Breathe Life into Your Dreams with the Power of Optimism, ep 888

Introduction

Welcome back to Your Ultimate Life! In this episode, I'm diving deep into one of my favorite topics: the transformative power of optimism. I'll share how optimism is like oxygen for your dreams, fueling your journey toward a life of purpose, prosperity, and joy.

Defining Optimism: More Than Just Positive Thinking

Let's clarify what optimism truly means. It's not about ignoring challenges or pretending everything is perfect. Optimism is a choice, a belief in the possibility of a better future, and a commitment to taking action toward your goals.

The Science of Optimism: How It Impacts Your Brain and Body

Did you know that optimism profoundly impacts your brain and body? We'll explore the fascinating research on how optimism can boost your mood, reduce stress, and even improve your physical health.

Optimism and Resilience: Bouncing Back from Adversity

Life throws curveballs, but optimism can help you catch them. I'll share personal stories and examples of how an optimistic mindset can help you navigate challenges, setbacks, and even trauma, emerging stronger and more resilient.

Cultivating Optimism: Practical Tips and Techniques

Ready to boost your optimism? I'll share practical tips and techniques you can use today, like practicing gratitude, reframing negative thoughts, and surrounding yourself with positive influences.

Optimism in Action: Real-Life Examples of Transformation

Get inspired by real-life stories of individuals who have transformed their lives through the power of optimism. These stories will show you what's possible when you embrace an optimistic outlook.

The Ripple Effect: How Your Optimism Impacts Others

Your optimism isn't just for you – it can have a ripple effect on those around you. We'll discuss how your positive energy can inspire and uplift others, creating a more joyful and supportive environment.

Action Items

• Read the book "Living with Purpose and Power" to understand how to reconnect with one's true nature.
• Seek out online and in-person platforms to connect with others and end isolation.
• Practice deep gratitude daily by focusing on specific things one is grateful for.
• Reach out to Kellan if you or someone you know has overcome challenges and achieved daily joy, to share one's story on the podcast.

Next Steps and Free Resources

Visit https://www.yourultimatelife.ca for free resources and tools to help you create your ultimate life.

Ready to breathe life into your dreams? Join me on this journey of optimism and discover the incredible potential within you. Subscribe to the podcast, share it with your friends, and let's create a brighter future together!

Visit: https://www.yourultimatelifepodcast.com. Also, watch the episode on YouTube, if that is your preferred platform.

Welcome to your ultimate life podcast, where we

help you break free from mediocrity and create a life of

purpose, prosperity and joy. Get your free video series at your

ultimate life.ca.

Hey there, welcome to your ultimate life.

Welcome to the show. I am so excited today, I get to talk

about one of my favorite things in the world. Now, if I could

give you two things, if I could give you two things, it would be

a true view of who you are. And optimism. Optimism, optimism is

one of the things that I would give you if I could give you the

most valuable thing in the universe or one of the most

valuable things. And a true view a true understanding a deep

knowledge of who you are would be the other. Now who you really

are, we've talked about that other shows, and we will again,

I love this picture, I hope you're watching the video,

because there's this picture behind me of a beautiful sunset.

It could be a sunrise, but I think it's a sunset. And some

water in between some beautiful trees. And that sunlight is

coloring the trees orange and everything. And then behind me

this, this looks like a river maybe. Maybe it's the end of a

lake. But anyway, there's a stack of rocks and great big

rock on the bottom and then and it's a round rock and then they

stack up a little higher and there looks like there's four

maybe one under the water five rock stacked up in a kind of an

altar like thing except the top rock is too high and too small.

