 I'd like to read you all a text exchange, just a short one, because my friend said something so awesome, and I have to share it with the world, and I hope she doesn't mind. So, we're chatting about the seriousness of life and how crazy and weird consciousnesses and what happens from day to day, like, you know those thoughts, what the hell are we doing? Not as a person, not as a family, but as a species, what are we doing? You know those moments. I know you know those moments, because if you found this podcast, well, you deal with some anxiety and depression, and the majority of people who deal with that are deeper thinkers. You think about meaning, you think about purpose, you think about your future, you think about doing well, making an impact. The cost of depression comes because we have such deep conscious minds and we can't help but go deep. It's just the way we were wired, and people are more prone to depression than others. This is something that I'm learning a lot about. Not every mind is the same. Not everybody's the same. Genetic codes vary differently. Man, I can do a million push-ups. My chest looks the same. I can't get big. And my buddy does 20, and he's jacked. Come on now. So let me read you this text exchange. And then we're going to talk about the name of this episode, whatever I named it. I don't even know, because I'm just flying by. All right. I tell my friend, you know, it's about not taking life and myself so seriously, you know? And she says, exactly, because it's funny. But because of the calamity of errors that is the human experience, it's all a frickin' giant mess. There is no perfect life. It's all a disaster. And we're out here thinking that we can get to normal. Like, what the fuck is normal? Is there a person that is a life that is? And then she says, I'm laughing again, because we're all so messed up. But you know what? It's so okay because we survive. I might have to print out her text and frame that shit. That is a beautiful, beautiful message. I've read it over and over, and I've even told her that. It's so beautiful because that is exactly some side of the truth. Reality is what you make it. You might not be even seeing that life is a mess right now. Everything's just sunshine and rainbow. Some people just don't understand this. It's like, only optimism. They won't even look the other way. But I think that's just denying one side, and I don't like denying, suppressing, or moving anything to the side. I think being optimistic is amazing, and I need it, and it takes so much work to be happy and grateful and looking forward into a positive future. Hell yeah, let's do the work. But then at the same time, everyone, take the pressure off. Take the bag of rocks out of your knapsack. Drop your shoulders of it and be like, man, I'm surviving this whole life thing. That's pretty awesome. Like seriously, is the meaning of life just to survive, as Alan Watts says? Is it just to survive? And we think we need this grand purpose and meaning and to change the world. And we see Elon Musk launching dicks into space and landing on Mars. And we feel just so incompetent and stupid. We see other people having these quote unquote normal lives. And we think, man, I got depression. I'm taking my pills. I can't eat frickin' chips or chocolate or soda like anybody else. That's what I'm thinking. I'm like, who the hell are you to go get a Big Mac and feel fine? Damn it! Is that person normal? Am I normal? Are you normal? What the hell is normal? Who are you stacked up against? Who are you measuring yourself to? I tell ya, it's bullshit and it's hurting you and it's hurting me and it's hurting millions of people not reach their potential, not love themselves, not be compassionate towards themselves, ending in mental illness, ending in their own lives. Let me tell you the truth. That life is a mess. That life is suffering. Christianity got it right. Buddhism got it right. Bearing your own cross and sacrificing what you need to to level up. That's life. But you know what the good news is? There's just no right way to move forward. There's no blueprint, no matter how many people tell you. I'm not telling you how to live. I don't tell clients and students how to live. Who the fuck has the right to tell you how to live your damn life? A coach? A therapist? A teacher? A parent? Hell no. You do. You get to decide what you want to do. Isn't that pretty cool? And if you decide that, god damn, you know, life is hard. Harder than I thought. Harder than I thought that I've been told. Harder than I thought I've seen other people doing some crazy stuff, but it's harder for me. Well, sometimes in life, as my friend was saying, survival is enough. Moving through pain is enough. Getting up, doing work, going to bed, taking a shit is enough. But we demand perfection. We demand perfection of others and of ourselves and this whole imperfect thing, I guess, is catching on. I saw, I was at Walmart the other day. Yeah, I go to Walmart. Well, you think I'm rich? I'm shopping at Walmart, baby. Come on. And I don't go there often, but the last time I went, a few times ago I went, I wanted to get a friend of mine who you heard on the podcast before I called him. His name's Rob. Awesome film director. He's done some awesome mental health films. I'd really recommend checking him out. His name is Rob Como, R-O-B-C-O-M-E-A-U. He does mental health shorts. He's done a mental health film. He does coaching himself for those who want to create films and want to direct themselves and get into the film industry. Man, he's awesome. Check him out. And now I lost my train of thought. I was at Walmart. Oh, yeah, I was getting him a tech deck. That's what we're doing, to be patient with ourselves, to embrace the inner child. We're still playing, man. We got tech decks. We got yo-yos, Rubik's Cubes. I don't want more TikTok. I don't want more screen time. So we were kind of looking at other people as a blueprint. Even our parents and teachers and therapists like, tell me how to do the thing. Tell me how to do the thing and I'll do it. That's where I'm at. Everyone, that's where I'm at. I'm like, sometimes