The 4 Gifts of Joy
Neal & Carly Samudre
“ You should go to therapy .”
Carly and I were at the tail end of an argument in our kitchen when she dropped this bombshell . We ’ d been in this argument before : I would feel pressure in my business and want to talk about it with Carly . She would feel helpless and stuck about how to advise me , and I would get mad at her for tuning out . Carly didn ’ t know of a way to get past this issue besides asking for help .
You ’ d think being married to a therapist would make me more open to therapy . It didn ’ t . I had no desire to sit in the office of a stranger and admit something was wrong .
But I also knew she was right . I was unhappy , frustrated , and stuck , and I didn ’ t know why .
On the surface , I had everything that should have made me happy . I had a successful business , and I ’ d achieved my goals for the year . I ’ d tripled my income , and I had a steady flow of clients . I had a wife who was able to freely explore her passions and callings . I was able to provide for our family . I tried to tell myself those trophies were proof that I didn ’ t need help . But after a few months of pretending nothing was wrong , I finally caved and scheduled an appointment .
As I sat in the waiting room to see a therapist named Myron , I stared at my feet , my phone , and the carpet , trying to prepare myself for what would take place behind that door . Did I
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