Episode # 0 The Genesis of PSH - Why The Balloons?

Profound Self Help - From Confusion To Clarity

Welcome to my first episode of Profound Self Help! I’m Andrew, and I’m thrilled you’re here!

What started (and stopped) as a project about ten years ago is now reborn as podcast instead of a blog. My guest today is Paul, a great new friend brought to me by his wife, who is a very happy customer of the BreatheEasy Lung Exerciser that I make and sell.

She and I had chatted a couple times about the BreatheEasy and she said, “you need to talk to my husband,” and I did, FOR SIX HOURS STRAIGHT! During that conversation, we said that this call should be a podcast, and found out that coincidentally both of us had recently been thinking of starting one, so it’s fitting that my first episode is a chat with him. We had a great time!

As a way of introducing PSH to listeners, I thought the story of my choice of “branding” might be interesting: the hot air balloon theme. Who doesn’t love balloons and beautiful scenery? But why did I choose that for a self help channel?

This was immediately my first idea for a theme, but I really struggled later on to understand why “balloons”. A theme needs to tell the story of the brand, PSH. I’ve been making small websites from scratch for 20 years and themes mean so much to a brand. It’s critical! A picture is worth 1000 words!

A few weeks later, it became suddenly crystal clear, inspiring me to make this podcast about this theme, what it means to me, and a taste of what is to come in future episodes. Call it an “intuition” that explained the reason for the hot air balloon theme, because for weeks I couldn’t fit it together! I knew the meaning was there but couldn’t harvest it. There has to be meaning! I didn’t choose it by accident. I just didn’t know what it was.

Paul and I sincerely hope you enjoy this episode and find a home with this podcast. I invite your stories, feedback and suggestions!

Life threw many incredibly difficult challenges at me, and this podcast will be a way for me to share what I’ve come to see about life in profound ways. For some reason, I never sought escape, except through procrastination, but while procrastinating, I was still reminded of issues I knew I needed to face but couldn’t readily push through the anxiety of dealing with them. Eventually, either external pressures pushed me or new realizations gave me an intelligent nudge to have the courage to face my fears.

In the future, I want to invite listeners to share their profound stories on this podcast of organic growth. “Organic” is the key word. Let me know if you want to speak your authentic truth on this channel.

So, please join me for frequent episodes of “free thinking”! I set aside the “should’s and should not’s” in favor of the recognition of patterns in experiences, which I define as “truth”. IMO, wellness can’t happen until the source of disEASE (aka “unease”) is seen and removed. The “mirror” is the “microscope” for spotting the problem. The only person that can see into my “mirror” is ME, aka, the concept of “self help”! Only I can do this for me. Only you can do this for you. “Personal responsibility” as the method to reduce or eliminate suffering instead of escape. As a community, we can help each other as everyone has something important to share and to learn!

Said another way, “self help” is the process of learning what I’m doing wrong so that I can stop it, allowing the brain and body to heal itself. Profoundly speaking, the “journey to self” IS the journey of “self help”! There’s no success externally until the inner landscape of the spirit, mind and body are well and content.

Content people don’t chase happiness, only unhappy people do. Happiness and contentment are not the same, right? When you’re content, are you consumed with a desire to be happy? I’m not.

“From confusion to clarity” simply means “from not understanding to understanding”. That takes effort which leads to the strength that comes from the real confidence from “intelligence” vs. the all-to-easy “fear of the unknown” with is rooted in not knowing.

Fear is the emotion of “logic” not being able to compute the unknown. When the unknown is known, logic isn’t needed so no fear is felt. The path out of fear, therefore, is the journey of gaining insights and experiences into the scary unknown. Turn the unknown into the known and watch fear go away. Example, I know how to drive my car, therefore I’m not scared to drive it. I’m only scared to drive it in unknown conditions like a blizzard or if there’s an unknown problem with the car that might leave me stranded.

Additionally, fear triggers fight-or-flight, making rational thought and creativity difficult. It’s critical to then face fears and get past them in order to relax and have a full life of exploring new possibilities and opportunities, otherwise the constant state of fear and fearful thinking becomes a poison, called “trauma”. Trauma is a numb place where fear and creativity are absent. That’s an inhumane way to live.

In this episode, I explain more in addition to my take on addictions, all of which gives a sample of what’s to come in later PSH podcasts.

Note: I am NOT a medical professional and not trying to diagnose, treat or cure any disease. This is for entertainment and educational purposes only. “Self help” means that your are a fellow explorer of life, seeking to move “from confusion to clarity”. Always consult your health professionals as desired. If you feel desperate, please get professional help ASAP.

Best wishes!

Andrew [e-mail]