, this sounds serious.

O'Neil Cespedes (2:43)

Yeah, it was serious, Dr. Mike. And some people out there might be laughing, but let me tell you, it's not true.

Michael Gervais (2:47)

I'm laughing, actually.

O'Neil Cespedes (2:48)

You're laughing. Yeah, yeah. It took me an hour to figure out how to put a duvet over a comforter.

I've never experienced anything like it in my life.

Michael Gervais (2:55)

You want to talk about this?

O'Neil Cespedes (2:56)

Yeah, let's talk about it.

I don't understand why whoever created the duvet doesn't make it simpler. Like, why don't they, if you don't mind me venting for a little bit, why don't they make it like a sandwich? So in my mind, the comforter, right?

Michael Gervais (3:14)

Oh, I see where you're going.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:17)

You feel me?

And then the duvet top should be the bread on top and then the duvet bottom should be the bread on the bottom. And then you button it at the edges, right?

Michael Gervais (3:26)

I think you're on to something.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:27)

I'm on to something. So whoever out there, make it. And then I want my cut.

Michael Gervais (3:31)

That's not quite how it works.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:35)

It was tough. It's a good idea.

Michael Gervais (3:37)

I think it's a great idea.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:38)

I came up with that while I was struggling for the hour.

Michael Gervais (3:40)

I wonder if it's already been done. You and I just don't have any exposure to it.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:46)

Because if it was, I wouldn't go through what I've gone through last night.

Michael Gervais (3:49)

All right, good. Well, so with our duvet challenges and our in-mit and sleep issues, We're both going through it.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:55)

We're going to muster through all this and then get it done.