Relentless Solution Focus

When life gets hard—when stress mounts, uncertainty looms, and you find yourself stuck on everything that might go wrong—how do you stop your mind from spiraling? Relentless Solution Focus by Dr. Jason Selk and Dr. Ellen Reed asks precisely this question, arguing that the greatest obstacle to success and happiness isn’t the challenges themselves but our problem-centric thought, or PCT: the brain’s built-in tendency to focus on what’s wrong instead of what’s right.

Selk and Reed contend that to overcome stress, pressure, and underperformance, you must train your mind to move from problem focus to solution focus—within 60 seconds. This quick shift, called Relentless Solution Focus (RSF), is the essence of mental toughness. It isn’t about unrealistic optimism or pretending problems don’t exist. It’s about learning how to respond to adversity quickly, constructively, and relentlessly. In other words, mental toughness is not innate; it is a learnable and trainable skill that rewires the brain for success.

The Anatomy of Mental Weakness

Human beings evolved with a negativity bias. Thousands of years ago, survival demanded our attention to threats—the crack of a twig might have been a predator, not just the wind. Our modern brains still operate this way, constantly scanning for danger and mistakes. The result? We dwell on problems, criticize ourselves, and ruminate on what’s missing, producing stress hormones like cortisol that erode confidence, happiness, and health. PCT makes us prisoners of our own worry.

The story of MLB star Alfonso Soriano illustrates this vividly. Despite a record-breaking career, Soriano allowed his mind to fixate on his slump—the hits he wasn’t making, his team’s struggles—and eventually lost his passion for the game. His performance declined not because he lacked talent but because his focus turned toxic. Selk uses this as proof: even elite performers fall when their thinking becomes problem-centered.

What RSF Actually Means

Relentless Solution Focus is defined as replacing all negative or problem-focused thoughts with solution-focused thinking within 60 seconds. It’s a biological, psychological, and practical approach that transforms negativity into action, one thought at a time. RSF combines the realism of pessimism (acknowledging problems occur) with the optimism of solution-seeking—and adds a relentless commitment to improvement.

Selk breaks this down into three steps: Recognize, Replace, and Retrain. First, you learn to recognize mental weakness as it happens—usually triggered by negative emotion like stress or frustration. Second, you replace the problem-centric thought with a simple, solution-focused question: “What is one thing I can do right now to make this better?” Third, you retrain your brain through daily practice—the Mental Workout and Success Log—until your neural pathways favor solution over problem.

Why This Matters

This book argues that RSF doesn’t just improve performance—it literally changes biology. Focusing on problems floods your body with cortisol, which impairs decision-making and reduces happiness. Shifting to solutions triggers dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine—the neurotransmitters of motivation, creativity, and confidence. Studies cited show that optimism and solution-focused thinking can lower risk of disease while improving emotional resilience.

RSF also bridges sports psychology and everyday life. Whether you’re giving a business presentation, dealing with family stress, or recovering from tragedy—like financial advisor Rick Scheeler and his family after the death of their daughter—RSF teaches that there is always a solution. Rick’s story demonstrates that even in unimaginable loss, the mindset of asking “What’s one thing I can do right now?” can help rebuild meaning and hope.

The Power of Training the Mind

Selk and Reed treat mental toughness like muscle strength: it grows only through consistent training. You can’t simply read about positivity—you must practice it. The authors provide structured exercises that take less than three minutes a day but rewire the brain through neuroplasticity. Over time, these brief but focused workouts make solution-focused thinking automatic.

“Knowing something doesn’t change your life; doing something does.” —Tom Bartow, quoted throughout the book

In essence, Relentless Solution Focus is a manual for retraining what’s “normal.” Normal thinking—stress, pessimism, over-preparation for disaster—keeps you stuck. RSF builds a new normal where your mind moves quickly from negativity to progress. It’s mental toughness not through bravado but through practical, repeatable focus. Whether you’re an athlete chasing excellence, a parent juggling stress, or a leader seeking calm under pressure, RSF offers a clear message: you can’t control everything, but you can always control your next thought.

In the book’s opening chapters, Selk identifies problem-centric thought (PCT) as the most pervasive mental weakness. This biological bias makes us spend 99% of our time on the single thing that went wrong rather than the 99 things we did right. Our ancient brains evolved to spot problems for survival, but in a modern world of abstract stressors—emails, finances, relationships—that instinct now leads to constant discontent and underperformance.

Why PCT is So Dangerous

Every negative thought triggers the release of cortisol, the body’s stress hormone. Persistent cortisol floods impair cognitive functioning and creativity, making it harder to find solutions. Over time, you feel anxious and hopeless even when nothing is physically wrong. Selk compares this internal erosion to a roof damaged by a slow, constant drip—one that eventually destroys the entire house. Chronic negativity leads to bad decisions, self-sabotage, and loss of confidence.

