Overcome Burnout, Enhance Focus, Build Culture & More | AMA Vol. 8 with Dr. Michael Gervais

Michael Gervais (0:00)

Part of my origin story is I didn't know I was enough, and so I worked my ass off, obsessively, uncommonly so, to be good enough. For who? It wasn't for me, but it was like me trying to feel okay being okay. I had to show I was smart, I had to show I was competent, I had to show that, you know, I could figure things out. All of those were helpful, but they cost me, at one level, intimacy with myself and intimacy with my wife.

Welcome back, or welcome to another Ask Me Anything on Finding Mastery. The ever insightful and entertaining O'Neill Sespedes is back to co-host this month's AMA, and per usual. We have real fun diving into your questions, chatting about what to do if you're feeling burnt out and overworked, grappling with the need to prove yourself to others, how to build culture and hire appropriately, the difference between high performance and mastery, feeling like you're behind in life. And one question that you want, are you a thermostat or a thermometer?

All that and more is coming your way right now on Vol. 8 of Finding Mastery's Ask Me Anything. Okay, O'Neill, we're back.

O'Neil Cespedes (1:19)

We're back.

Michael Gervais (1:21)

How you been?

O'Neil Cespedes (1:21)

I'm doing well, actually, really well.

Michael Gervais (1:24)

What have you been up to?

O'Neil Cespedes (1:24)

Okay, I got a dilemma, actually. So I have been up to a lot of things, but my mom, she got a dog, and she didn't know what kind of dog it was. My mom's not really good at, shout out to you, mom, if you watching this, it's nothing against you. My mom's not really good at taking care of dogs. And so I said, yo, take the dog to the vet to find out what kind of dog it is. It's a mutt.

So she takes the dog to the vet, couple of weeks go by or whatever. So I call her and I'm like, so what kind of dog is it?

She's like, oh, you know what they're saying? Something like a cane corso and a mastiff mix, whatever those two things are, right? So I'm like.

Michael Gervais (2:04)

That's not a small dog, mom.

O'Neil Cespedes (2:06)

Yeah, I'm like, this is a cane corso, mastiff mix. She was like, yeah. I was like, Ma, do you know how, both of those dogs are huge.

Both of those dogs mixed are huger. I was like, you can't handle this type of dog. So she's like, okay, well, why don't you take the dog, take the dog off my hands and y'all. So I'm like, I can't tell my mom no, but I didn't tell her yes.

Michael Gervais (2:27)

Oh, so you haven't taken it yet.

O'Neil Cespedes (2:28)

I haven't taken it yet.

I'm torn because she sent me pictures the other day and the dog is as big as me. I'm like, man, I don't know how I'm gonna deal with this because that means human size. That's right.

Michael Gervais (2:38)

Two hands.

O'Neil Cespedes (2:39)

Yeah, two hands. I'm like, I don't know.

Help me out.

Michael Gervais (2:43)

I've got my own dog issues right now where my guy, Morris, he's been getting pissed off that we've been leaving. And so pre-pandemic dog was awesome. Listened to what, you know, like it was great. During the pandemic, dog was awesome because he was with us all the time.

Post-pandemic, when the world opened up, I was traveling more, he started to act out a little bit. Right now, he's flat out pissed off. When we leave the house, he shreds it. So much so that he got into a bunch of toilet paper and it was cumulative. It wasn't just one time that we had to take him to the vet. And so I didn't realize this, but toilet paper has bleach in it. And so he poisoned himself.

So like, I got my own behavioral things right now, like, I don't know if I can help you out right now.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:30)

You said that's just solidifying why I shouldn't get a dog. But toilet paper has bleach in it.

Michael Gervais (3:36)

Yeah, how about it?

O'Neil Cespedes (3:36)

That's crazy. So we've been bleaching our butts with toilet paper all this time, we didn't know it.

Michael Gervais (3:41)

I knew you were gonna go there.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:42)

I had to. Yeah, it's good.

Michael Gervais (3:44)

All right, good man. So it's great to see you again.

O'Neil Cespedes (3:47)

Great to see you as well.

Michael Gervais (3:48)

Yeah, I love doing this with you. Where do you want to take us?