To be really an altar for anything to be on it anyway,

when I look at that. i What do you think? What do you feel when

you see that picture? Well, I'll tell you what I feel okay, she

just listened to the audio, I've tried to describe it. It is a

peaceful scene, it makes you feel peace. It makes you feel

connected, it can make you feel powerful. It can make you feel

like things are okay. The world is as it should be the universe

is moving. Well, why does a picture like that make us feel

that? Well, I don't know all the neuro chemistry. But there is a

sense of peace, a sense of order, those rocks are stacked

on top of each other that way, and obviously I have no idea how

they got there, somebody put them there. But it would have

been a lot of work to do that because at least that first and

second rock are going to be quite heavy, and probably even

the third one. So it took some effort to get that up there. But

there's a sense with the colors and the placement and the

reflection in the river. Which I just moved to the side so you

can see it is just beautiful. Now, what does that have to do

with creating your ultimate life? Well, this turns out a

lot. Here's what I know, from my own experience. And I want you

to think about this. When you are frantic, when your life

seems to be overwhelming and moving at a crazy pace, when you

have too many demands on your time and too many demands on

your heart. How effective are you at working? How are you? How

effective? Are you at producing not just something but producing

your best results? Well, the answer isn't not. Not ever. And

you know that. And I know people who say Oh, they do really good

under pressure. And I'm not questioning that they probably

do. But producing that way is very stressful, a lot of stress

hormones and a real demand on your spirit and your body. And

often. In those kinds of stressful situations. You're

just hoping that it works. You're hoping against hope and

powering through doing something difficult? Well, I want to, I

want to present a different view. Now I told you, I'd give

you two things. And I briefly want to talk about the first

one, which is a real understanding of who you are. We

know when we sit quietly, like imagine for a minute you're

sitting on the side of this lake or river. And you're looking at

that stillness, that still water and that stack of rocks with its

symmetry and its beauty. Imagine further that you've got nothing

else to do know where you're supposed to be. You just hear I

want you to just close your eyes for a minute. Unless you're

driving and listen to my voice. Imagine for a moment you are

looking at those rocks or some other still and beautiful scene

just like that. And there are no demands on your heart. There's

no where you're supposed to be. There's nothing you have to do

right now. I don't mean ever right now. Nothing you have to

do. and you are allowed to just breathe in deeply. So do that

right now breathe in deeply through your nose

do it again, deeply in

now, if you've participated with me fully, just two breaths like

that will slow your heartbeat. It'll lower your blood pressure

a couple of points. They will reset your perspective, a

little, or a lot, depending on how frantic you were to start

with. There's a couple of reasons to do that. Just that

moment that 30 seconds or 40 seconds of slowing down, can

teach you a lesson if you want it. And the lesson is this, you

have the availability of slowing your perspective, and getting

back in control of your life in 45 seconds, and you have that

anytime you want. It may not feel like it, it may feel like

things are pressing so hard that you can't. But unless you're

threatened with a hurricane or imminent death, you have that

ability. Now the other day I saw part of the special that was on

TV about tsunamis. Okay, if a hurricane or a tsunami or some

other terrifying thing is your world right this minute, then

yeah, that's different. But often we interpret other events,

financial issues, betrayal of someone, even someone dying as a

tsunami, which threatens imminent physical death, and it

doesn't. Even in the midst of emotional turmoil, slowing down

for a moment is beneficial. And our bodies are wired that way it

produces different neurotransmitters and brings us

a sense of clarity, and calm. Why is that? That has to do with

the first thing that I would give you, which is a true

understanding of who you are. You're a divine being the spirit

within you was created by the divine God, that is a fact you

can call the name of that creation, whatever you want. You

can associate that structure any way you want. But deep inside,

you know that that's true. And sometimes we feel like we've

been abandoned, and by that creator, and sometimes we feel

like we've made so many mistakes, it's hopeless. And

sometimes we may feel well, that's true for somebody else,

but not us. None of those negative things are the real

truth, it might feel like it for a moment, a way to get back to

center is to maybe spend five minutes. breathing slowly, you

can do box breathing, which is count to four really slowly

breathing in, hold it for four at the top, and then breathe

out. And the breathe out usually takes quite a bit longer than

four. And I call it box breathing. It is called Box

breathing. I didn't coined that term, because the idea is

breathe out for and then hold for at the bottom with empty

lungs. So either do that or take eight, a count of eight to

breathe out that frame breathing in through your nose, holding it

and breathing out slowly count of eight or a count of four and

then holding it out. It will reset your metabolism and

activates other nervous system elements. And it does things

good for you. It reminds you of your true origin and possibility

your divinity. Now, I want you to just answer this question

honestly, if every moment of your day, you could remember the

truth that you're created by God you're created to succeed.

Everything you want is within your ability to create, yes, it

takes work, but it's within your ability to create. If he could

remember that in every frantic and difficult situation, how big

is the difference that it would make? Well, for me, it's

enormous. And I can promise you it will be enormous too. So

that's why understanding your divinity is the first thing I

give you. I talked a little bit longer about that than I meant

to but we'll do that in another episode. The second thing I give

you is optimism I titled this episode optimism is oxygen. And

I did that first part because it plays into that those two are

related. If you think you're worthless, and you can't do

anything, and God somehow forgot you, or you are an accident or

any of those negative things, it is really difficult to just

crank up the optimism button and be, quote, optimistic, right?