Recognizing PCT in Daily Life

Selk and Reed challenge you to see PCT for what it is. When your mind fixates on imperfections—an unreturned text, a missed opportunity, a messy kitchen—that’s problem-centric thought at work. The authors’ “See PCT Challenge” illustrates this vividly: count how many negative thoughts you have in one minute, multiply by 60 (times per hour), then by 16 waking hours. The result often exceeds 4,000 daily negative thoughts—each an opportunity to refocus.

They explain how social media, workplace gossip, and even news cycles magnify PCT collectively. Negative conversation fuels collective illness; as Selk writes, we’ve become “better at being worse.” Stories of Alfonso Soriano’s slump and the authors’ own daily examples show that without mental awareness, even success turns sour.

Breaking Free: The First Step of Mental Toughness

Recognizing PCT is the first step toward mental toughness. Imagine life as a fight against an invisible opponent—your own negativity. You can’t win a fight wearing a blindfold. Awareness removes the blindfold. By identifying stress, anxiety, and frustration as alarms that signal PCT, you gain the power to shift toward solutions. This is not about denial—it’s about clarity. When you realize a bad mood means your brain is problem-focused, you create space for change.

“Mental weakness is natural—it affects us all—and it can defeat us if we don’t learn how to see it when it’s happening.” —Dr. Jason Selk

With awareness as your foundation, you can begin the RSF process: refusing to linger in PCT for more than 60 seconds and training your brain to ask what can be improved. As in cognitive behavioral therapy, Selk’s method doesn’t argue with the negative—it replaces it.

Selk introduces expectancy theory—the principle that the object of your focus multiplies in your life. If you dwell on problems, they expand; if you dwell on solutions, they flourish. The authors trace this to a psychological truth echoed by other thinkers like Norman Vincent Peale and Carol Dweck: thoughts direct feelings, feelings shape behavior, and behavior reinforces results. In short, your dominant thoughts become your reality.

Thought Replacement in Action

Imagine a pink elephant wearing blue running shoes. Try not to think about it—and you will. This illustrates the theory of dominant thought: the more you resist a thought, the more power it gains. To overcome negativity, you must replace, not repress it. Selk calls this thought replacement—swapping a problem image for a solution image, such as a bright red hot-air balloon. The brain can only fully focus on one thing at a time. When that thing is a solution, negativity loses its grip.

Stories of Expansion: Matthew and Albert

Selk’s example of Matthew, a talented young golfer, shows expectancy theory in motion. Hearing repeatedly that he “chokes under pressure,” Matthew began to expect failure—and delivered it. When coached to replace negative self-talk with performance cues (“See the target, soft hands, follow through”), his focus expanded toward success. He earned a Division I scholarship and regained his confidence. Similarly, Albert, a business executive obsessed with outperforming his rival Randy, wasted energy tracking Randy’s numbers. Once he stopped, his own production rose 30% in 11 months. Albert’s success followed his focus.

From Complaining to Confidence

John Wooden’s “Two Sets of Three” underscores this concept: never lie, cheat, or steal, and don’t whine, complain, or make excuses. Every time you complain, you reinforce problems instead of progress. Selk adds that focusing on done-wells—what went right each day—creates a compounding loop of competence and motivation. Managers who begin meetings by praising successes foster employees who perform better, proving expectancy theory in leadership: recognition multiplies excellence.

“That which you focus on expands.” —Expectancy theory mantra

To apply expectancy theory, Selk encourages exercising deliberate focus shifts. Choose one person each day to recognize for something done well. These micro habits build mental discipline and self-confidence—the antidote to cortisol-fueled stress cycles. Expectancy theory turns the invisible into visible: whatever you water grows.

In Chapter 3, Selk and Reed transform RSF from concept to mindset. Mental toughness isn’t about ignoring pain—it’s about discovering control through solutions. This section uses vivid human stories, such as financial advisor Rick Scheeler and his daughter Mary’s tragic death, to demonstrate that even when the worst happens, focusing on “what can I do right now to make this better?” restores hope and agency.

The Biology of Focus

Selk reveals the biological side of RSF: every negative thought releases cortisol, fueling stress, fear, and foggy thinking. In contrast, solution-focused thoughts release serotonin and dopamine, chemicals behind motivation, creativity, and happiness. Choosing RSF literally switches neurotransmitters—your mind moves from paralysis to progress.

Within 60 Seconds

RSF’s definition is practical: replace problem-focused thinking with solution-focused thought within 60 seconds. That one-minute window prevents cortisol overload and maintains intelligence under pressure. It’s like pressing a biological reset button. Selk connects this to neuroplasticity, explaining that consistency in RSF retrains the brain’s circuitry—the caudate nucleus and cingulate gyrus—to shift attention faster from threat to task.

