April 30th, 2010
For this weeks episode you can pull up a front row seat on a train we’re on in lovely Aachen, Germany.
Today I really want to talk to you about one of my favourite positive thinking techniques which I call “no problem.” Throughout your life you’re going to have things come up that cause you a bit of a headache, and when they do, you need to be prepared!
Positive thinking shapes your attitude when dealing with people. When we have a positive mindset, the emotional vibe that we give off is always upbeat, influential and charismatic. Just think about how much more successful your own conversations are when you are beaming with positivity. Now I’m not the biggest fan of positive thinking exercises as that kind of implies that you have to put in a lot of work to become a positive thinker, when really the whole process can be effortless
To see how I deal with a REAL LIFE scenario (that would once have sent me berserk!) keep watching and I’ll show you exactly what you can do to stay positive, no matter what is going on around you 
- Positive Thinking Techniques
- “No Problem”
- Frustration
- My “Challenges” In Aachen..
Every single day something will come up that is going to challenge you, and so I really want to share with you a really simple concept that will change your idea of positive thinking forever.
“No Problem”
Put simply, the concept I am referring to is reframing any problem that comes into your life, and being able to change your mindset in order to deal with it. And the best way that I’ve found to do this is to tell yourself, “No problem!”
By saying, “no problem” you don’t allow yourself to become emotionally invested in the conversation.
In the video, you’ll see that me and my two good friends Andy and Yad were running late for the return plane journey from our trip to Aachen. In similar scenarios, the majority of people’s blood starts boiling and they get overwhelmingly frustrated. But you can tell that all 3 of us are fairly relaxed and chilled about the whole thing, and it’s because both Andy and Yad employ similar positive thinking techniques themselves.
Frustration
Becoming frustrated is rarely of any use. Would it have helped us get to the airport faster? Not at all. All it really does it get your blood boiling to no avail. When people are faced with something they can’t control, they lose control of themselves. In reality, the only thing that we can ever really control in a stressful situation is our reaction to what’s happening.
Another great way of being more comfortable and relaxed with potential stressors is actually asking yourself what the worst possible thing that can happen is. Often you’ll find that it’s really not that bad!
My “Challenges” In Aachen..
To give you an example of just how badly things went for me in Aachen, on my walk to the train station, my suitcase was left unzipped the entire way, and as a result, my beautiful Macbook Pro had fallen out!
And the bad luck didn’t stop there. As well as losing my Macbook, I’d lost a book I’d written for all of you on charisma.. and I lost my wallet!
So in total, here’s a list of everything that went wrong for me in just one day…
-I’d lost my Macbook
-I’d lost the book I’d written (Note to self: back up computer next time!)
-I’d lost my wallet
-We were running late for the airport and facing having to buy another round of tickets, as well as potentially sleeping overnight in the airport.
So right now life is really throwing a few challenges my way. But in this kind of position we have two option; there were two ways I could have handled this…
“I just lost my Macbook!!! And my wallet!! And my Book! What the f@*k am I going to do now!!!”
….Or:
“Some lucky person in Germany has ended up with a new laptop What’s the worst that can happen. That’s kind of like a unintended charitable donation I think. I’ll write another book. I’ve already written one, so this one is going to be better. I’ll get another laptop; they’re expensive, but I’ll find a way. And hopefully we’ll get to the plane on time, and even if we don’t, guess what, it’s “no problem!”
It’s this second type of attitude that keeps me upbeat all the time.
Anytime life throws a challenge your way; remember this concept. Having this mentality shows your brain that you can deal with almost anything.
But going back to the story… after a really speedy taxi journey, we made it to the airport with a few minutes left on the clock. Thankfully we managed to charm our way through customs (being a charisma coach definitely has it’s up sides!), we dashed over to our terminal and made it by the skin of out teeth!.. only to find that there was one slight problem.. I’ll let you watch the video to find out! (Wow!)
So I guess the lesson to learn from this is that even if we had got all stressed out about being late, it wouldn’t have made any difference really. And just to put your mind at ease, we all got home okay without having to spend the night in the airport! I hope you can see now how easy it is to stay positive. And you can do so with just a reframing of a situation without even having to do any positive thinking exercises.