Yeah, that's hard. Because there's nothing behind it. It's

a phony, sort of pretend. I'm not talking about fake it till

you make it. So drop that idea. This is not fake it till you

make it. It is slowing down enough to reconnect, reconnect

with a fundamental truth. Here is that fundamental truth, no

matter what is going on in your life, or how difficult or

depressing or frustrating, it seems there is a way forward.

There is a way up, and there is a way out. If you're in the

middle, and stuck in average land and just kind of settling

for mediocrity, there is a way up, there is a way out. There is

a way to excellence, there is a way to owning a deep and

meaningful life purpose that just Stokes your mind every day.

There is a way to create the wealth you need to enjoy your

life and to serve. There is a way to go from where you are at

having absolute joy all day, every day. Now, there may be

some of you who listen to this that already feel like you have

joy every day all day. And I'm gonna give you a special

invitation at the end because I want to meet you. And I want to

feature your story in your processes here on the show.

Anyway, optimism, what is it? Well, it's not fake, it's not

Pollyanna, looking at things. It's not ignoring the truth.

It's not pretending difficulties away. It is a simple choice. To

believe that what I just said that there's always a way up,

there's always a way out. At some people say glass half full,

I say it more simply, there's got to be a way. There is a way

to get through the situation. If you're having if you have a

bankruptcy there is there's got to be a way through that. If you

have a business that's failed, there's a way through it, maybe

it's another business. Maybe it's through whatever

restructuring needs to happen. Maybe it's through the valley of

some hardship and some sacrifice. If a relationship

fails, and someone has betrayed you, there is a way through

this. There is a healthy, positive, powerful way through

it. Now I'm not pretending away the stages of grief and loss,

which anger denial, bargaining resignation, acceptance, that

may be part of the process. But fundamentally agreeing with

yourself believing choosing, there is a way that's optimism.

The opposite is Pep pessimism where you say, I'm probably

screwed. There's no way I'm dead, it's finished, and so

forth. In that television special I saw about the tsunami.

They interviewed several people from some of the great ones one

in Indonesia, and a years ago, that killed so many people. And

there were some people that were there, you know, doing the

tourist thing, who said I thought I was dead. I thought I

was done. I thought it was over. And yet there they are now later

giving this interview and they made it. I'm not you know, I

don't know what else happened. But I'm saying even when we

think we're done, we're dead. We're finished. It's over.

That's not true. Okay, so, an optimism is a choice to accept

that fact. There's a way through, there's a way out,

there's a way up. Now, sometimes what I used to do is I say okay,

that's fine, there's a way out and there's way up, but it means

that I'm stumbling along, I'll never do anything better, you

know, etc. And usually that was combined with a bunch of self

loathing which went like this. I've already screwed myself. I'm

no good. I've made all these mistakes. Everybody hates me.

You know, I've ruined my life and that sort of conversation,

which is something we say emotionally when something

terrible strikes us financially or in a relationship situation,

or when we've made really serious mistakes. The truth is,

that's how it feels right then. The other truth is there is a

way up and there is a way out. So that's What optimism is, and

the reason I say it's oxygen is because, you know, we can live

for days without food weeks without food days without water,

and just a few minutes without oxygen before we get brain

damage and we're permanently toast. Optimism is like that you

can survive for a very short time, with a totally dark point

of view. No optimism, pessimism, assuming you're screwed. If you

live there very long, it will damage you.

