Shawn Douglas Podcast

I’m deep in the least glamorous part of being a creative entrepreneur right now—Sales tax permits. Business bank accounts. Self-employment taxes.Not exactly the Instagram version of “follow your dreams.”But here’s what I’m learning:this boring stuff is actually the gateway to freedom.In this video, I talk about:• Why you have to understand the backend—even if you hate it• The stage where your art starts making money (and why it’s messier than you think)• Why discipline doesn’t kill passion—it protects it• A Navy SEAL lesson that applies way beyond the military• How to keep going on the days you’re like, “Why did I start this again?”This isn’t hustle culture.It’s about building a life where the thing you love actually sustains you—not trading your time for a paycheck that slowly drains you.Brandi and I made a call: we’re not settling for a life we don’t even want.It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. And I genuinely believe this—If you don’t quit, you win.If you’re trying to turn your art into a business, what’s the hardest part for you right now?(To check out the full article form of this video follow the link below) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theshawndouglasshow.substack.com

Can't relax even when you try? You're not alone. I've struggled with rest my entire life—and I'm finally learning why.In this episode, I break down:- Why rest is a practice (and why you'll be bad at it first)- The intelligence of recognizing when to stop- How to know "how far is enough"- Why work ethic without rest ethic leads to burnout- The difference between forced breaks and true rest- How to develop a "rest ethic" to balance your work ethicThe truth is, rest isn't just a necessary evil or forced break from productivity. It's good in itself. It's wholesome. It's something that adds real value to your life.But if you're like me, you've always treated it as something forced upon you. Something you wish you didn't have to do. And that mindset is exactly what's keeping you from actually resting well.I'm learning to go from fighting rest to embracing it. And in this video, I share what's working (and what isn't).TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - I'm terrible at resting1:16 - Rest is a process, not a switch3:02 - The art of knowing when to stop5:13 - The intelligence of rest7:16 - Rest is good in itself8:42 - Work ethic without rest ethic11:05 - What's your rest ethic?If you're a creative, an outlier, or someone who doesn't quite fit the mold—and you're struggling with finding balance—this episode is for you.RELATED TOPICS: productivity burnout, how to relax, rest and recovery, work life balance, creative burnout, entrepreneur burnout, hustle culture, rest ethic vs work ethic, how to stop working, cannot relax, always working, productivity tips, mental health, self care for workaholics---Welcome to The Shawn Douglas Show—where we talk about life as a creative, an outlier, and someone who doesn't quite fit the mold. If you're struggling with finding balance, if you feel like a freak, if you're trying to find your place in this world, then this channel is for you.CONNECT WITH ME:📧 Substack: https://theshawndouglasshow.substack.com/💬 Join the conversation in the comments below#RestEthic #ProductivityBurnout #WorkLifeBalance #CreativeLife #Burnout #HustleCulture #MentalHealth #SelfCare #ProductivityTips #EntrepreneurLife This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theshawndouglasshow.substack.com

Before I went out to film the podcast episode (the one paired with this article), I was feeling kind of depressed. Not because I had anything to be sad about, but just from being inside too much. Being in the dark and in gloominess. Feeling everything’s the same and lacking the rich experience of being outdoors (or somewhere else stimulating and beautiful).Now I’m sitting outside under the shade of trees, hearing bird sounds and feeling the breeze through the leaves. Butterflies and moths fluttering in the corners of my eyes. And you know what? I don’t feel sad anymore. I don’t feel bad at all. I feel really good.Environment makes a very big difference.And today I want to talk about how environment is impactful on everything we do and how we can take responsibility over our environment and make it better.The First Environment: Your MindThe first environment we have any control over is our own mind—the internal environment. The environment of our emotions, our thoughts, our feelings, our desires, what we want, what we need.These are the things we’re aware of that we have on the inside of us, and they shape the direction of our life. They shape the way we look at the world. Everything is viewed through our inner world first. That’s the lens and everything else is filtered through that.We never have this perfect view of everything going on apart from all of our own thoughts, emotions, definitions, ideas, and aims. We see the world through all those things.It’s like the saying goes: to the hand with a hammer, everything’s a nail.That perspective is powerful when you understand it. When somebody learns a new concept, when someone gets a new skill—or say their trade is that they’re an expert in railroads or they’re