Fit for Life: Accentuate the Positive - Eliminate the Negative

Monday, May 29, 2017
Matt Espeut, GoLocalPDX Health +Lifestyle Contributor

A few months ago, I hired a sales consultant to help me and my team structure my sales process. As I stated in the past, and continue to admit…. we all need coaches on different levels, to help us get to where we want to be, regardless if its fitness, business, or on a personal level.

Every week, my consultant either meets with me personally, or I go to his group workshop, and discuss strategies with other professionals in different industries. This is helpful, because everyone has similar struggles, and it is nice to talk about them openly, and discuss solutions to some of the issues we all encounter. Every week the group starts with "good news” where we go around the room and talk about the good things we recently encountered. That’s it! Just the good news. We don’t talk about the negative things at this point, because the boss wants to get the workshop off on a positive note. 

Last week someone asked, “why do we start with good news”? And his answer was…because the suck factor is everywhere, and it’s too easy to talk negative, so we are going to shine the light on the positive, and understand that behind every suck item, there is something good, and we can find it easily if we start looking in the right direction.

Then I started listening, taking notes, and drawing conclusions in my head, and I realized that it doesn’t take any more energy to find the good in things than it takes to find the negative. Actually, it costs us energy to think negative, and positive thoughts give us energy.

Then this all got confirmed in a book I am currently reading. In one chapter, it states that a person in a positive emotional state has more mental capacity, better decision making capability, and increased receptiveness when performing tasks. Whereas someone in a negative emotional state is more cynical in their decision making, causing their ideas and beliefs to go against their and your best interests. Now I know it isn’t always possible to be in a good mood when the suck factor is in high gear, but if you try, you might succeed. 

Here are some suck factors that can be turned around:

Going to the gym at 5 a.m. could suck when the alarm goes off first thing in the morning, but you are going to feel fantastic after. You are going to do something that will earn you a positive return on your time and energy, promote great health, leave you feeling accomplished, and on your way to a better you. Don’t look at the task, see the result, and instead of looking at it as “it sucks to get up early, see it as I will get my workout done and feel great before 3/4 of the population even wakes up.

Going to work for some folks sucks, so they dread going in every day. But what if these folks lost their jobs, and didn’t have any income? What if your job was washing windows on skyscrapers? Remember if you do something under your own power, and nobody is forcing you at gun point, you don’t HAVE to be there, so try to make the best of it and look for some good. It can always be better, but it can also be worse. (remember the show “dirty jobs”?) And if your job is that bad, quit and find a new one. Nothing will change until you do.

Summer high school football practice can suck. When it's 90 degrees, and you can barely breathe outside, the thought of working out sucks. But I told the kids I coach last year that they didn’t HAVE to be here, they GET to be here. If you were in a third world country, they wouldn’t have organized sports. If you do well on the field, you will get the opportunity to go to college. If you were locked up in the training school, you wouldn’t have this opportunity. I tell them that playing football is a privilege and they don’t HAVE to play.

The day from hell. I love it when someone says, “what a crazy day” or "I had the day from hell”. I ask, “what went wrong? Did something happen? Was there a fire, car crash? Did someone die? What was so crazy or why were you in hell? Then after they tell me about their day, they realize getting stuck in traffic and losing their car keys wasn’t so bad.

What I am saying is that every situation can have a positive spin. Unless you are a completely negative person, and you choose to find fault with everything, you can always find a silver lining in every dark cloud. Negative people will find a problem for every solution. Think about that.  No matter how fun or exciting a task you are doing or are going to do, a negative person will find a problem with it.

Installing a new swimming pool? A negative person will tell you that your insurance will increase, it’s a waste of money, or someone will drown to death. Going on vacation to another country? Not them. Too much malaria, kidnapping, and food poisoning in other countries. Tell them you’re going to the gym, they’ll tell you that you could get hurt. Buying furniture? The place you are buying from is going to rip you off. Eating out? Too expensive, and I heard that place wasn’t good. Going for a drive? Your car may break down and you could get a flat. Watching the Superbowl? Athletes are overpaid, and the game is fixed.

So do you see how easy it is to get mixed up in the negative bullshit that surrounds us every day? It’s best to stay away from negative thoughts and people as much as you can, because these people and thoughts will bring you down. Instead, find solutions and stop looking for problems.

The good stuff is there, and if it’s not, you can create some good vibes to energize you. Hold the door for someone. Nine out of 10 times you will get a thank you and that will feel good. That other one time when somebody doesn't thank you it's because they have stuff going on in their life and it's probably worse than yours so don't take it personally. Say hello and smile. You won’t get until you give.

Start today

Whenever something or someone throws a negative twist at you, put a positive spin on it. If a problem arises, don’t dwell on the problem, find a solution ASAP. Car breaks down, call Uber, and figure out a solution, don’t dwell on the fact that your car isn’t working. Stuff happens, get over it and move on. Complaining won’t solve anything. When something sucks, find something positive about the situation, and as always, we need to put things in perspective. Rate your problems. Are they first world problems, like losing power, or are they third world problems, like your kids dying from starvation, or incurable disease. Chances are your suck factor doesn’t suck too much after all.

Matt Espeut, GoLocal's Health & Lifestyle Contributor has been a personal trainer and health & fitnesss consultant for over 25 years.