Episode Overview:

In this episode of 5 Year You, Andrew and Catherine explore the challenges of letting go of relationships that no longer align with your personal growth. They share insights on how personal development can create shifts in your circle of friends, family, and colleagues and discuss the concept of “raising your vibration.” The hosts dive deep into setting boundaries, understanding the sunk cost fallacy in relationships, and recognizing when it’s time to create space for new connections. With empathy and honesty, they provide practical advice on navigating these changes while staying true to yourself.

Key Topics Covered:

• Why Letting Go is Necessary: Andrew explains how growth can naturally lead to shifts in relationships and why it’s okay for not everyone to stay in your life forever.
• Raising Your Vibration: Catherine describes how personal growth changes the energy you bring to relationships and attracts people aligned with your values.
• Boundaries and Pushback: The importance of setting boundaries and recognizing who supports your growth versus who resists it.
• Sunk Cost Fallacy in Relationships: Why time invested in a friendship or relationship doesn’t mean you have to keep it if it’s no longer serving you.
• Making Space for New Connections: Practical ways to create room for relationships that align with your authentic self.

Actionable Steps for Listeners:

1. Evaluate Your Relationships: Reflect on the five people you spend the most time with. Do they uplift you, or do they hold you back?
2. Set Boundaries: Practice saying no to behaviors or requests that don’t align with your growth.
3. Make Room for Growth: Consider creating space for new connections by reducing time spent with negative influences.
4. Embrace Contrast: Use challenging relationships as lessons to better understand what you value and need in your life.
5. Focus on Your Journey: Trust that as you grow, the right people will naturally be drawn to your energy and purpose.

Quotes:

Catherine’s Aha Moments:

• "Some people are meant to come into your life for a season, to teach you a lesson, but not to stay forever."
• "You can’t control other people’s journeys, only your own, so focus on being true to your authentic self."
• "Raising your vibration doesn’t mean cutting people off—it means attracting what aligns with who you’re becoming."
• "Negative comments are always about the person saying them, not you."
• "Living authentically is the best way to attract your tribe and find fulfilling relationships."

Andrew’s Aha Moments:

• "You only have so much space in your life—choose wisely who gets to share it with you."
• "Letting go of toxic relationships is not about rejection, it’s about making room for the right connections."
• "You’re an amalgam of the five people you spend the most time with—surround yourself with those who lift you up."
• "Raising your vibration means changing how you approach life and relationships—and the right people will follow."
• "No one can make you feel a certain way without your permission."

Glimmers of the Week:

• Andrew: Looking forward to a family trip to Nashville to enjoy BBQ, a hockey game, and a visit to the Grand Ole Opry.
• Catherine: Excited about her progress on Duolingo, learning French as a beginner and enjoying the journey of embracing imperfection.

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Overview:

In this episode of 5 Year You, Andrew and Catherine tackle the deeply personal and universal topic of self-worth. They discuss the pervasive feeling of “not being good enough” that so many people experience, particularly in high-achievement cultures. The hosts reflect on how upbringing, societal pressures, and personal expectations often feed into this feeling and share insights on how to counteract it with self-compassion. This conversation offers practical steps for building a more positive relationship with yourself, embracing self-worth, and learning to be “good enough” in a world that often tells us otherwise.

Key Topics Covered:

• The Roots of Feeling "Not Good Enough": Andrew and Catherine share their personal experiences with self-doubt and how societal pressures can perpetuate this feeling.
• Parenting and Self-Worth: Catherine discusses her approach to instilling self-worth in her children, emphasizing effort over results to prevent linking achievement with worth.
• Breaking the Cycle of Overachievement: Andrew and Catherine reflect on how being workaholics and perfectionists has impacted their lives and led them to reframe their approach to success.
• Social Media and Comparison: Catherine shares tips on curating your social media feed to avoid triggers of self-doubt and focus on accounts that inspire personal growth.
• Creating Self-Affirming Habits: Practical advice on fostering habits that reinforce self-worth, such as acknowledging small wins and treating yourself with kindness.

Actionable Steps for Listeners:

1. Unfollow Negative Influences: Curate your social media feed to eliminate accounts that make you feel inadequate and replace them with content that promotes self-love and positivity.
2. Acknowledge Small Wins: Make it a habit to recognize and celebrate even minor accomplishments, helping to build a more positive self-view.
3. Prioritize Self-Care Over Productivity: Shift focus from constant achievement to self-care activities, like resting when needed and embracing activities that bring joy.
4. Surround Yourself with Positivity: Choose friends, media, and activities that uplift you and remind you of your inherent worth.

Quotes:

Catherine’s Aha Moments:

• "You were born worthy, and nothing you do or don’t do changes that."
• "Self-worth isn’t about what you accomplish; it’s about embracing who you are, flaws and all."
• "When you feel not enough, it’s often because you’re measuring yourself by someone else’s yardstick."
• "The path to feeling good enough starts with quieting the outside noise and listening to your own voice."
• "Social media should be a place of inspiration, not comparison. Follow people who lift you up, not make you feel small."

Andrew’s Aha Moments:

• "Feeling good enough starts with how you treat yourself and recognizing the value in who you are, not just in what you achieve."
• "Success isn’t a measure of worth—it’s simply one part of the journey to being your authentic self."
• "When you prioritize self-care over productivity, you’re telling yourself, ‘I matter beyond what I can do for others.’"
• "The constant need to prove ourselves keeps us from appreciating who we already are."
• "Every time you celebrate a small win, you’re rewiring your mind to see that you are, and always have been, enough."

Glimmers of the Week:

• Catherine: Discovered a new gluten-free bakery with delicious treats that bring joy to her and make her feel great about nourishing...

• Overcomplicating vs. Simplifying: Andrew shares his tendency to overcomplicate tasks and Catherine highlights how simplifying makes things more manageable, using examples from her own life, like cooking with fewer ingredients.
• Simplifying Finances: Both hosts talk about how simplifying finances—through consolidating debt and reducing budget categories—can bring mental relief and make life easier to manage.
• Creating a Simple Home Environment: Catherine shares her experience downsizing to an apartment and how reducing household responsibilities, like yard work and bill payments, gave her more peace of mind.
• Simplifying Health Goals: Andrew and Catherine discuss how simplifying their diets and workout routines helped them lose weight and improve their health without overcomplicating the process.
• The Mental Benefits of Simplifying: They explain how simplifying various aspects of life can lead to more time, energy, and mental clarity for the things that truly matter.

1. Pick One Area to Simplify: Whether it's your finances, your diet, or your home environment, choose one area to focus on first, and simplify it step by step.
2. Identify What’s Essential: Take a look at your daily routine or your budget and identify the few things that matter most. Let go of what’s not essential.
3. Practice Letting Go: Simplifying often means removing things, whether it's physical clutter or mental clutter. Start practicing letting go of things that don’t serve you anymore.
4. Embrace Empty Space: Once you simplify, resist the urge to fill the new space with more stuff. Instead, enjoy the calm that comes with less.

• "Simplifying is the act of removing the unnecessary so you can enjoy the essential more." – Andrew Dewar
• "It’s about the feeling you get at the end, that sense of exhale when you have more space in your life." – Catherine Collins

• Catherine: Enjoying the simplicity of a few thoughtful purchases for her shower, courtesy of a birthday gift card from her parents, which has brought her unexpected joy.
• Andrew: Excited about his new CIRCUL ring, which tracks his energy and stress levels throughout the day, helping him understand his body better.

• CIRCUL Ring – A wearable that tracks energy and stress levels, among other health metrics.
• Opal App – A phone app that helps block distractions and reduce screen time.

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