In today’s episode, we cover the value of sorrow and longing with Susan Cain. Susan is the author of the Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, and her newest book Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole is focused on sorrow and longing as inspiration to experience sublime emotions opposed to the constant positivity expected by society.  Modern society reinforces the idea that we should strive to be positive in everything we do, but is positivity always better for you, why do we then seek forms of entertainment that evoke feelings like sadness, and how should we treat these emotions that society tells us we need to dismiss or get over? What to Listen For Introduction – 0:00 Is there a link between creativity and melancholy? What is the difference between melancholy and depression and why does one support creativity while the other suppresses it? Why are we drawn to entertainment that evokes sadness – 15:21  What is it about sadness and beauty that we are drawn to? Why is it important to have a creative outlet for our emotions and what consequences do we risk by not pursuing a healthy outlet? What is the best way to process grief? What can leaders do to provide a healthy work environment – 29:48 What can you do to support your employees to minimize the chances of burnout and poor productivity? How do you figure out what you want to do with your life – 39:00 What should you do if you’re worried about hitting the milestones everyone expects of you (career, marriage, house, kids, etc)? How to figure out what you want to do with your life? The state of introversion vs extraversion – 49:12 What has changed in society with respect to understanding and empowering introverts? It’s important to take care of our mental health and process our emotions in a healthy way. It’s also crucial that we don’t shy away from the things that make us feel sad or down. There is something powerful and beautiful about sadness, and when we allow ourselves to explore it we can often find new ways of looking at the world and new sources of inspiration.  A Word From Our Sponsors Do you LOVE the toolbox episodes? Did you know that every week we give a LIVE mini-toolbox lesson inside our Private Facebook Group? Best of all it is FREE to join. Join today and get access to all of our live training and level up your communication, leadership, influence and persuasion skills. With 14,000 members it’s a great place to network, learn and overcome any obstacle that’s in your way. Did you know that you can get the whole Art of Charm catalog when you subscribe to Stitcher Premium using our link? That’s 15 years of podcasts featuring expert guests and toolbox episodes! Sign up today and use Code “CHARM” to get a free month! Running out of things to say in conversation… and still struggling to get people interested in you? That’s an uncomfortable position to be in. Don’t want to risk getting tongue-tied and screwing things up the next time you meet someone? Check out Conversation Magic now to make sure you don't crash and burn. With our bulletproof formula, you'll be flirting up a storm, sparking fun and engaging conversations, and making high-value friends anywhere! Resources from this Episode Bittersweet: How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole by Susan Cain Susan Cain’s website The power of introverts | Susan Cain TED Talk Check in with AJ and Johnny! AJ on Instagram Johnny on Instagram The Art of Charm on Instagram The Art of Charm on YouTube Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices