How To Find Purpose, Work With Anxiety and Depression - Steven Segal, Psychologist

Dr. Steven Segal was a popular lecturer at Macquarie Graduate School of Management (MGSM) where he taught postgraduate MBA students for more than 20 years. His classes were highly sought after and I was fortunate to attend one of them. 

Steven and I talk about the ancient history of purpose discovery, how an increasingly individualistic world affects our mental health and relationships, the relationship between self-actualization and purpose, the limitation of solution-focused thinking in the context of finding our purpose, how to work with anxiety and depression.

Outline:
0:00 – Introduction
1:40 – What’s happening with the world
4:25 – We confuse success with self-actualisation
5:56 – What does self-actualisation feel like
7:05 – Ian Thorpe staring at the black line
8:02 – Developing our character and wellbeing 
Narcissism and relating to others
8:50 – Chasing success after success
10:56 – Different perspectives to look at our life
12:15 – Nobody is completely actualised even Nelson Madela and Mahatma Gandhi
15:40 – Why is everyone searching for meaning and higher purpose suddenly
19:46 – Shifting anxiety to curiosity of emotions and mindset
24:09 – The limitation of solution-focused questions; instead of exploration mindset
24:35 – We are living with little self-belief and seeking external validation
27:05 – The burden of individualism
29:50 – When can anxiety help us become better
33:03 – What is ancitement (anxiety and excitement)
35:35 – What are the signs for anxiety and depression
39:32 – Working with anxiety and depression, not working against it
42:07 – Is our anger proportionate to the situation
44:48 – How could leaders, parents, educators work with others in this increasingly individualistic world
52:03 – The three questions

🔗 CONNECT WITH STEVEN

💻 Website - https://www.drstevensegal.com.au
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevensegal

🔗 CONNECT WITH AARON

🎥 YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/@transformativepurpose  
📕Unstuck: Think Like A Kid And Free Your Mind - https://www.transformativepurpose.com/shop
📸 Instagram - https://instagram.com/aarontpang
💻 Website - https://www.transformativepurpose.com
👥 Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaronpang

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From the author of Unstuck, Aaron was emotionally stuck after a life lesson that happened in April 2019. He founded Transformative Purpose, a media and education platform to share inspiration and ideas, and help people become better at what they do. TP is a top 3% globally ranked Apple podcast. Previous guests include global CEO and entrepreneurs, scientists, psychologists, Olympian and professional athletes, authors, coaches, parents and many more.

For more inspiration and ideas, check out:

• Self-help book - Unstuck on Amazon
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