How can bittersweet experiences empower us with empathy and creativity? Susan Cain, NYT bestselling author and award winning TEDTalk speaker has always been fascinated by the things among our culture that go undervalued and unseen. She shares how the quiet qualities of introverts have power in society, how embracing sorrow and exile actually helps us find a union with other souls, how to get through your biggest fears, and how we become our best selves in the act of reaching towards what we most yearn for.

– Join Cathy’s Lit Up Membership! Cathyheller.com/litup

– Read Susan’s new book, Bittersweet https://susancain.net/book/bittersweet/
– Follow Susan on Instagram @susancainauthor and Facebook @authorsusancain
– Watch Susan’s TEDTalk “The power of introverts” & her new TEDTalk “The hidden power of sad songs and rainy days” https://www.ted.com/speakers/susan_cain

– Thanks Raycon! Go to Buyraycon.com/DREAMJOB for 15% off your entire Raycon order.

TAKEAWAYS FROM THIS EPISODE:

1. Organize your life around your core personal projects – the people, the work, the causes that matter most to you. When you’re in service of those projects, it’s easier to step out of your comfort zone.
2. You can get over your fear by exposing yourself in small doses to what you’re afraid of. The only way around the fear is through it.
3. The bittersweet side of ourselves and our ability to go there is one of the greatest pathways to creativity, connection, and love.
4. This state of mind, this state of longing and shared sorrow is one of our most honest and highest states. When we experience sadness, we share in a common suffering. It’s a union between souls.
5. In the act of reaching for what we want – that’s when we become our best selves. That’s where creativity and the ability to love and empathize for each other comes from. It comes from our shared state of exile.
6. When you identify what you’re longing for and why you’re longing for it, then you’ll be at home.
7. Bittersweet is the recognition that all of life is a pairing of joy and sorrow, dark and light, brokenness and beauty. It’s all on the main path. Only when you truly accept that duality can you transcend it.

MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Alumni wins!
  • Jennifer’s podcast Off the Canvas with Jenn Van DeVoren
  • Deena’s podcast Two Trauma Mamas

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