Self Doubt – – End of the Day with Douglas E. Welch – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 26/30

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It always amazes me how one word or small phrase can change my mood from one extreme to another in the passing of a single breath. It happened today, over something small, but one response to something I said sent me into a fit of self-doubt that still lingers even as I write this. Self-doubt is my enemy right now, even more than usual, so it doesn’t take much to trigger it and all the associated responses. As is often the case, no one is tougher on us than ourselves and this is especially true of me. I only need a small shove to head down the path.

I have always been — what might be called — a sensitive person. I don’t think it has ever served me well. I quickly pick up on the moods and attitudes of those around me and begin to feel them, even if I don’t have any particular association with what is happening. Being near someone having an argument or complaining about something is enough to send me out of a coffeehouse or restaurant just to escape the feelings that start to take over. Call it excessive empathy or sensitivity or “having no sense of humor” or “can’t take a joke”, as I have often been accused.

Of course, trying to explain this to others is a futile exercise. It is very hard to understand something like this from the outside. Heck, I barely understand it myself. I only know what I feel and how I react to specific situations, but others often think I am just being silly, or capricious or have some ulterior motive. More likely, I just want to remove myself from the situation or do whatever I can to prevent being in the situation in the first place. It is like I see a train coming own the tracks and I step off the tracks long before everyone else, just to be safe.

Often my trigger points are the verbalization of doubts and fears I am already feeling deeply myself. This suddenly wrenches my thinking back to the problem when I am not prepared to deal with it. Sometimes ignoring a problem is the only way of dealing with it at the moment. Sure, that is not a long term solution, but I know I don’t always have the strength to deal with every issue all the time. I try to make things better when I can, but I also know when it is better to do as Scarlett O’Hara did and “think about it tomorrow.” The trouble with this is that others don’t know when I am capable of dealing with an issue and when I am not, so they only do what they can do and talk about it, or try to solve it. This typically only sends me further down the rabbit hole, though. I am getting better at telling people what is going on within this weird head of mine, but it can still be difficult, especially when I am surprised with a word or turn of phrase that touches that sore spot that no one can really see.

There are days I want to wear a sign that says “It’s not you, it me!”, just so people know that I truly am “not in my right mind” (SMILE) at least in the frame of mind to deal with the larger issues of life and legacy.

More information on Douglas E. Welch and Careers in New Media:

• Follow New Media Tips on Twitter
• Like Careers in New Media/New Media Interchange on Facebook
• Circle Careers in New Media/New Media Interchange on Google+

Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:

• Video: Smartphones, technology and your career with Douglas E. Welch – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 25/30
• Video: Liquidambar styraciflua seed pods open over course of 4 days – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 24/30
• Audio: Improvisation – End of the Day with Douglas E. Welch – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 23/30
• Video: In the garden…August 21, 2014: Checking out the potting bench and the back garden – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 22/30
• Audio: Carmello and the Water Jars by Douglas E. Welch – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 21/30
• Video: Quick Rice Pilaf – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 20/30
• Audio: Share your work philosophy — from the Career Opportunities Podcast – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 19/30
• Summer Tip #1: Enjoy Live Theater! – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 18/30
• Video: Making Hard Cider – Racking – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 17/30
• Audio: Trolls – End of the Day with Douglas E. Welch – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 16/30
• Video: Turkey and Potato Curry – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 15/30
• In the garden…August 13, 2014: Colors, textures and movements of the garden – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 14/30
• Video: Making Hard Cider – Day 1 – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 13/30
• Make it clearer, not more confusing — from the Career Opportunities Podcast – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 12/30
• Video: Making Hard Cider – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 11/30
• Video: First Impression: Ocenaudio Recorder and Editor – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 10/30
• Video: A little “nuttiness” in the garden today – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 9/30
• Audio: Your Garden – Inch-by-Inch from A Gardener’s Notebook – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 8/30
• A chat in the garden — Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 7/30
• Video: In the garden short…August 5, 2014 – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 6/30
• The Client Dance — from the Career Opportunities Podcast – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 5/30
• MacLeod Ale Brewing Co – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – Day 4/30
• Video: Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – Making Cornbread – Day 3/30
• Audio: Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – Dr. Rosanne Welch on Television and Movie Writing – Day 2/30
• Video: Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – Risotto Rosso – Day 1/30
• Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 Introduction – Day 0/30

What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?

“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.

In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”

Improvisation – End of the Day with Douglas E. Welch – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 23/30

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (2.9MB) | Embed

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There are times I wish I had the precision of NASA as I launch into my week each Monday. I make lots of check lists and plans, but life is never something that respects plans greatly. There are too many unknowns in life to allow too much planning, so we come up with a few scenarios, a few goals and hope that circumstances go along with those plans.

As you might imagine, while circumstances and our plans sometimes match up, it is much more common for life to fly apart, go chaotic and make us improvise perhaps a bit more than we might like. This can be very stressful depending on the cause of the chaos and the results, but without these improvisational moments life would certainly be a lot more dull. We might not enjoy it much when we are in the middle of a crisis but in many cases it can make our life better — if we let it.

Playing music with Lorilyn

Life chaos requires the ability to let go of trying to control what you cannot and make the best of what you given. Fear and our own arrogance can often cause us to flail about and fight against what is happening, even if would be better for everyone involved to go with the flow. The ability to recognize chaotic moments and ride them out with style is definitely one trait you should look to cultivate. I can guarantee that it will do more good than all the authoritarian bluster you can manage.

Plan your life and your actions,of course, but then treat each day like a Jazz tune where all the musicians follow a basic track, but then are encouraged and challenged to make their own song in and around the basic framework the songwriter created. Life is often nothing but improvisation, so the more you cultivate it, the better off you will be.

More information on Douglas E. Welch and Careers in New Media:

• Follow New Media Tips on Twitter
• Like Careers in New Media/New Media Interchange on Facebook
• Circle Careers in New Media/New Media Interchange on Google+

Previously in the Dog Days of Podcasting 2014:

• Video: In the garden…August 21, 2014: Checking out the potting bench and the back garden – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 22/30
• Audio: Carmello and the Water Jars by Douglas E. Welch – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 21/30
• Video: Quick Rice Pilaf – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 20/30
• Audio: Share your work philosophy — from the Career Opportunities Podcast – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 19/30
• Summer Tip #1: Enjoy Live Theater! – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 18/30
• Video: Making Hard Cider – Racking – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 17/30
• Audio: Trolls – End of the Day with Douglas E. Welch – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 16/30
• Video: Turkey and Potato Curry – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 15/30
• In the garden…August 13, 2014: Colors, textures and movements of the garden – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 14/30
• Video: Making Hard Cider – Day 1 – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 13/30
• Make it clearer, not more confusing — from the Career Opportunities Podcast – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 12/30
• Video: Making Hard Cider – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 11/30
• Video: First Impression: Ocenaudio Recorder and Editor – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 10/30
• Video: A little “nuttiness” in the garden today – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 9/30
• Audio: Your Garden – Inch-by-Inch from A Gardener’s Notebook – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 8/30
• A chat in the garden — Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 7/30
• Video: In the garden short…August 5, 2014 – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 6/30
• The Client Dance — from the Career Opportunities Podcast – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – 5/30
• MacLeod Ale Brewing Co – Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – Day 4/30
• Video: Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – Making Cornbread – Day 3/30
• Audio: Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – Dr. Rosanne Welch on Television and Movie Writing – Day 2/30
• Video: Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 – Risotto Rosso – Day 1/30
• Dog Days of Podcasting 2014 Introduction – Day 0/30

What is the Dog Days of Podcasting?

“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.

In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.”