We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Kosior. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.
Hi Amanda, thank you for being such a positive, uplifting person. We’ve noticed that so many of the successful folks we’ve had the good fortune of connecting with have high levels of optimism and so we’d love to hear about your optimism and where you think it comes from.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions about optimism is that it needs to exist inside you all the time. I definitely have down days and moments when I think, “This sucks, I suck, everything sucks.” When that happens, I make sure I feel those feelings fully. My mom is a long-time motivational speaker and author on living fully, and she talks a lot about allowing yourself to, basically, get it out of your system. Her advice is to let negative thoughts and feelings to have a full temper tantrum in your brain – and then, when it’s over, say to yourself, “Very good temper tantrum. Now what is the actual truth?” Of course, the truth is always that there’s sunshine through the clouds. I have a mantra that I say which is, “I’m excited for the opportunity;” so, even when things are crappy, I’m reassuring myself that this is a stepping-stone for something better.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I share stories that make you say “Oh for nice” at NDNice.com and on a Monday morning segment North Dakota Today. I am always looking for stories of kindness and joy – especially if it’s a story about the everyday.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
This is a great question. I think the Number-One, absolutely Most Important quality that has been most impactful in my journey is bravery. It’s tough being a blogger and putting your story out there. It’s tough taking photos of yourself. It’s tough being on TV and wanting to nit-pick everything about yourself. I personally have to continuously remind myself that I’m doing this to make people feel good and share happiness, and that psychs me into putting myself out there in a way that normally wouldn’t be in my comfort zone.
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was to instill a deep foundation of confidence around charting new paths and trying new things. I was pushed throughout my childhood to expand my creativity and be unique – which certainly had its challenges, but has definitely made me who I am today.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://northdakotanice.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nodaknice/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NoDakNice
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandakosior/