The neurotransmitter cocktail that comes with a negative view

of stuff, his poison, it's corrosive, it shortens your

life, it destroys your creativity. It literally makes

us stupid. We can't think straight we can't find ways

through. So living in a place of negativity for very long isn't

helpful. So what do you do? Well, this the questions that

matter right now is okay, how do I get it? If optimism is like

oxygen? Kellan? If that's true, what you're saying, and I'm

telling you that it is, what do I do? How do I get it? So let's

spend the rest of this episode talking about different ways

that you can go from a disaster to something positive? How do

you get optimism. So let me tell you some stories about people

that I know and some of them are about me. But these are people

who have been in a disastrous situation. So I have a friend

who was in a situation where they were considering you know,

that maybe the world would be better off without them driving

down the freeway, maybe they should just drive into a

concrete pillar at high speed, because you know, their family

and others would be better off without him. That individual

today is optimistic, powerful. And in the midst of creating a

very, very successful company that's going to be worth

staggering sums, at least nine and even perhaps 10 fingers. So

how did that happen? That person made two choices. One, to not

drive into a pillar, not because they had a flash of light or

some magical thing happened, but just, you know what, I'm just

not going to do that. It would be disappointing. Maybe it's

really cowardly. I'm not going to do that. So that was the

first thing. And the second thing was, I'm going to keep

trying. Not, I'm gonna try, oh, but you know what, I'm going to

keep trying. That was a spark of optimism, even the tonality of

I'm going to keep trying. And what was that look like? What

did that look like? Well, they ended up spending some time

talking to their mate, about this particular situation. They

went and talked to other folks, religious folks, they talked to,

they got a coach, they talked, they were willing to be

vulnerable and talk about this. And then take action on the

conversation, who's not a lot of good that comes if you just talk

about some and complain. And we've all been in situations

where maybe we, maybe you, maybe me, or others are there just to

bitch and get your right a world is so terrible, they all suck.

There's not a lot of benefit from that. But if you go to a

place where you expect to be listened to fully and

completely, and then you expect to get and listen to yourself

some feedback about possibilities. Not a bunch of

you need to do this. And you should do that. Forget that. But

just some feedback and possibilities. Now those two

things went hand in hand. One, I'm not going to end it. And

two, I am going to keep going there's got to be something and

then taking actions to go find the something and being open to

that. So that finding something it could be a therapist, I've

done a lot of that. It could be a coach, it could be both I've

done all of those things. It could be a spouse or mate, I've

done that also, depending on your situation, but the key that

is important is to go don't don't swim and spiral inside

yourself. Because that is a recipe to spiral down and out.

Okay, so that's one way to get optimism. Another way to get

optimism is to end isolation. Okay, the COVID that we just had

a few years ago now was very isolating and it you know,

increased instances of mental illness and people struggling

and feeling that isolation and all that sort of thing. I am on

a platform online called Lunch Club and have been for a few

years. And it's fun. I've had as many as three meetings a week. I

do less than that now, one a week. But I get I got to meet

people all over the world. And one of the questions I always

ask, and I've now had 400, and something, people 400 And

something people I've met, from all over the world, people from

Turkey and South America and North America, of course, and

America and us, sorry, American us, same thing, Canada, and you

just all over the place. And I've met one from Moscow, and

one from Azerbaijan. Anyway, all over the all over the world,

several from India, and just tons of people. Now, what does

that have to do with optimism? You know, what I asked, I always

ask, why are you on lunch club? And I asked it for two reasons.

One, I've read their bio, you put a little bio in and so

forth. So I know what they do. But my question is, why are you

on lunch club, and you could be thinking while they're doing it

to, you know, network and find clients, you know what most

people said, I'm doing it just to meet people. I'm doing it

because I want to reach out, I want to enlarge my circle. I

want to see different people from all over the place. Man, he

mentioned COVID. You know, COVID was so isolating, I just wanted

to reach out. Isn't that interesting? This wasn't

therapy. And this wasn't anything like that. It was just

the human need that we have to connect. So there is another

thing that you can do to create optimism. Now, if you go places

where everybody's bitching and moaning, then that's not very

optimistic. But if you go there intending to find hope and

optimism, you can do that there are hundreds 1000s, even

millions of meetup groups and so forth, where you can do both you

can network for business, and you can meet people, this does

mean you have to make a choice, to put yourself out there and to

be connected and visit with people. If that's a scary thing

for you, then there's another piece of help, which is learn

how to network, learn how to and here's the biggest key learn how

to love yourself. So you can entertain the possibility that

there are people who do want to meet you, and would like to talk

to you and would enjoy a conversation. There are so many

online platforms that are not dating or any kind of

entanglement that are just designed to for people to

connect and chat in positive ways, and lunch clubs when I use

but there are others. So that's another place to create

optimism. The most powerful thing that I've done to create

optimism is some is the personal development work. I've read, I

don't know how many 100 books. But reading the books didn't

help. The most important thing was to go back to that first

thing that I said I give you, which is get a true view of

myself. Realize, choose to believe that I'm a I'm a son of

God. So are you are a daughter, you are a son or daughter of

God, doesn't matter what you've done, you can't change that. So

I can say that and have it mean nothing. Or I can just sit with

that possibility. And sit with that truth until I allow it to

change me. And that action, taken over time, regularly

became a powerful change, for me, brought me the oxygen and

the optimism that I needed. So just acknowledging who I was,

was just the beginning, I've created a whole document. And

I'm not going to go over that here. But I'll give you the

book, the book is living with purpose and power. Living with

purpose and power. There's a very specific, clear process, to

create optimism to understand who you are. And to get really

connected with that. Get on Amazon living with purpose and

power. You know why? It is so worth it when you get up and

realize that you're the only you, you're the best you you

matter. And there are people that are just dying to meet you.