an aerospace engineer—anytime they look at problems and things going on in the world, they’re going to tend to use the same kind of thinking and troubleshooting. They’re going to tend to have the same priorities and the same values.And unconsciously, without even meaning to, it’s going to be applied to other kinds of questions. It’s going to be applied to other kinds of problems in the rest of their everyday-life. There’s going to be some gradienting over there. It’s going to blend over a little bit.With a father for instance, it’s not just going to be a total switch when he’s back at home to where the whole of his identity is that he’s just daddy now. Because daddy is also an engineer. And so whatever comes in line and brings up that kind of programming of what he does for work every day, that’s going to come into his problem solving and what his values and goals are going to be when he’s there at home.The principle of environment matters because we set the tone for our life when we set the environment and as we choose what environments we stay within. What we are soaked in, what brews us, becomes the anchor point. These are the points of reference that will dictate how we move, what we do, what we’re going after. And the continuing basic operation of things is going to continue to the same outcomes and toward the same aims.The Five Environments That Shape Your LifeLet me get into some details about the environments we find ourselves in.1. The Internal EnvironmentWe already talked about this one—your mind, your emotions, your thoughts. This is the first and most important environment you have control over. I just wanted to put this one here to keep it here in the list with the rest.2. The Social EnvironmentThis is the environment of other people. It’s the thoughts and feelings and emotions that they have. It’s what they want from us. It’s the relationships we have with other people.That can be culture on a big picture like your whole country, or it could be smaller like the town you grew up in. It could be really small like the culture of your own family, how your family looks at certain things and thinks about certain things and what their values are, how they balance their values out. And that’s going to be at the foundation of your thinking. It’s your upbringing. That’s the environment you were raised in.3. The Physical EnvironmentThere’s the environment of nature. There’s also the environment of what does your own physical space actually look like?In my case, I’ve chosen this beautiful outdoors environment because it’s inspiring my creativity, because it’s making me think differently, because I feel I’m in a different space than where I would normally be if I was just in a room somewhere, if I was in an office or whatever.I’m out here. I’m part of this bigger picture. And this environment is coming into my mind. It is sinking in with all the bird sounds and the sound of the breeze through the leaves. Being able to feel the little crawling things going across the surfaces everywhere. Feeling all of the different tensions and all the different movements. Seeing butterflies and moths in the corners of my eyes.There’s all of this rich sensory input that I’m experiencing as I’m out here, and this environment feels alive.4. The Environment of Your Work and CallingWhat I’m talking about here is what we involve ourselves with, whether that’s a profession or a hobby. It’s the things we do in the world that are so much a part of our daily life, part of everything we participate in. And they shape us.It shapes you if you like to go kayaking and you do that. It shapes you if you like to do wood carving. It shapes you when you have a business that does construction. Whatever you do, the things you’re intensely involved in in life—it sets an environment.And we talked about this a little bit earlier with the engineer dad. It’s going to change how you approach problems. It’s going to put a certain spin on what kinds of things you’re looking for in life, what kind of problems you try to solve, what kind of solutions you bring to those problems, the things you’re attempting to have in your life, and the kinds of things you’re going to end up doing even when you’re just on your rest time and just wanting to enjoy things and just celebrate.It’s going to come into all of that. It’s going to influence all of that to some degree.5. The Environment of How You RestEven rest and how you rest, how you sleep. You need the things you’re involved with to feed into positive health, to feed into balance to where you have the best of rest, the best of work, and the best of play.The Power Move: You Can Set Your EnvironmentHere’s the power move I want to get into—we are able to set the environment. We’re able to choose our environment.And that’s true even if you’re in prison, even if you’re stuck somewhere you don’t want to be, even if you’re at a dead end job or a place you just can’t get away from.You still have the power over your environment.And there’s a couple different ways.You Always Control Your Internal EnvironmentNumber one, you always have control of the environment of your mind. You always can decide what kinds of thoughts populate there. What kinds of values do you fix yourself on? The