Clive on the My Sober Addiction Podcast with Matt Stevens
When life feels overwhelming, most advice either overcomplicates or oversimplifies things. But in this quietly powerful conversation between Clive and Matt Stevens, we’re reminded that real change usually starts somewhere small, like returning a late library book, or finally doing the washing up.
This episode of My Sober Addiction explores addiction, motivation, emotional baggage, and how we can begin rebuilding our lives by changing our relationship with the ordinary.
🧠 Big Ideas from the Episode
Addiction isn’t just about substances, it’s often a response to overwhelm, avoidance, or the absence of meaningful connection.
Avoidance costs more energy than action. Whether it’s a bill, a boundary, or a conversation, the things we put off drain us in the background.
Progress starts in the mundane. The dopamine hit we chase through scrolling or drinking? We can retrain our brains to get it from real-life tasks, even washing the dishes.
Emotional clutter is like having too many browser tabs open. Start closing them, one by one. Even acceptance counts as resolution.
You don’t have to change everything. Just start with one thing, one drawer, one run, one truth, one kind act, and let it ripple outward.
🔟 Ten Ways to Build Motivation When Life Feels Tough
Seek Support & Connection
Conversations, podcasts, and community lift your energy and reduce isolation.Develop Self-Awareness & Manage Emotions
Notice your habits and emotional defaults without judgement.Embrace a Positive Mindset
Shift perspective, even a few degrees, and your whole trajectory changes.Stay Active & Engaged
Movement fuels motivation. Small steps are enough to start.Learn From Challenges & Persevere
Reflect. Adjust. Keep showing up.Seek Professional Guidance When Needed
Therapy helps. But so can a good, honest friend.Educate Yourself & Others
Growth compounds when shared.Practice Gratitude
Start with what’s already working, however small.Create a Supportive Environment
Boundaries, habits, space. They matter.Celebrate Milestones
Be proud of the progress. You’ve earned it.
✨ Final Thought:
You don’t need to fix everything. You just need to start somewhere small and true, and do it consistently enough that your future self can say thank you. Whether you’re facing addiction, low energy, a creative block, or just a messy kitchen, the next step isn’t as far away as it feels.
You’re not behind. You’re not broken. You’re building something, and that matters.
Desiderata: Original Text
This is the original text from the book where Desiderata was first published.
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
by Max Ehrmann ©1927
