In this high‑energy, first‑person motivational talk, Shawna Lynne (Delulu Today) shares how she confronted the challenges of ADHD, trauma, and grief by deliberately choosing positivity. She recounts memorizing a script despite anxiety, the loss of her mother‑in‑law to suicide, a divorce, financial ruin, and the devastating diagnosis that her two young children were deaf. By repeatedly applying a five‑second daily mantra—setting intention, choosing positivity, and pushing negativity away—she broke a negative spin cycle, pursued therapy, and engaged in self‑development activities. The children received cochlear implants, learned to speak, and thrived, which inspired Shawna to leave teaching, become a psychotherapist, and build a mental‑health community. She ends with a call to listeners to “choose to matter,” adopt the same positivity practice, and give a “hell yes” if they agree.
Chapters
Whoo! I challenged myself to memorize this script with my ADHD. Oh my God, so much anxiety. Who here feels me? Whoo! What do you do to feel better? Every morning, I take 5 seconds and choose my brain. Here's my mantra: set the intention for the day, choose positivity, push negative away. I got the strength. To be okay. I'm so grateful that I learned that early with the cycle of trauma and tragedy. Every time overwhelming grief from medical challenges and mental health, ADHD, infidelity, divorce, financial ruin. I was in this negative spin cycle and it was hard. I was drowning and nothing mattered. Choosing positivity saved my life. So simple. Not easy. It started in 1995, 2 weeks after my honeymoon. I lost my mother-in-law to suicide. That's really not how I expected my first year of marriage to be. Grief changed everything. So I went to therapy and I learned the power of positivity. And every time that negative spin cycle started to come, I doubled down on my positivity, and I busied myself with activity. And after a while, things got better. Did you know that we're wired for negativity? Yes. The average person has 60,000 thoughts per day. 75% of them are negative, 95% of those repetitive. How do you push through those hard odds every day and choose to matter? Well, when I chose to matter, I learned that self-development was the key. Every time grief showed up, I chose a different activity. I was lobbying and fundraising. I was changing communities. Anything to make grief go away. Let's fast forward to October 9th, 1999. I'm 27. Standing in the hospital with my 2 children, 18 months and 3 months. So much testing and waiting, my body is vibrating. I've been waiting for this diagnosis. I knew I was right. The next words: Your children are deaf. They don't hear anything. Their cochlea, the most abnormal cochlea they've ever seen. Their chance of hearing is slim. Oh. That wave of helplessness washed over me. So much pity. Their whole lives flashed before my eyes. Why me? Why them? Why us? Grief, the gift that keeps on giving. This is going to be so hard. But I hunkered down on positivity. I know that out there, every time that grief comes in, you need to have a positive mindset. And it's so important to be able to choose an activity to keep you busy. And when we get in that negative spin cycle and we fall down, we stand up again and we choose to matter. I went back to therapy and I learned that power of positivity, and I learned that self-care matters. Saying yes matters. Everything you do every day matters. You matter. And when you come in, and choose to matter, things happen. My children got cochlear implants. They learned to speak and listen. We were doing okay. And that healing journey inspired my journey for mental health. I left teaching, became a psychotherapist, and I'm building a mental health community. Woo! I am going to change what positivity is. I found the man of my dreams, my children are thriving, and there's my mom smiling. And I invite you to change the negative spin cycle. When you take 5 seconds when negativity comes in and choose positivity, choose self-development, choose to do the hard things, choose to matter. When you choose to matter and you choose positivity and you choose to stand in it, so simple becomes easier. So simple becomes easier. Give me a hell yes if you agree. Thank you. Woo!