things you see as the real aims and what matters in life, what’s important to you.Even something to the extent of your likes and dislikes, what you choose to like, what you choose to dislike. It is actually your choice. It’s not something that just has to happen to you. You can develop a taste for things. You can decide that something is distasteful and stop letting it be part of your life.So that power over the internal environment, how we focus on our life, what we think of it, the kind of narrative that we have—you can look at it all as a tragedy or you can look at it as a comedy, as something to laugh and be excited about and see that it’s going in a positive direction in the end.And that’s completely on us to make that decision.So we have control over the internal environment. And that power allows us to pivot and deal with bad situations in life, deal with external circumstances and things that are not as we would have them be.You Have Some Control Over Physical SpaceNext, we also do have some control of the outside world. You can’t dictate everything. You can’t make everything exactly as you wish, as you want it to be. And that’s not even true of the mind because there’s effort and process and time. And you can’t just force emotions on and off. And there’s work to be done to make your internal world, your internal environment what you want it to be.But the same is true also on this outward environment. We have the ability to remove ourselves from a situation. I removed myself from our office indoors and came out here to enjoy this beautiful sun and breeze and birdsong. And I made that choice to go from there to here.Also, we can decide how we arrange our environment. That room—we’ve done so many different changes to it and it might be due for another change, might be due to set things in a different way that it feels more open, that it feels more free, that it gets things percolating more in our psyche and in our neurons, getting things to feel like we’re not just in a bland and boring and dead space.So you can choose to arrange furniture differently. You can choose to put up posters and things and change out the posters you have. That makes a difference. It makes a difference to clean up clutter, to fix whatever mess might be sitting around.You might think it doesn’t affect you, but it probably actually does. Environment gets to you on this deeper psychological level. It’s in the unconscious. It’s not just all conscious. You’re not fully aware all the time of how things are affecting you that are around you.You Can Choose Your Social EnvironmentOn the third part, we do get to decide what kind of people we have surrounding us all the time.We have decisions about that. We don’t have complete freedom. We can’t just say, “Hey, I want to be friends with rock stars and actors and actresses because those are my people.” We can’t just decide we want to be friends with somebody who’s long gone in the past.But we do get to decide environment, where we are. And where people are is the difference—where are the people we would like to be with as opposed to the people we would rather not be with. We can be in a different room, we can be in a different place.Within the group of people we might need to be with because of the job we’re working at or because of what school we go to or because that’s just the area we live in—that’s where our business is, that’s what we want to have—we have a decision. We can not associate with certain people, no matter how much others think we should have to associate with them.We can still decide when that person is just not healthy for us, when they don’t make things any better for us. When it’s not a mutually beneficial situation and it just creates conflict and issues, we can decide to minimize contact with that person and set boundaries on them. Make sure we’re only taking them in limited doses.And for some people, we don’t even have to take them in any doses at all. We don’t even have to let them into our personal space.So we have a decision here. We can set the environment of what kind of people we have around us because they are very much environment. They are very much the air we’re breathing. What kind of emotions they have all the time, what’s going on with them, what they’re thinking, what they’re criticizing, what they’re against, what they’re for, their values and their priorities work.It’s all exerting a gravity on you, a gravitational pull that’s either aligned with you and aligned with the things you want for your life or it’s against it.And if it’s against it, then you’re carrying that weight and you’re working with that extra twist that gets you off your direction. You don’t understand, you can’t see where you’re going anymore. And that leads to depression, that leads to frustration, leads to a lot of hard to work through feelings and energies lost on what you could be doing, what you really want to do.The environment of people is a thing we should look to control. We should look to minimize contexts where we’re just drained and it takes the life out of us. And we should try to structure our relationships and structure the way we allow people into our life in such a way that it is as beneficial as possible for both parties. That