Blog

I loathe forced positivity, or hollow advice to “think positive”. It doesn’t really work, have you noticed? Too often, forcing positivity when you’re stressed just creates failure and frustration.

Instead, the most effective thing I can think of as we socially distance and manage the anxiety of this corona pandemic is to live in the NOW. Right now, so this very second becomes your only focus. When you’re truly present, then you can introduce positive thoughts, ideas and feelings. Choose them deliberately and authentically. Find music you love, focus on your beloved pet or loved one, or a place you find safe and comfortable. Then, authentic positivity becomes more available.

Since no one can truly predict the future, or control outside events, driving yourself nuts with fear is utterly useless—and you have the power to try something else. Choose to focus in on only now, imagine your spirit/energy/whatever you want to call it, surging strong, and remember all the things that you love, which can give you an immediate sense of joy no matter what’s on your Twitter feed.

Try it, just for 5 minutes, right now. (Or you can freak out, imagine the worst outcomes, and turn into a crazed beast, which won’t make things better, not even a little bit). Try focus on the now, right now. Reach out to support others, or ask for help if you need it. Download my free eBook, or get in touch with me here. Be safe and well, and in the now.

This feature story originally appeared on the SWIHA website:

Mitch Rustad’s journey to becoming a Life Coach was a natural evolution of his passion for personal development and transformation. After a profound experience helping a close friend navigate a severe life crisis, he was inspired to take his interest a step further and pursue an education at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.

“I thought it was time to get some formal training and put my personal passions and communications skills to work,” Mitch explains, “I loved the idea of helping others break negative patterns and ‘get out of their own way.’ I now use that phrase on my business cards and that sums up what the work is all about.”

Mitch has served clients from all walks of life and has observed that everyone’s blocks, or what keeps them stuck, are similar: “It doesn’t matter if you’re single, married, widowed, straight, gay or younger or older. We’re all the same, and we all ultimately want to experience the same things – happiness, harmony, love and abundance. “

His favorite way to start a meaningful dialogue in his sessions is through the use of the “More or Less” tool, where clients list things they’d like more of in their life and things they’d like less of and identify the connection between the two.

“It’s super simple for even skeptical people to grasp and dive into,” he says, “and it makes the road going forward much clearer. In my experience, often people are initially intimidated or skeptical, and this helps them drop their guard and start talking about their life and goals. It immediately opens doors that have been closed for people who never gave themselves permission to dream outside the box.”

Mitch shares this story with us: “I coached a close friend through a personal and professional impasse, which was the most challenging experience I’ve ever had. Despite severe negative blocks and procrastination, we ended up making tremendous progress and profound transformations. It’s because of this experience I know that almost anything is possible and no situation is hopeless if someone’s willing to open up to positive change.”

Life Coaching hasn’t just advanced Mitch professionally; it’s also helped him on a deeply personal level.  He says he comes away from every session with a client feeling like he’s benefited from the experience as well.

“It’s really helped me focus and create real-world changes in myself and others I’ve worked with and to believe profound change is not only possible, it’s inevitable, with this work,” he tells us, “if you’re inspired or intrigued by the idea of Life Coaching, take an introductory class. Do it first and foremost for yourself, because the courses at SWIHA are as much about your own personal growth as about the skills you learn. Open up to the possibilities, have fun, and see where it leads you — to surprising places, I’m willing to bet!”

To register for your free 30-minute consult, go HERE.

It’s no secret that Twitter can be a toxic landmine of hate and misinformation, but it can also be speckled with insightful (and ultimately inspiring) threads like THIS – which basically surmises that happy people talk more about what they LIKE in life, as opposed to what they hate. As I read it, I found myself shouting inside, ‘yes, exactly!’

This thread is about observing happy people in Japan, but I’d say it’s pretty universal. I also realized this epitomizes what coaching is essentially all about: A daily practice of interrupting any habitual negativity, and re-focusing on what you WANT, rather than what you DON’T want. Simple, right?

If it were that simple, of course, everyone would be happy and living their dream life. I’m also reminded of what the amazing Esther Hicks has said so often said in her seminars and on YouTube (I’ll paraphrase): “Stop beating the drum of what you don’t want!” As this Twitter thread points out, negativity is almost an epidemic in America right now. What can we all do about it?

So let’s agree, we CAN start doing something, if we want to. But how often have we been caught up in complaining about what (or who) we hate, over and over again? What exactly does that accomplish?

I can hear many of you (myself included at times) saying ‘But it’s true! Look at everything there is to be negative about!’ No arguments here. But focusing on what’s wrong is ultimately a choice, and invariably results in stress and unhappiness. Not fun, not healthy, not useful. What if you deliberately focused on what you WANT to have, right now, for the next hour? Or day or week? What do you think would happen?

If you want better health, more inner calm and fulfillment, make that your focus right this second – choose to disconnect from that tedious (but often addictive, I’ll admit) chat room of discontent, and immerse yourself in good feelings of having what you want– which is often right here, ready and waiting for you, but we can’t see it because…we’re too consumed by what we hate! Do any of us want to spend another day looping in that dead-end pattern?

This leads right into of another mantra I love – it’s time to get out of your own way.

So here’s one practical step to get you started: Write down three things you dearly WANT — better health, a job you love, more calm, etc. — and focus on them throughout the day. Look at them often. Play around, feel as if you already have it, experience that fun, eager, happy feeling of the end result. You’ll feel better, so try it!

While thinking of a way to conclude this blog, I stumbled upon this Tweet, which is a fantastic reminder of why focusing on what you WANT really matters.

So immerse yourself on focus more often on things you want. Stop complaining. Watch inspiring videos, share funny Tweets, support a worthy cause or start working with a life coach. Do whatever feels right to you, and watch how your life starts to change for the better.