I AM Positive, This Sucks
Feb 25, 2025
NOT feeling what you want to feel when you want to feel it sucks!
My morning coaching session kicked off as most client sessions do, me asking “What do you want to leave this session with today?”
My client’s response was adamant.
“Positivity."
"I feel negative— negative about pointless meetings, others' progress, my own judgments about their progress, a project that flopped, and being out of sync with my routine. Every thought is negative. I'm trying to think positive."
Telling yourself to think positive in the immersion of negative thoughts is like trying to cut through the dense fog of negativity with a machete of wishful thinking. Been there, done that - didn't end well.π
Raise your hand if you've ever been there? ππΌβοΈBy ‘there’ I mean…
(1) Experiencing a feeling you prefer not to feel like negativity, boredom, agitation…
(2) Wanting to NOT feel what you are experiencing and try to “rid it” by focusing on how you don't want to feel, only to feel it come back stronger like dousing your being with cold ice water. π₯ΆπͺΌ
The truth?
Trying to push away unwanted emotions often backfires. It’s like telling yourself you don’t want coffee while standing in a café, inhaling the rich aroma as the sharp, dark kiss of roasted beans claws its way into your senses. The more you resist, the stronger the pull.
Trying to push away unwanted emotions often backfires. It’s like telling yourself you don’t want coffee while standing in a café, inhaling the rich aroma as the sharp, dark kiss of roasted beans claws its way into your senses. The more you resist, the stronger the pull.
The key to a positive mindset isn’t forcing positivity - it’s acknowledging negativity.
When you stop resisting and get curious, emotions lose their grip.
My client realized his negativity was actually his intuition nudging him to take action. He had been attending early morning leadership meetings because his well-respected mentor advised it. He wasn't seeing the results like his mentor had because it wasn't aligned with his authentic leadership style, and knew he needed to give up the meetings. He feared disappointing his mentor. Hence, accumulated negativity.
Simultaneously, as change would have it, he came to the conclusion it was time to adjust his morning routine. What worked to get him to where he is, is no longer working to get him to his next level self.
This is a beautiful example how feeling negative, acknowledging it, and leveraging it for what it truly is helped him shift his mindset.
Next time negativity hits, try this:
1οΈβ£ Acknowledge it without judgment.
2οΈβ£ Ask: What is this emotion telling me?
3οΈβ£ Decide: What next? Stay where you are or shift forward?
1οΈβ£ Acknowledge it without judgment.
2οΈβ£ Ask: What is this emotion telling me?
3οΈβ£ Decide: What next? Stay where you are or shift forward?
Feeling negative, or any unwanted emotion, is a part of the magical spectrum of being human. It’s part of the human experience. When you listen, you gain clarity, momentum, and sometimes even… positivity. π
Looking for simple ways to navigate through feeling any unwanted emotion - let's talk.
π Book your free consult here.
π Book your free consult here.