it’s as positive as possible for ourselves and for those we’re connecting with.And that’s good practices for relationships because that’s one of the environments we live in.You Can Choose What You DoWe have to understand and we have to choose an environment where the kind of work we do, where the kinds of things we get engaged in—they’re things that are supportive of the kind of value system we want to have and the life we want to live. The big picture, the big vision.If something makes you toxic, if something constantly steals your joy, then you have to make a decision. Is this something worth keeping? Is this something I should have that I should be doing in my life? Or is this actually something I need to get rid of?And so is it a matter of work and getting things structured properly and being able to let things go in the right time? Or is this just not even for me?And we have to make those decisions. We can’t do everything. You can’t do every hobby in the world. You can’t do every job in the world. You can’t know everything. You can’t participate in everything. We have limited paths that we get to have in a life.So we need to make a decision on what’s the best one for us right now where we’re at in our life. And yeah, again, you do have to commit to things and see things through long enough to know the difference and know if it’s something that works. But we need to be careful of lying to ourselves and saying, “Well, maybe it’ll be better if I just hold on a little bit longer.”And the reality is there’s no intention to really see. There’s no point to escape and to quit. It’s just we’ve become comfortable in that zone. It’s become a norm for us, and now we don’t want to leave anymore.We have to watch out for that. You have to watch out for situations that are just flat-out abusive, are just flat-out toxic. You don’t want to get adjusted to that.For a lot of things, it’s neither here nor there. It’s more so, does it bring out the best in you?And that’s what you need—the environment of your work. That’s what you need—the environment of your hobbies, the things you do, that you play, that you have fun with, even rest and how you rest, how you sleep.The Question to Ask YourselfAre you taking care of your environments? Are you staying aware of how they impact your life?Whether that’s the environment of your mind, the environment of your relationships, the environment of the work or the things you do in your life, the environment of your actual physical space.Are you taking the time to observe and make sure that your environment is clean, that it is beautiful, that it helps you be focused on the thing you’re trying to do in your life at that time you’re in that environment?Some of which is all the time. And if you’re somewhere all the time, then that much more reason why it’s worth taking a step back and making sure that your environment is what you need it to be and that it’s supporting the goals you have for your life. It’s supporting the vision you see for yourself that you want to have achieved in your life.What environment do you need to change? Hit reply and let me know—sometimes just naming it is the first step to fixing it. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theshawndouglasshow.substack.com

Last time, I talked about how external critics can help you identify the voices sabotaging you from the inside. Today, I want to get into the details of what that inner critic is actually doing—and more importantly, how to deal with it.When you take this part of yourself and define it, give it a name—”this is the inner critic”—it provides a degree of separation. It allows you to feel yourself apart from that critical voice inside you. Listen to this episode to learn about how to identify the inner critic, understand its tactics, and finally stop being swept into the self sabotaging cycles that it generates. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theshawndouglasshow.substack.com

Someone recently tore into me for living differently. Called me irresponsible. Said I was wasting my life pursuing a dream of creative work instead of getting a "real job."And you know what? They were right about one thing—I am living differently.But here's what they didn't expect: Their attack became a breakthrough I needed.Because buried in their criticism was something valuable—a clear mirror showing me the voices that have been sabotaging me from the inside. The same voices that are probably sabotaging you right now.I want to share what I've learned about turning your harshest critics—both external and internal—into something useful. About how a shift in perspective can help you see the people trying to tear you down differently. And why the thing that defeats them isn't what you'd expect.If you're tired of second-guessing yourself, tired of letting other people's opinions dictate your choices, tired of that voice in your head that says you're not cut out for the life you actually want—this story's for you.