Just Hit Record

In this episode Leah joins me on the podcast to discuss purging. No, not throwing up. Getting rid of the crap in our lives that we don't need. She uses the beginning of the year to purge closets, cupboards, storage spaces and any spot in the house that gets loaded down with stuff we don't use. For her, this is a mental health purge and she loves it. Want to know more? Listen to the episode.

Welcome to season 2 of Just Hit Record. In many ways this podcast will still be the same. It will be about mental health, hacking life, etc. BUT in some ways it will be different.

How so? Well, I am glad you asked.

I will begin having guests from time to time and those episodes will be considerably longer. The episodes with guests will also have video so you can watch instead of just listen and the production value on everything will be higher.

So, let's get our mental health on y'all and thanks for listening.

We all need someone to listen to us.  To really hear us and understand.  For some of us (me) that includes medication, for others counseling.  Whatever you need today you have permission to seek it out.  To get the help you need.

This is just a quick update on my future content.

We act like business is a badge of honor.  It's not, it sucks.

You think you're too old to do cool stuff?  You're not.  Listen to this episode about my medication adjustments, trying stand up comedy and more.

I wonder.

Is joy hackable?

Is happiness code?

How do we produce more joy and less grumpiness?  Is it all a formula?

I took a bit of a break from this experiment to listen.  I know I talk too much.  Everyone knows I talk too much.  This was a respite and a way for me to absorb other peoples thoughts.  It was nice and I learned some things.

#listen #speak #listensomemore

When I was 18 I met Jesus.  Not like in person or anything, I guess just, in my heart.  I have no way of explaining what I went through.  I wasn't on mushrooms or anything and yet, it happened and when it did it gave me purpose.

#jesus #christian #endofmyrope

I've always hid my weaknesses because I have always wanted people to like me.  This created a growing blackness inside of me.  Secrets that festered.  Now, I am sharing my weaknesses openly and I have been amazed at the responses.  People are reaching out to me and sharing their stories of struggle.  Now, I have a closer relationship with those guys and it helps me understand them better.

#struggle #weakness #strength

Gah!  I've had so many good mental health days in a row I can't even count them all.  Then, boom, a bad one hits.  Yesterday was one of those bad ones.  Even with my practices in place.  BUT today is a new day.  I have my daily practices in place and I am determined to do what I can to make today brighter than yesterday.

My world view is admittedly pretty limited.  I live in the midwest, have my small family and group of friends.  Is something terrible going on in another part of the country or world?  It doesn't matter to me because it doesn't concern me AND here in is the problem.  I have got to make a real effort to broaden my world view and care about other people.  People who don't speak the same language I do or dress like I do or worship the way I do.

So, this is my commitment to doing/being better.

Humans suck.  We do.  We are full of counteractions and hypocrisy.  We lie and get angry too much.  We talk behind each others backs and the real dirtbags have affairs and punch people in the face.  AND THESE ARE JUST THE CHRISTIANS. 

Jesus said "he who is without sin, cast the first stone."  These 9 words should be the filter in which we see others through.

I was born to be a dad but sometimes, it's the toughest thing I have ever done.  The last thing Leah and I want to do is raise selfish kids but that is easier said than done.

Most people that know me would say I am extroverted.  I talk too much.  I take over a room with stories.  I want to be the center of attention.  The truth is that those times drain me.  An introvert gets energized by being alone and an extrovert experiences that same energy boost in a crowd.  I am the first one.  I love to be alone.  I love silence and peace but most people wouldn't know that about me because I am also a people pleaser.

Some people believe the church just wants your money.  Why they believe that might be more about unintentional miss management of the money the Church does have and less about greed.  I think the church should think more about meeting the community IN the community.  They have a responsibility to become the community through the marketplace.

You might think the grass is greener on the other side but a lot of the time that's just a perception.  The grass isn't a reflection of all that money the entrepreneur is making.  Working for yourself is hard and working for the man is hard.  Working is hard and that's why it's called work.

But .. if you are wired to do your own thing I recommend you go for it in your "off" hours and stick to it!

I've had a life long struggle with pornography.  From the first time I saw it as a teenager I wanted to see more.  After awhile the bits I saw weren't enough, I needed raunchier and more graphic stuff to make my mind spin.  Now, some 34 years later, I am close to being sober.  

You may think pornography is a safe way to experience intimacy.  It's not, it isn't safe or intimate.  

Need help?  Check out these links:

https://www.healthline.com/health/pornography-addiction

https://blog.iamsecond.com/i-was-addicted-to-porn-and-heres-how-i-stopped

Putting people on pedestals is bag business.  I put Carl Lentz on one and boom, he failed me (and the rest of the world).  Now Brian Houston is in hot water.  People are people and they are going to let us down, it is that simple.  So let's all stop putting them up on pedestals.

I've been a dad for 13 years.  The best and hardest and most anxiety inducing 13 years of my life.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.  My kids are incredible human beings and I am grateful for them.

I embraced the concepts of minimalism about 3 years back.  At first it was difficult but over time, it has become far less so.  Recently I began to switch my thinking from minimalism to enoughism.  How much of anything is enough?  These are my thoughts on that.

There's a time and a place for powerful words.  The problem is, when those words become popular, they lose their power.  We say we "love" tacos and we "love" our spouse.  The word love in these situations cannot hold the same weight.  If they did, my commitment to my wife would last about as long as it take to devour an al pastor street taco.

This country is wide open and it is full of adventures.  We've been sold a bill of goods.  We've been told that if we work hard we can buy a house we can't afford.  Imagine the meeting where suits decided they would loan people money and those people would pay back that money for half their life!

What is this thing?  It's not a podcast but it's broadcasted like one.  It's not a blog because it's not in written form.  It's something different and in this session I discuss why I call it Just Hit Record.

I was a goal keeper growing up and now my son is.  Soccer is this one thing we share just he and I.  Yes, my wife will sit in the room with us while our teams play and we scream and jump and cry but she isn't paying attention.  This is father son stuff and I love it.

I've gone to church for a long time and I've heard the leadership pay convincing lip service to the fact that the Church is the body of Christ, the people.  If that really is true, why are most churches teaching us how to invite people to church and not to Jesus?

Every year when my mom comes to visit to hosts an epic cooking competition with my kids.  They plan the meals, do the grocery shopping, cook and present the grub.  This contest is more than a contest.  It's a deep dive into relationship building.  A time and space where a grandmother can deeply bond with her grandkids.

Social media was supposed to make our lives better.  In some ways it has (hi mom) but in most regards it's left us less social, angry and taking up one side or the other.

I've recently realized how long I have struggled with intense anxiety.  Growing up I didn't know it had a name.  I just thought it was the ever present pain in my chest.  The closest thing I could call it was fear but it wasn't that really.  It was something else.

Since then I have learned to combat this creeping feeling.  I've learned tricks and exercises that help me cope.

I want my kids to know that, if they ever struggle with mental illness, it is ok.  You are not weak.  You are not less and you can fight back.

This is not a podcast and I hope you'll choose not to listen.

This is documentation for future generations.  These are the daily thoughts of a mentally ill person.  A dreamer.  A story teller.  A father. A son.