Self-Improvement The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary With Harvard Professor Ronald Siegel By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk, "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time. Learn about our editorial process Published on August 22, 2022 Print Verywell / Julie Bang Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Meet Ronald Siegel Why Ronald Siegel Is Mentally Strong What You’ll Hear on the Show What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength Quotes From Dr. Siegel More About the Podcast Every Monday on The Verywell Mind Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Amy Morin, LCSW, interviews authors, experts, entrepreneurs, athletes, musicians, and other inspirational people about the strategies that help them think, feel, and do their best in life. Follow Now: Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts Meet Ronald Siegel Ronald Siegel, PsyD, is Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychology at Harvard Medical School, where he’s taught since the early 1980s. He’s a longtime student of mindfulness meditation and he has taught internationally about the importance of mindfulness and mind-body treatment. He maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Lincoln, MA. He’s written many books including "The Mindfulness Solution," "Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy," "Mindfulness and Psychotherapy," and "The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary." Why Ronald Siegel Is Mentally Strong Ronald could easily talk about the importance of changing the world by achieving big things. After all, he teaches students at an Ivy League school. But instead, he writes and teaches about practicing compassion and forming genuine connections with people. He shares how humility, vulnerability, and forming genuine connections with others help everyone to live their best lives. What You’ll Hear on the Show How we learn to equate happiness with achievement How our parents’ self-esteem impacts our drive for success How advertisers prey on our desire to feel good about ourselves The exercise that can help you discover what really matters to you in life How our desire to boost self-esteem can turn into an unhealthy cycle that mimics addiction How to stop believing everything you think Why you should focus on connecting with people, not impressing them How gratitude can help you stop judging yourself How to conquer the fear of not being good enough Why being ordinary might actually be the key to living your best life Imposter Syndrome: Why You May Feel Like a Fraud What You’ll Learn About Mental Health and Mental Strength Our culture encourages us to achieve great things. And when people take a break or quit a goal for the purpose of improving their mental health, they may be viewed as weak. But, taking steps to address your mental health is a sign of strength. Sometimes, that means pushing yourself to do hard things. But at other times, that means taking a step back and allowing yourself to pass up opportunities for achievement. We tend to associate bigger achievements with better mental health. But, the happiness boost we gain from achieving something good is fleeting and if we’re not careful, we could end up in a perpetual cycle of dissatisfaction. Unlinking Your Self-Worth From Your Work Quotes From Dr. Siegel Ronald Siegel Genuine humility comes from recognizing our ordinariness. — Ronald Siegel "Culture really delivers the message that if only you could be better, you would be happy. And if you're not feeling happy, it's either because you didn't buy the right consumer product or you're somehow too fat or you haven't achieved enough.""What if in each interaction I had during the day, I was just concerned with connecting with this person, understanding their experience, sharing my actual experience rather than some curated view of my image that I'd like to portray?""The nice thing about talking to the Dalai Lama is you don't have the feeling he's scanning the room for a better networking opportunity. He's actually just there with you and for whatever few moments he's actually interested in you, we feel it." I Don't Know Who I Am: What to Do If You Feel This Way More About the Podcast The Verywell Mind Podcast is available across all streaming platforms. If you like the show, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Reviews and ratings are a great way to encourage other people to listen and help them prioritize their mental health too. Editor’s Note: Please be mindful that this transcript does not go through our standard editorial process and may contain inaccuracies and grammatical errors. Thank you. For media or public speaking inquiries, contact Amy here. Download the Transcript Links and Resources Visit Ronald Siegel’s website - DrRonSiegel.com Ronald’s free exercises and recorded meditations Buy a copy of "The Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary" If You Liked This Episode You Might Also Like These Episodes: Choose Progress Over Perfection With Peloton Instructor Ally Love Friday Fix: The Best Way to Combat Imposter Syndrome How to Find the Courage to Be Yourself With TV Personality Craig Conover What Is Radical Acceptance? By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk, "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit Speak to a Therapist Online Advertiser Disclosure × The offers that appear in this table are from partnerships from which Verywell Mind receives compensation.