realigning with radical optimism

Positivity isn't always easy, but it's always a good idea!

Hey there! It’s Daniel here and today is one of those days where I’m writing to you but it’s also for me; sometimes I’ve got to express things that I actually need to hear.

I’ll be real with you: my energy has been all over the place lately. I’ve had many moments where it’s been tricky to stay positive (being an entrepreneur really kicks the $#!% out of you on the regular), and have been tempted to throw a personal pity party a few too many times.

One thing I’ve learned for sure is that, even though times can feel tough, I do veer more towards my natural state of optimism which, in this current world, is a radical concept. I’m grateful that, these days, my highs last longer than my lows. I might dip down to the depths of despair once in a while, but positivity reigns in my existence.

The power of positive thinking is legit. It’s challenging to maintain, but I think it’s the best option – mainly because the alternative absolutely sucks. Let’s get into it…


the problem with pessimism

Some people may believe positive thinking is overrated, or that it lacks the as-advertised power we’ve all heard of – but optimism is simply an attitude that needs to be practiced in order to be powerful.

Cause here’s the thing is, if you’re not optimistic, you’re pessimistic – and if you want to get anywhere in life, pessimism is a pretty f’n terrible strategy.

Can you think of any successful stories where people have a nasty attitude toward the life they’re living and somehow things magically work themselves out? I’ll wait.

When it comes to living your best life, pessimism is laziness. It’s like it takes too much effort for your mind or your heart to focus on good thoughts and feelings. Let’s be honest, when we’re feeling too lazy to feel good and we’re drowning in hopelessness, it’s more than likely that we’re probably just tired.

Think about how much better you feel when you’re properly recharged. Things feel less overwhelming and somehow everything is figureoutable.  

Then there’s the attitude of being “cautiously optimistic” which is basically just a cop-out; a lack of confidence and an unwillingness to invest in the possibility of a positive outcome. It’s a safety mechanism because we don’t want to get our hearts broken if things don’t turn out the way we hope.

But here’s the deal, if you maintain a sense of radical optimism, your brain is more likely to focus on the things that are working, and the consistency you put into feeling good creates longer stretches of feeling good.

The truth is, there is great power in the perseverance of positivity.

We’re always going to dip into those states of “blech” – but we don’t have to live there. The trick is to feel the feeling – no matter how $#!%ty it feels – with the underlying knowledge that you can find your way to the other side of it. If you have breath and a brain, you have the tools to pivot your pessimism and get back to the good feeling.


clarity through contrast

In those moments where we feel like we’re getting dragged behind the struggle bus, it’s tough to see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s why it’s important to remember that as we grow and expand, life shows us what’s possible through contrast.

When we feel overwhelmed, we’d much rather feel free and easy breezy (or at least the regular amount of whelmed) but these moments in the valleys help us appreciate the peaks.

Yes, it sucks when we’re trudging through the muddy parts of life, but if we didn’t know the struggle we wouldn’t appreciate the ease. If we didn’t learn scarcity we wouldn’t understand abundance. We would never know the light without experiencing the dark.

While the moments that feel yucky are not nice to be in, they let us know how we don’t want to feel, and that is extremely useful data. If we know what we don’t want, it helps us clarify what we do want.


get back to gratitude

The best tool in the world to ease yourself back into a state of optimism is gratitude. When you focus on what brings you joy, what’s working in your life, and what you deeply appreciate, it’s much harder – if not impossible – to feel funky.

Gratitude is a free resource for feeling good. Look at what’s going well. Appreciate the roof over your head. Focus on the fact that you’re alive and breathing. There’s always something to be grateful for. Millions of people have gratitude journals for a reason!

It’s also important to lean on the support of family or friends. If you’re like me, it doesn’t feel great taking your problems or $#!%ty feelings to someone you care about, but when our vibe or perspective is a bit off sometimes we need help… and that’s okay!

Yesterday I called Steve at home and just said “I’m struggling” and vented a bit about my worries. He reminded me we were in this together, that he has my back. He pumped my tires, then came to the studio to cover me so I could get some work done to feel better. I’m grateful that Steve and I can realign each other when one of us is off.

We all need a support system. We’re raised when we’re children, and we still need to be raised as adults. We don’t stop needing people who can lift us up, support us and let us know that everything’s going to be okay. The sun’ll come out tomorrow and all that…

I also lean on the support of Vortex to get back to my naturally optimistic self. Whenever my nervous system is shot or I’m feeling like life is kicking me a little too hard in the @$$ I have a whole studio full of opportunities to reset and recharge.

So let’s keep training ourselves to make feeling good our default mode. Life’s too short to be full of pessimism and problems. And remember if you ever need to get yourself out of a funk, we’ve got the goods to make you feel great.

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location:
245 Raglan St. 2nd Floor
collingwood, on
705-293-4244

hours:
wed-fri  10-7
sat 11-5
sun-mon  10-5

LOCATION

245 Raglan St. 2nd Floor
collingwood, on
l9y 3z1

705-293-4244

STUDIO HOURS

monday  10-5
tuesday  closed
wednesday  10-7
thursday  10-7
friday  10-7
saturday  11-5
sunday  10-5

CONTACT US

gift cards

Gift cards are available for purchase in-studio in any amount.
We’ll give you a nice lil’ card and envelope for it as well. So stop by the studio any time during business hours and we’ll hook you up!

Unfortunately online gift cards are not available at this time, but you can purchase one over the phone and we’ll leave the gift card at the front desk for the recipient.

If you have any questions, please reach out!

Thank you!