(Author’s Note: This article is the written version of the post’s video. Which is actually the big news I’ve been talking about: I’m starting a podcast! And I’m releasing it early here on Substack before I put it on YouTube or anywhere else!)Photo by kate.sade on UnsplashThe Corporate Burnout That Changed EverythingMy last job as a customer service agent at a sporting goods corporation wasn't great for me. It burnt me out of the corporate scene and showed me that's not my path. It taught me I need to go all out for myself in business, entrepreneurial pursuits, and creative things. I'm not suited for the cubicle lifestyle.The regular-job grind doesn't work for me. I get tired of things once I've learned the basics unless there's a clear path of progression—more things to learn, expand, and gain new skills. Without that opportunity, I burn out fast.I experienced this firsthand when I worked too much overtime. It was the experience that made me say I'd had it. After that, I knew I had to figure out what I'm going to do with my life. I'm not climbing the corporate ladder or doing what everyone else does. I need something that works for me.But here's what I learned from that job—I enjoyed connecting with people. Before that, I had the whole "I hate people" mantra that many say these days. But I learned I liked my customers. We had great conversations.I could defuse them and bring them down from whatever bad mood they were in. Many had good reason to be upset—they'd been on hold for hours. But by the time we finished, we were laughing like old friends. Twenty percent would say, "Do you do radio? You have a voice for radio. You should be doing something with that!" (Oh, well, thank you.)I'd say, "This is what I'm doing for now."Rediscovering What I'd Always LovedI got burned out doing that job. I became disgusted with the entire thing.So I took a sabbatical. I spent time soul searching, trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, what I'm here for.I kept coming back to what I've always loved: creating content—audio, video, images, and writing. My dad had me using Adobe Photoshop on our old Macintosh computers in the '90s when I was 7 years old and into the ‘00s. I played with Photoshop add-on filters (KPT 3 filters for those who remember), Bryce, Poser, and other software. I had fun with that stuff. He also enlisted my help to transfer files to him from his home office when he was at his job as well as other technical assistant-type work.I had older software too—a precursor to today's DAWs. Using that application (we didn’t call them apps yet) I played with sound and scripting. I would grab my grandpa when he was visiting and have him record little shows with me on the beige mic that sat on the beige monitor on top of the beige Mac. There was a lot of beige back then.A picture of the same model I grew up on: The Apple Macintosh Performa 6320CDWe also had this game called Hollywood that came with the computer. It made you into a sort of digital director and producer using cartoon characters that you could script to make short movie skits. It used the early Macintosh text-to-speech technology, which was way ahead of its time. I was fascinated with using all of the effects, facial expressions, character movements, and voices to create my own little stories. I tended toward comedy, sci-fi, and drama mostly.Yet even after all that fun and creativity, I fell into the same rhythm everyone else does. You have to work a job, find something solid, get an income. That's all there is. So I forgot about those things I loved as a kid.But I ended up in a podcast because friends invited me as a guest. After that, they asked, "How would you like to be our third founding member?"I said sure because it was fun and reminded me of something. Over time, I realized this is what I was doing as a kid, now as an adult.I eventually became the podcast's editor and one of the founding members. I had a lot of faith in where we were going with the show. I even joked that we could beat Joe Rogan! But over time, the dynamic changed and I realized it wasn't the right fit for me. I didn't step away well — I quiet-quit and avoided some of the hard conversations, which I still partly regret.The Hero's Journey We're All OnWe're all on this hero's journey, discovering who we are and what we're meant to produce in the world. The hero's journey means getting out into the unknown, leaving what was familiar, finding answers, and bringing a solution back.On this journey, we encounter enemies, allies, and tests.Enemies can be useful. They help us understand what we're up against. They help us deal with the voices inside us—the excuses, arguments, things saying we're wrong. Our enemies flesh out those arguments and ideas inside us that conflict with our vision and what we want in life.They're doing us a favor.Photo by David Clode on UnsplashWhen Someone Attacks Your LifestyleMy wife and I had a recent incident where a lady was dogging us for our lifestyle, slamming us for what she thought we should do differently. She thought we were irresponsible, getting all over us because we weren't being "normal."Sure, we're not massively successful right now. We're not world renowned for our content creating (not yet, that is). We're in a less than perfect position, but we're happy. Yes, we have things we want to do that we can't yet, but we're getting somewhere. We feel it and know we're doing what we're meant to do.It's not all about money or everyone's approval. What we do, we do