Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson during his TED Talk on Thursday. (TED Photo)

You’ve certainly heard of the “power of positivity” in some form or another as a way to move through life and cope with what’s being thrown your way. Three months or so into a devastating global health crisis, perhaps your positivity reserves are running a little low.

Negativity isn’t going to help the situation. So should we all be approaching life with a little more neutrality? That’s the mindset promoted by Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in a TED Talk that he gave this week as part of TED 2020, the popular speaker series that has gone virtual this year.

Anyone who has ever watched Wilson play football and admired his ability to seemingly never give up, to endlessly try to rally his teammates, knows he’s tapped into something beyond a personal belief in his own physical abilities. Wilson credits what’s going on in his mind as much as what his throwing arm and scrambling legs are up to.

And the approach he takes can be applied beyond the football field, especially today when so many are struggling through the pandemic and the economic fallout. The entrepreneurial mindset and the often-celebrated “startup mentality” are being tested across Seattle and beyond. Wilson has been there, with his own company that failed in its attempt to take on the social media giants.

“Mindset is a skill. It can be taught and learned. I started 10 years ago training my mind,” said Wilson, whose mental conditioning coach Trevor Moawad teaches “neutral thinking” and a judgment-free acceptance of the present moment to keep focus in high-pressure situations.

While positive by nature, Wilson said positivity doesn’t always work. He’s experienced the highest of highs — being drafted as a baseball player, winning a Super Bowl and starting a family with Ciara — and the lowest of lows — the death of his father, losing a Super Bowl, and divorcing at a young age.

For fans who think they took Seattle’s loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XLIX a little harder than Wilson because the QB was so composed in the aftermath of such a big defeat, “neutral thinking” might sound about as good as a pass play from the 1-yard line.

“Does it mean I don’t have any emotion? Absolutely not,” Wilson said. “But you have to stay focused on the moment. It’s OK to have emotions, but don’t be emotional.”

After that loss he said he had a decision to make, whether he would let it define his career and his life. We all deal with sadness, depression, worry, fear and loss. Wilson has chosen a different way to cope.

“Positivity can be dangerous, but what always works is negativity,” Wilson said. “I never want to live in negativity, so I stayed in neutral … that’s where I’ve been living ever since.”

Wilson’s talk was part of a “values reset” focus from TED 2020. Other speakers included filmmaker and activist Abigail Disney; journalist and satirist Adeola Fayehun; songwriter Rufus Wainwright; and psychology professor Barry Schwartz. A recap of their talks is on the TED Blog.

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