Relentlessly Positive
Matt Zinman describes himself as “relentlessly positive,” but his life hasn’t always been easy. When his mom contracted HIV, Matt took care of her until she passed. His father died some years later. His first marriage ended in divorce. But though Matt’s past informs his present, it doesn’t completely define his life. He’s also a dedicated father who was committed to having a strong, healthy relationship with his son after the divorce.
With a 50/50 custody arrangement that was, honestly, unusual at the time, Matt believe that in order to be the best, most present, parent possible he would have to make some changes. So he decided to quit his job and start his own business. This allowed him to work his own hours and be there for his son.
His nonprofit, The Internship Institute, offers opportunities for young people to receive hands-on job experience before they fully enter the workforce. The Institute is still up and running, but these days Matt sees himself as a coach, mentor, and teacher. He wants to help people shift their mindset to be more positive and more productive.
Intentional Positivity & Earned Confidence
The life of an entrepreneur is far from easy, but Matt has faith in himself and his future. And he works hard to cultivate and maintain that faith. Matt makes the conscious, intentional effort to work hard and expect that good things will follow.
Matt’s outlook on life is positive because he’s confident in himself. He calls his self-assuredness “earned confidence,” and he wants others to feel it, too. We can make it through the present, Matt says, because we’ve already made it through the past. Resiliency begets resiliency. And life is unpredictable. We can’t expect that nothing bad will ever happen, but we can count on ourselves. We’ve earned that confidence.
Matt likes to celebrate by being mindful in the moments when he’s happy.
Connect with Matt
Matt Zinman is a mentor and teacher who believes that we can all choose to be brave. He is the author of Z-isms: Insights to Live By, a work that encourages self-discovery and self-confidence through mindfulness and intentional positivity. Matt also hosts a podcast called Insights to Live By (on which Heather will be a guest!). You can also check out his courses on his website. Listeners of The Brave Files can receive $100 off their course with the code BRAVEFILES100.