The Mental Alarm System

Negative emotions—stress, guilt, anger, fear—aren’t curses but clues. They signal that you’re focusing on a problem. This is your critical alarm system. The “gift of recognition” allows you to treat discomfort as a wake-up call: move to RSF now. By using these emotions as cues instead of catastrophes, you can act quickly and stop spiraling.

A Real-Life Portrait of RSF

Rick Scheeler’s story embodies RSF. After his daughter’s accident, Rick focused on small daily improvements—helping family members grieve constructively, raising money in her honor, and finding meaning through action. The question “What’s one thing you can do right now?” guided each moment. Over months, his family healed. RSF doesn’t make loss disappear; it helps people move through tragedy with strength rather than despair.

“There is always a solution. Always.” —RSF principle

This mindset shifts perspective from perfection to progress. You can’t control outcomes, but you can control your direction—and direction determines destiny. RSF teaches that adversity isn’t something to avoid, but something to outthink.

Selk’s mental chalkboard metaphor is one of the book’s most powerful exercises. Picture your mind divided into two sides: problems on the left, solutions on the right. Most of us live on the problem side, drowning in cortisol. Crossing the line to the solution side releases dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine—the biochemical trio of clarity, motivation, and creativity. The goal is simple: always finish on the solution side.

The Real Problem Isn’t the Problem

Selk demonstrates this through Kye Hawkins and her son Max, who was born with a rare kidney disorder. The Hawkins family lived daily amid surgeries and setbacks, yet Kye radiated optimism, focusing on progress rather than pain. When people told her, “I don’t know how you do it,” she recognized that comment as an invitation to PCT. Kye modeled that the real problem isn’t the difficulty—it’s how we think about it.

Crossing the Line

Selk often tells clients to literally draw a chalkboard: write “Problem” on one side, “Solution” on the other. Anytime you feel anxiety, write down the issue, then immediately brainstorm one action to make it better. Whether or not the problem disappears doesn’t matter—the act of crossing the line dismantles negativity. Staying on the solution side keeps your body in chemical balance and your mind alert.

This anatomical shift matters. People with RSF, Selk claims, live up to 14 years longer on average and enjoy fewer health problems. Crossing the mental chalkboard isn’t metaphorical—it’s physiological self-preservation.

Recognizing When You’re on the Wrong Side

Most people miss their own negativity yet spot it instantly in others. That’s why Selk calls negative emotion your alarm system—the “gift of recognition.” When you feel stress or guilt, that’s your sign you’re stuck. The fix isn’t avoidance or medication (though he acknowledges it helps some); it’s awareness and replacement. This simple daily exercise rewires your reaction from complaint to control.

By moving across that imaginary line again and again, you practice resilience. The more you cross, the faster and more automatic the shift becomes. Eventually, RSF becomes instinct—a mental reflex that protects you from the poison of PCT.

The heart of Selk’s method is the RSF Tool—a single question that cuts through mental clutter: “What is one thing I can do that could make this better?” This question is deceptively simple yet transforms how you handle setbacks, from small irritations to life-changing adversity. It serves as both an anchor and a weapon against PCT, forcing immediate mental movement from passive rumination to active problem-solving.

From Brown Grass to Greatness

Selk’s own story of obsessing over brown patches in his lawn became the origin of this tool. As he let frustration consume him, he realized his thoughts spiraled from grass to career and self-worth. When he asked himself the RSF question, his brain resisted with “I don’t know”—but he refused that answer. Eventually, he found a solution: ask his skilled neighbor for advice. That single step improved his lawn and birthed a life philosophy. The moral: relentless questioning leads to progress.

Learning to Be Relentless

Mark McLean’s story shows the RSF Tool in high-stakes reality. Raised amid abuse, dyslexia, and homelessness, Mark never gave up. He lived by his grandfather’s mantra: “The only person who can take you out of the fight is you.” Through relentless small steps—jobs, goals, skills—Mark built a career in medical sales and achieved success far beyond expectations. His life became proof that consistency, not perfection, wins.

Relentlessness in Action

As Selk defines it, relentless means never giving up. The RSF Tool helps you return to the solution side as many times as necessary, even after failures. You don’t need multiple answers—just one improvement at a time. This attack mentality shifts victimhood to empowerment. When problems feel unmanageable, the question offers direction: do something, anything, to get better by one inch.

Measuring Your Fight

Selk ends with a “self-evaluation” challenge: rate your own relentlessness on a scale of 1–10. Then, use the RSF question again to improve that score. By practicing one question relentlessly, you build a habit of action. The RSF Tool becomes the bridge between awareness and solution, teaching you that failure fades when quitting isn’t an option.