It changes your perspective. And it does it every single day, not

once in a while not in some fake HYPEE way.

The next thing I want to talk about that really brings you

optimism is to choose to practice gratitude. Now you've

heard lots of people talk about that gratitude is one of the

highest vibrating emotions if you want to use the vibrational

sort of thing. It's right up there with creativity and

compassion and kindness and love way up at the top of the human

emotion spectrum. So what is gratitude? Well, I was

introduced to And when I started my personal development journey

in earnest in 2007, I was introduced to gratitude with the

phrase of rampage of appreciation. And that was to

take, you know, five minutes and list as many things as you

possibly can, that you're grateful for. And of course, the

temptation is to be silly, you know, for the lawn, and for the

shoe that fits, okay, and for the knife that I eat my,

buttered my bread with and, and then also some real things, my

partner and my business and the clients that I have, and the

fact that I can breathe and so forth. But the practice was to

do it as fast as you could, as many as you could. I found that

to be useful, but it had real limitations. So let me give you

another gratitude practice that will change your life, you have

had situations where you were absolutely grateful where

something happened. That just made you almost weak awash with

an emotion of gratitude, or something didn't happen, you

expected some bad thing to happen, and it didn't. And you

experience a visceral and physical response of just relief

and gratitude at the same time. So you know what that feels

like. And I'll tell you how to create it. Pick something that

you're grateful for, for me, a really easy one is my precious

Angel wife joy, who saved my soul saved my life. And the

story's amazing, and so forth, but not for today. What I do is

I think about her, I think about her face, I think about her

voice, I think about the things that she has done with me. And

for me, I think about how she shows up in my life every day.

And she's consistent. And just, you know, I just think about

him, and I stay thinking about them, I don't just pass over

once, Okay, done, I stay engaged in the conversation with myself,

I bring my mind back again, and again and again. And you know

what happens after a minute or two, those sensations of

physical gratitude come in the body, I begin to experience that

rush of beautiful emotion associated with gratitude. So

you can do that. And you may or may not be your partner, you may

be grateful for your breath, for the fact that your body can

breathe, that that inhalation goes in your lungs, and then

that oxygen power goes all the way through you, out of your

lungs and into your bloodstream and a whole the way down to your

toes and your fingers in the into your brain to flooded with

ideas and so forth. You might be grateful for your digestive

tract that you can eat and be nourished and be healthy and be

okay. You might be grateful for clients that you have now. And

when you're going to do this, do it slow. Slow is the key not

fast. And only pick one or two things and just marinate in

them. And you can think I'm nuts, okay? I don't care. But I

can make you a promise that if you marinate in something you're

truly grateful for it will change your chemistry, it will

change your mind it will change your life. And it will put you

right up at the top of the ladder of consciousness right up

there next to love and compassion and creativity and

generosity and beauty. Right up there next to this beautiful

picture behind me right up there in the land of optimism and

you'll be flooded with oxygen and oxytocin and other good

things. So optimism is oxygen, I challenge you, I invite you to

participate, to give yourself that oxygen choose optimism just

because you can. Now I told you earlier, if you are a person

who's doing this regularly, I invite you most sincerely to do

something reach out to me. Because if you've achieved that

then you are also a person who wants to add good to the world

who is busy doing good serving, helping, lifting blessing. You

are the kind of person I want on the show here. You have overcome

whatever your challenges were. Now if you're on the way there I

also want you if you've made a choice, regardless of your past

challenges, I'm going I'm going I want you I want to feature you

I'd like to have you here why? Because I want you to have a

larger reach for your story, your story, my story. It only

matters when we share it. And we lift and bless others so I'm

inviting inviting you to get a hold of me and let's connect.

Thank you for being with me today. You're an amazing person.

You are a divine being. You can create anything you want. And I

say that every episode and I will continue to do that. You

can create your own optimism it does not depend on external

circumstances. It does not depend on anything outside of

you. You have the power to create your life right here

right now. And not just any old life, not just the average

mediocre life, not just the I'll barely get by life, but you have

the power to create your ultimate life. Your heart

thank you for listening to today's episode. We

hope that you take it deeply into your heart and decide for

yourself how you can create anything you desire. If you like

what you heard, please subscribe to this podcast. Please share it

with your friends. As always, we'd love to hear your feedback

and topic suggestions until tomorrow. This is your ultimate

life with host Kellan Fluckiger.