Building Your Positivity Muscle with Sports, Fitness, and Coaching [Podcast Series]

• [:56] Dr. Bantham introduces her guest, Christopher J. Wirth

  • Christopher J. Wirth, Founder and President of No Quit Living, a speaking, coaching and training company

  • Chris is also the author of The Positivity Tribe: "The Power of Positivity" One Person at a Time

• [1:11]  Comeback stories

  • “I think ironically—I didn't know it at the time—but I learned everything as far as the foundation from sports in the sense of perseverance, determination, discipline, but also in regards to that whole idea of what eventually became our company, the name, no quit living. And I think for me, it was all about that comeback story.  It was all about that team that couldn't come back or couldn't win, that player in an individual sport, such as maybe tennis or golf, when everyone said, there's no way that he or she can win.”

• [3:14]  Positive mental advantage

  • “Some of the best of the best, they have that positive mental advantage, they have that positive mindset, they prepare themselves, they quote, unquote, control the controllables as much as they can. So if and when they're challenged, they're pushed to that level, they bend, but they don't break.”

  • “It's not always the best talented person or the smartest person, a lot of times it comes down to somebody that's just willing to persevere, and somebody that really has that mental advantage and say, okay, when everything's on the table, you know, my one advantage over that person or that team or that company is the fact that I have that mental perspective of really utilizing positivity and understanding how important it is in, I think, all areas of life.”

• [6:11]  Building the positivity muscle 

  • “And I, I think it's almost the same as a muscle, you know, you train a muscle, you strengthen it, you train it to that level where in some ways you break down muscle, and it builds up and repairs stronger. But that's the same thing from positivity, and the idea of, you have to work on it.”

• [8:48] Facing adversity

  • “I think what people don't realize is, some of the most positive people out there, they still face adversity every single day.  They have challenges, they have obstacles. And one of the things I've been focusing on is not having a bad day, but having a bad moment, or having a rough moment.  And not allowing that moment or that experience or that obstacle or that challenge to ruin an entire day.”

• [12:23] Creativity and positivity

  • “And he said, You know, there are going to be companies that go out of business, there are going to be entities that completely go under. And he said, there are going to be companies and entities and people that really step up and find creative ways to do things and creative ways to stay relevant.”

• [16:24] Coaching different people differently

  • “And what I had to understand, and it's the same, it's the same thing, working with businesses and even college coaches, you have to understand that you need to connect with different people in a different way. So, for example, a kid that or a business person that is highly driven, he or she might be able to, you might be able to go to them with goals and objectives, like alright, can you, you did this, can you get to here where somebody else who's not as goal driven, might, you might have to or they might want you to have a different conversation with them explaining them the process and what you're trying to do.”

• [20:59] Communication and responding versus reacting

  • “I would challenge anybody listening to this. In a personal or professional setting, think about next time you're in a situation. Are you responding? Or are you reacting? Are you listening just to listen and wait your turn? Or are you listening because you really and truly want to understand that other person's perspective?”

• [24:49] Getting the right people on your bus

  • “And I think if you go about doing the right things for the right reasons, and more often than not with zero expectations and return, things are going to come to you, the right people are going to come in your bus, the right opportunities, personally, professionally. And I really try to live my life by that each and every day.”

• [27:38] Prioritizing physical activity

  • “That’s a huge challenge for not only the United States, but the world, is how do we continue to adapt and change and rely on technology more and more every year? But how do we stay active?”