About the Episode:
What’s shakin’? In this episode, we’re flipping the script. There’s so much focus on the idea that “it’s okay to not be okay”—and it absolutely is. But what we don’t hear enough of is that it’s also okay to feel good, even when others around you are feeling down. Today, I break down why you don’t need to feel guilty for your happiness, how positivity can be contagious, and why you can’t feel bad enough to make someone else feel good. We’ll dive into how to maintain your positivity even in negative environments, and how you can be there for others without losing your own joy. This is a message that needs to be heard, so stick around!
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Episode Topics:
- Learn why it’s okay to feel good, even when others don’t.
- Discover how to maintain your positivity in negative situations.
- Hear how you can stay joyful without feeling guilty for others’ bad days.
- Rick shares insights on turning your happiness into a source of support.
- This episode will teach you how to protect your energy and be a positive force.
Hey, I’m Rick Jordan. Today we’re going all in, and I’ve got some cool stuff to run through with you. There was an episode that just dropped a little bit ago. I talked about depression, and I want you to go back and listen to that too when this is done. You know what, share both of these episodes with at least three people because these are good ones.
Last time when I talked about depression, it was about how to pick yourself up out of that bad state and the overprescription of antidepressants in the United States. Today, I’m going to talk about the other side of this—feeling good and how it’s ok. In the episode about depression, I mentioned how it’s ok to feel bad, which it absolutely is. But there’s so much emphasis on “it’s ok to not be ok.” And that’s true, but what almost nobody talks about is that it’s ok to feel good, even when other people don’t.
If you’re around negative people, or if someone is having a very bad day, it can feel like you’re being dragged down. It’s almost like we sometimes get pulled into their mood out of judgment. Someone might say, “Hey, I’m having a bad day, why are you doing so good?” or “I need you to feel bad about me because I just need a friend.” But you know what? It’s ok to feel good even when people around you are feeling bad. You could be having an amazing time in life, making things happen, and maybe you just pulled yourself out of depression by staying active like I talked about in the previous episode.
It’s ok to want to feel good, even if others around you don’t. That feeling of goodness can be contagious too, and that’s awesome. Don’t ever feel bad about feeling good just because others don’t. Some people want to band together through shared misery—that’s “co-misery.” They might want you to feel bad about them so they can sulk, but you could be the one to help them instead. You can say, “I know you had a bad day, but my day was really good. I can be here for you, but I want to be here by feeling good. Let’s go out and do something positive.”
This is like a sequel episode, and I’m loving it! It’s ok to feel good even if bad things happen for senseless reasons, whether it’s something beyond your control or something that happened to a loved one. You can be that person who maintains their good feeling. It’s not insensitive to feel good while understanding someone else’s pain. But here’s the thing: you cannot feel bad enough to make someone else feel good. It’s impossible. So, if you’re feeling good, keep feeling good—even if others around you are feeling bad. It’s ok.
It’s also ok to do things that make you feel good just because you want to, even if others want to sit around and sulk. If someone is moping, it’s ok to leave and do whatever you want, like watching a movie, and let them sulk. If they get mad because you still want to feel good, screw them! That’s their outburst of anger, their projection of negativity, and you shouldn’t let that get to you. Keep feeling good.
In fact, it’s a great time to create something to help them feel good because you can’t feel bad enough to help them. You can, however, do good things to help others feel better. If you’ve had a great day, it’s the perfect time to ask someone to do something fun. If they say no, let them be—it’s their choice. But it’s still ok to go out and enjoy yourself.
You can influence how people feel, and if you’re feeling good, you can help others feel good too. It’s ok to prioritize doing things that make you feel good, even if others don’t get it or appreciate it in that moment. Just because something bad happened to them doesn’t mean you need to stop feeling good.
This one was quick today, but I think you needed this. I know I did because I’ve been dragged down by people who want to commiserate with me. It goes beyond venting—I’m calling it disrespect. If someone wants you to feel bad about them, that’s not about compassion or support. Maybe if they’re grieving or dealing with something major, that’s different. But when someone wants to drag you into feeling bad just to sulk with them, that’s disrespectful to you. And it’s okay not to take part in that.
These are the ways to feel good and continue feeling good. Go all in with how you want to feel and how good you want to feel. Don’t let anyone disrespect you by pulling you down into their misery. Just keep feeling good and go all in.