Ask Mister Brown | The Power Of A Moment | Embrace Uncertainty | The Mister Brown Show
Welcome to this episode of The Mister Brown Show, where we do “Real Life, Real Talk, Real Choices.” Choices really are so important; and when you make better choices, you will live a better life. So choose well. Oh yeah!
In this episode of The Mister Brown Show we are going to talk about anxiety and depression, the power of a single moment, and what it means to embrace uncertainty.
Update!
Today was the first day in a 13-school-speaking-contract with elementary and junior high schools. I spoke at North Cow Creek School today and I look forward to visiting all 13 schools! I have really enjoyed getting to go back to schools and see kids smiling faces. I was affirmed by a gentleman at a school lately for spending time with students and staff outside of the main assemblies. He said that most speakers show up, speak, and leave. I enjoy spending time with the kids outside of the assemblies because there is so much that gets “left on the table” when you end at the assemblies.
The truth is that I learn so much from students! I was speaking at a school recently when a student made the comment that life is so different for his younger brother than it was for him. I know that adults think the same thing about kids today. It was so interesting to see this student understands that life perspective. He was able to notice the difference that even a few years had brought. I love listening to kids, learning from them, and teaching them the power of their choices!
Ask Mister Brown
I have been receiving a lot of Ask Mister Brown questions lately, so today I am going to give my perspective on one of those questions.
Ask Mister Brown Question:
“Have you ever been depressed, and how do you deal with anxiety?”
I will start with the first part of the question. My answer is, yes! I have experienced depression, I think we all have. Depression is a natural feeling. According to the dictionary, it means “To be in a state of unhappiness or despondency. Sadness, unhappiness, gloom.” We have all experienced those feelings at certain times and it is important to remember that those are natural feelings. Now, if you are feeling depressed every day, you may need to speak to a professional. At some point in our life, we are all going to be depressed. I was depressed when my mom passed away. It was hard and I was in a state of unhappiness. We all deal with depression, but it is important not to stay there. I like to say, “It is okay to not be okay; but it is not okay to stay there.”
We all have issues and sometimes those things leave us in a place that makes us feel depressed. So, number 1, acknowledge that it is okay; and number 2, don’t stay there. Talk to someone, talk about it, and get somebody else’s viewpoint. Bring light to the situation because these feelings only grow in the darkness. Sometimes there are other perspectives that can help us get out of the fog or cloud of depression.
I remember a time in my life when I was single and living in a studio apartment. I woke up on a Saturday morning that I didn’t work and pretty soon it was 2:00 PM and I realized I had not talked to a single person that day. I had not opened my mouth once. I decided to leave my apartment and go serve someone. I worked at a community center at that time and didn’t work that day, but I decide to go spend time with the kids who were there. Pouring into other people helped me get out of my own funk. Sometimes being isolated by yourself can lead to more depression.
To answer the second part of the question, “how do you deal with anxiety,” I think it is important to work on your mindset and to talk to someone. I think anxiety can sometimes be worrying about something that might happen or worrying about the future. Anxiety can develop from spending energy on the “what if’s.”
I think the cause of anxiety is often overlooked. What is causing you to be anxious or down? Sometimes it may be comparison. I heard a story once, I am unsure if it is true or not, but it was about a mental hospital. When evaluating whether a patient was ready to be discharged or not. The staff would go to the utility closet and turn the sink on and let it overflow. They would then send the patient to the utility closet to observe how they reacted to the mess. If the patient was mopping the floor but hadn’t turned the water off, they were not ready to be discharged. The concept being tested was the ability to deal with the source of the issue. I am not sure if this is a true story or not, but it makes a great point about dealing with the source of an issue. Sometimes you have to turn the faucet off before you try cleaning up. So what is the source of your anxiety? What is causing you to feel anxious?
Sometimes anxiety comes from comparison syndrome. We are constantly comparing ourselves to other people. Especially with social media! Both young people and adults are spending hours on social media. And what do we do? We scroll and like, scroll and like, scroll and like for hours, and then put our phones down and feel depressed. We spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves that it leads to us feeling anxious. I recently asked a student what would make them less anxious. She replied, “if i had more followers.” At some point, you have to examine your life and ask yourself, “what things are leading me to feel overwhelmed? To feel like I am anxious, scared, nervous, etc…” It is okay to step back and evaluate. It is okay to say, “I don’t need that in my life.”
I don’t have a perfect prescription for dealing with anxiety. However, at some point, we have to figure out what the source of it is. One of my favorite quotes is, “Get rid of the unnecessary, that the necessary might speak.” Sometimes we must quiet the unnecessary so the necessary may speak louder. I encourage you to think about that. Are you dealing with your anxiety, or is your anxiety dealing with you?
To summarize my perspective on this question; yes, depression is real, but anxiety doesn’t have to be. You don’t have to be anxious because you can cut off the sources of it. However, you have to choose to step back and evaluate your life in order to find the source. It is a choice. And when you make better choices, you will live a better life. So choose well. Oh yeah!
“Never underestimate the power of a moment.”
Today’s topic is the quote, “Never underestimate the power of a moment.” Life can change in a moment because life is full of individual moments. Every moment matters. It could be an accident, graduation, or wedding ceremony; all of these things can change your life. So never underestimate the power of a single moment.
This topic is one of the reasons I love to speak at schools. I get to see changes in kids lives. I was speaking at a school lately and there were some kids who were not paying attention initially. I was able to see them get more interested as time went on and soon they were telling their friends to be quiet. I love seeing the change in kids when they start believing in themselves. They start seeing life differently.
I want to take a moment to speak to educators, all educators, not just those in the classroom. I was at a school lately when we were talking about uplifting people. And these middle schoolers wanted to uplift the lunch lady! Because she was changing their lives! She was bringing her whole self to her job. Regardless if you are a bus driver, janitor, teacher, principal, or someone who mows the school lawn, never underestimate the power of a moment. Because in those moments, lives can be changed.
Take those moments. Take those moments with family, friends, kids, and even people we don’t know. When my daughter Sophia was young, we flew a lot. Before each flight we would walk up and down the terminal so she would be tired for the flight. She would say “hi” to every person she saw along the way. Everyone knew Sophia. One time, she walked right up to this guy who had his head down and she said “hi.” I was thinking to myself “he looked kinda mean.”
Let me tell you, this man looked up, got this huge grin on his face, and he said “hi” back. Never underestimate the power of a moment.
Quote Of The Day
“Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have a title until much later.” ~ Bob Goff
This quote makes me think about seasons. We do not live in an era anymore where you pick one job and stay in it forever. I think we live in a time where you have jobs for certain seasons in life. We shouldn’t feel the pressure we do as kids when you're asked “what do you want to do when you grow up?” Embrace uncertainty! You don’t have to have everything planned out in high school!
What shouldn’t be uncertain is your ability to show up and work hard. Know what you can control. Your ability to show up. I like this concept of embracing uncertainty because I don’t know what tomorrow holds, but I do know that I am going to bring all of myself to it.
I think back on all of the ‘chapters’ of my life. I couldn’t put names on them back then, but I can now. I need to make sure I am embracing the uncertain and enjoying each moment. Again, “Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won’t have a title until much later.” We cannot control a lot of things in life, so focus on what you can control! Show up, be in that season, and don’t overstress what you can’t control and what you don’t know right now. Show up every day to the season you are in. And rememberer, it is a choice. And when you make better choices, you will live a better life. So choose well. Oh yeah!