So remember, No Problem! Or ‘hakuna matata’, ‘no worries’ or however else you like to phrase it!
Marcus
Really solid video Marcus – your best yet I think.
Really good, so many people could learn so much from this simple shift in mindset. I hope people are watching and taking note!
Who’s that handsome fellow to your left?
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances; if there is any reaction, both are transformed.”
This is amazing. How you are able to stay posetive all the way. I mean those two words are so powerfull “no problem”. I will try and go with this mindset from now on. I’ve had some minor issues latly and now i’m just saying no problem, its already happend its nothing i can do about it or no problem i can make this happend.
It’s amazing be positive every day, every situation… is gold!
See ya
Fab vid Marcus…we know don’t we? but we forget…and how charming your ‘modelling’ – an inspiration x
While I admit that this is a powerful concept–one that I have been prone to use from time to time, although with a bit less success than yourself–surely there are limits to how far the idea of “no problem” can go. Although I would agree that it can be helpful when facing life’s trials or minor frustrations, my personal opinion is that it wouldn’t be able to address life’s major crises (serious illness, the death of a loved one, ect.)
Thoughts?
RE: Sarah.
This strategy is great for dealing with 99% of the bug bears that affect our lives; i’m talking about the oodles of small stuff that gets us in a bad mood (getting stuck in traffic, having friends cancel, losing stuff, bills…the list is endless). In answer to your question, can you use this to deal with the big narks too? Sure you can. Recently, my family got some shocking and painful news (life changing stuff). I was devastated….sad and upset, but once i had experienced that flood of emotion i was able to clear my mind with this technique and focus on the best way to deal with the matter. However, i do think the big trials and tribulations need a bit more attention than a simple “no problem!” when they occur. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Hope that helps!
This is my favorite video of the year. Thank you so so much for these two words!
Great just very very great and helpfull videos.
Thanks so mutch!
Hope you’l have a new laptop soon again and een backup of your written book.
Keep up the good work, thnx again(Y)
Maarten
Like your style bro. Having and adopting a positive, upbeat attitude will change your life for the best – I’m loving it.
Marcus your videos and newsletter have helped me immensely ever since i first found your videos on youtube. I’m working more on my charisma and my conversation skills which are alright but not as phenomenal as i’d like them quite yet (but, no problem, i’m always moving forward with that stuff). But i just wanted to say that THIS mindset, specifically has just made me a happier person in general over the past months. One week ago i went to register my car (which i need to take to the mechanic before i can even drive it again) and the registration cost me my entire two weeks worth of a pay check. I literally laughed. “Well i guess i’m gonna be a bit of a minimalist for the next couple weeks”, were my exact words. It didn’t phase me. I’ve got things paid off and food to eat. Its really nothing to throw a fit over and if i had thrown a fit the only difference would’ve been that i’d've been less happy. Anyway thanks for the coaching marcus. Its really helping me live the life i want.
-Connor
@Connor Thanks for sharing your awesome story! I’m glad you’re now back on the road. I think the only thing we have total control of in life is how we choose to react to it: and you’re proof of that!
You can’t change the past so there’s no point being negatively effected by it. You’re “no problem” philosophy is something I picked up a few months ago. Sometimes I still get frustrated etc, although that mainly seems to be as a stress release (it feels good!) and after a few minutes I go back to being positive.
OMG ! You’re AWESOME When you publish your book please tell me the name so i can buy it
Oh I Just found your book on ur website (Awesome By the way)
Oh I Just found your book on ur website (Awesome By the way)
Yeah that is awesome man – especially the laptop example!
@theactor: Yep, when life hands you lemons you gotta make lemonade…or better yet… find a shot of tequila to take it with!
Awesome, awesome video! It is truly amazing how you were able to keep such a positive attitude after losing such important things, and being able to reframe it all in a positive way. That is so huge. Very inspiring. Thank you for this Marcus
Really good video man! I just found your website and I’m very impressed about the things that you share with people!
Thanks for these advices, the no problem is a great concept, yet sometimes it can get carried away and get you into problems