because we love it and it matters to us. Yes, it needs to be sustainable. We need to gain enough traction and figure out the finances. But sometimes there are leaps of faith and risks to take. Sometimes we pursue something for a long time when it doesn't make sense to others.And when someone decides to get loud in your face, challenging your whole direction… You've found the person who voices the doubts and fears you're already dealing with in your head. That's hard at first. It hurts. Yet it also helps you identify the place in yourself where those words land so that you can fortify it. The part of you that resonates with those words is actually the greater enemy.Why Rest is WarfareAfter recognizing the enemy, the next step is learning how to effectively fight them.Well in this case, rest is the most effective form of warfare. What do I mean?Your enemies will push you and work on you. They'll worry you, torment you, try to get you to quit doing what you know you need to do. They'll get into your head and make you feel what you're trying to do is impossible. They'll undermine and discourage you.Enemies try to discourage you. They redirect and misdirect you to things you're not made for, things that won't work for you.They want you in chaos, where your mind is all over the place, bouncing around, worried, unable to focus on what you're meant to do.It's like psychological warfare in boxing or MMA—trying to get in the other guy's head so he can't focus and fight smart. He gets upset, disturbed, confused, and it's the same in life.Rest is warfare, a weapon against that stuff, because that's what they don't want you to do. They don't want you to calm down and think things through. They don't want you taking time to enjoy what you're doing and think about the big picture.They want you frantic and frenetic, losing your mind over the stuff they're seeding—things to get scared and upset about.That's the last thing you want. Because desperation, fear, anxiety, panic, depression, and anger don't help when you want to be creative. They don't help when you're solving problems.Learning to RestI have to admit that rest has been difficult for me. It's not easy, and I'm still learning. But we need rhythms in life. You can't go constantly and never stop. It’s not good to go insane with constant productivity, never stopping to reflect, think, and meditate.You need to connect with God, the universe, nature, friends, family, yourself. You need times to check in with yourself.One concrete practice that's helped us is two-way journaling: write a short letter to God (or to whatever inner authority you use), then sit quietly and listen. After you write, wait and note any impressions, images, or phrases that come back—treat them like a response. Sometimes it's silence; other times surprising clarity or direction drops into your mind. For us, that pause-and-listen habit has been a reliable way to get grounded and hear what to do next.If you work for yourself, if you're a creator doing things your own way, it's tempting to never stop working. If your office is your home and your home is your office, it's difficult to ever stop working because your brain automatically thinks, "What else can I do? I should be doing this over here or that over there."It's hard to stop and relax.The thinking you do in rest time, when you're calm and focused on something you're enjoying, or letting yourself pick up sensory input, or sleeping—that's refueling, refreshing, giving you something to work with.There has to be balance. You can't just watch TV constantly or get caught up in binging shorts and TikToks. You need to do something with what you're putting into you. So you want good quality fuel.For example, do you want a car with half nasty rain water and half gasoline in the tank, or would you prefer a car filled with premium, high-octane fuel? Which car works better?Photo by jaikishan patel on UnsplashThe Questions You Need to AskTo conclude this article, I want to leave you with a few thoughts. Think for yourself: Who are my enemies? What things are being said that undermine my confidence, make me feel less, make me doubt I can do what I want in life?Second, am I sure about these things? When you take those voices out, do I believe in this? Is this something I know was meant for me?Do your journaling, take time to think it through. Sometimes they're testing your conviction, helping you realize if this is your thing or if you fell in love with an idea that's not right.But reaffirm yourself. Think about why you are where you are, what this is about, what's the vision? Why did you start this? Is this something you want for your life? Is it worth the cost, whether or not you're successful—just doing the thing itself?If the answer is yes, then you don't need to worry about what others are saying and thinking. You need to get in touch with that inner critic, that voice inside your head, that inner self-saboteur. Put them in their place.What voices are you listening to in your creative journey? Hit reply and let me know—because sometimes we need to remember we're not as alone in this as we think.Thanks for reading and/or listening! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit theshawndouglasshow.substack.com