when I'm struggling, I'm like, just tell me what to do. If you told me I had to eat a live possum and I'll take the possum, I'll crack its neck. I will eat a possum right in front of you if it meant I didn't have to have those depressive, terrifying days. You know what I'm talking about. You know what I'm talking about. I can explain depression a million other ways. Sometimes people don't have the words. I got plenty of words. I'll eat a live possum. I'll eat a possum's face if it meant that I didn't have to deal with those depressive days. Believe me, I would. But life's a mess. Reality is it's suffering. The reality is there's going to be hard times. Life is extremely hard. Has anyone ever told you that? Because damn, I wish more people told me that. I couldn't figure that shit out for myself. Which is cool. Which is usually the best way to do anything. You just put both feet in man and see what the water feels like. But it's hard. But then there's the other side. There's always the positive and negative the quote-unquote universe and our bodies and the way the world always comes back into equilibrium and it's trying to find that. So through the hard times you're going to find the good. The good for me wouldn't exist the hard times. That's how would we know what happiness is, right? There has to be some kind of opposite and know the weird thing is. Sometimes my darkest days did bring some of the most grateful memories that I've ever created in my life. The memories where people would come to my aid the memories of pure creativity and inspiration that came from my mind with music and thinking and journaling creating content and helping other people. If it wasn't for my struggle and the pain I've been through and the pain I continue to go through learning this whole depression thing I wouldn't be as good a person as I am now helping others. Because you know what? I've been holding back you got to be humble in this world. You have to be humble to to not show off what you have and to be grateful for everything that you have in this world. I truly believe that because damn it I have a lot in my life and sometimes I'm like yeah I'll give it all the way to have a quote unquote normal brain. But I got to tell you I'm really good at what I do. I've never said that before ever. Since the first YouTube video I put up in 2013 through all of the speaking I've done on stage through all the YouTube videos I put up and then deleted. I've never given myself any credit ever. So it feels good to just tell you listeners that fuck yeah I'm a really good speaker. I'm so fucking good at what I do to help others in their mental health because I've been through that shit and I know how to communicate effectively. So am I glad that I don't have quote unquote unquote normal life but now that we're talking about it yeah there's no such thing as normal. So if you're going through some shit if you're going through a tough time ask yourself what is normal anyway who am I comparing to right now and you don't have to look for a light right now because it might not be there but I guarantee you you know we wish we weren't cursed with something like this sometimes right we wish we weren't prone to anxiety depression as much as maybe you and me are I get it but I guarantee you you're going to find that depression and the pain and suffering sometimes that we go through in life inevitably that we go through a lot of the time it's a blessing in disguise it's a blessing in disguise you're going to find that and when you do you send me an email because I know I'm right with this one you know with other podcasts you might listen to the host is very removed from the audience but I love your emails keep them coming and I respond to as many as I can. So Scott at depression2expression.com toss me an email go on depression2expression.com and check out my stuff that's depression and then to expression.com this is very soothing and therapeutic for me and I hope you appreciated it because there is no normal life and you're doing a kick ass job just by being here so boost yourself up just like I boosted myself up right there you're a badass what are you good at what are you proud of in your life what have you done that you're really proud of you can pat yourself on the back even if it's just surviving today that's badass you're awesome and I'll talk to you in the next episode see ya yeah no ads so jeez let's plug some links in here depression2expression.com conqueranxietycourse.com conqueranxietywithscott.com for the coaching call what else and then google.com so you can find out all this cool shit on the internet Tim and Eric the best comedians ever there's a free shout out those guys have saved my life man they're funny Rupy Carr R-U-P-I-K-A-U-R she's a poet I've read some of her stuff and checked out her book when I was at Walmart the other day and she's cool so shout out check her out don't forget to check out my friend Rob and last but not least I also want to give a shout out to the person that has helped me so much with depression and I've had him on the podcast twice go to MattJanes.com M-A-T-T J-A-N-E-S dot com man what a good guy and then of course to my friend who inspired this podcast I don't know if I can say her name right now but I'm going to read it again because of the calamity of errors that is the human experience it's all a freaking giant mess there's no perfect life it's all a disaster and we're all out here thinking we can get to normal like what the fuck is normal is there a person that is a life that is there you go my friends have fun with that and I'll see you in the next episode take care and I can't wait to hear from you bye bye oh yeah and share this and do all that other stuff and write a review on iTunes if you're listening on iTunes if you made it this far that would be awesome like if you vibe with it I've written reviews I do all sorts of stuff when I get shit for free because I know that people put in the effort so if you appreciate the effort I put in and you get something out of this I'd love your help with sharing and getting it out there love you all take care humans bye