“Relentlessness requires that you keep using the RSF Tool until you stay on the solution side of your board.” —Selk

The RSF Tool isn’t philosophical—it’s mechanical. It trains your mind’s reflex just like sports drills train muscle memory. One question practiced consistently is how ordinary people become extraordinary.

If RSF has a motto, it’s this: progress beats perfection. Selk and Reed introduce the Plus 1 Concept to dismantle the destructive “entirety perspective”—the idea that we must fix everything at once. Instead, the authors teach that success unfolds one inch at a time. A Plus 1 solution means any improvement whatsoever to the current situation, no matter how small.

Chunking the Impossible

David Goggins’s ultramarathon story illustrates it perfectly. At mile 70, covered in blood and waste, Goggins couldn’t imagine finishing 30 more miles. Instead of quitting, he broke the race into micro-goals: hydrate, clean up, eat, stand, take one step. Each “plus one” added up to victory. When you chop problems into manageable bites, the mountain becomes climbable.

Why We Quit

Selk connects this idea to learned helplessness (based on Martin Seligman’s research). When effort seems futile, people stop trying. Viewing life through its entirety overwhelms channel capacity—the brain’s limited bandwidth—and triggers surrender. Navy SEAL Bob Gassoff tells Selk that during training, candidates quit only when they imagine the whole day ahead. Those who survive focus solely on the next step. That single-step mindset makes you unstoppable.

Plus 1 in Decision Making

Selk explains that staying on the problem side of the mental chalkboard raises emotional arousal and lowers cognitive ability—your seesaw tips toward poor choices. Even moral clarity erodes under stress. Dan Ariely’s experiments on irrational decision-making show people act against their values when aroused. The Plus 1 focus (one step of improvement) steadies emotion and reengages logic, saving you from self-sabotage.

Don’t Overcoach Yourself

Selk’s friend, the famed coach John Wooden, taught that “the biggest mistake coaches make is they overcoach.” The Plus 1 concept prevents overcoaching your own mind. Focus on one improvement, not ten. Selk shortened his coaching sessions from an hour to fifteen minutes for this reason—less advice, better results. Channel capacity thrives when simplified.

“You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.” —Edwin Louis Cole, quoted in Selk’s chapter

The Plus 1 approach transforms defeat into forward motion. Each small improvement builds momentum, confidence, and clarity. Over time, those inches compound into mastery. The secret isn’t perfection—it’s persistence.

Selk’s seventh chapter turns RSF into a practical life system. He calls it the Framework of Achievement, expressed as Vision + Integrity = Happiness. To live relentlessly solution-focused, you must know where you’re going (vision) and commit daily to what gets you there (integrity). When vision and integrity cooperate, happiness naturally follows.

Vision: Define Your Destination

Selk asks two questions: Who do you want to be in five years? And what two daily activities guarantee you’ll get there? Most people can’t answer either. Without clear vision, effort scatters. Through the story of Rachel, a nonprofit leader overwhelmed by burnout, Selk shows how defining priorities—family, friends, and career—transformed chaos into purpose. Rachel writes a vivid “vision of self-image” describing her ideal future day, from relaxed mornings with her daughter to confident meetings with donors. That clarity fuels motivation.

Integrity: Commit to the Process

Integrity means keeping your promises to yourself—the daily actions matching your vision. Selk calls these process goals: small, repeatable behaviors that cause progress. Rachel’s process goals were simple—close her laptop at 9 p.m. nightly and contact two potential donors each day. By honoring those habits, she reduced stress, improved relationships, and grew her organization. Integrity is doing the most important thing every day, not everything.

Focusing on Less to Achieve More

Selk warns against the “set-it-high, hope-to-get-close” goal mistake. Unrealistic goals create habits of losing. Instead, set modest, measurable targets—a 10–20% improvement. Respect your brain’s channel capacity. Focusing on two strategic goals, one personal and one professional, builds sustainable momentum. He pairs this with Stephen Covey’s reminder that “the noise of the urgent creates the illusion of importance.” Success requires silence and discipline.

“Highly successful people never get everything done each day, but they always get the most important things done.” —Selk

In combining vision and integrity, the Framework of Achievement operationalizes RSF. Happiness results not from perfection but from alignment—knowing what matters and consistently doing it. Performance isn’t about doing more; it’s about doing what counts, relentlessly.

Perfectionism, Selk warns, is mental weakness disguised as discipline. The perfectionist overlooks success and hyperfocuses on flaws, eroding confidence. Through the story of a top NFL kicker plagued by anxiety over missed kicks, Selk explains how striving for flawlessness ruins performance. The kicker’s problem wasn’t mechanics—it was mindset. He was preparing endlessly yet never feeling “enough.” When Selk helped him define what “enough preparation” meant, his anxiety dropped, and his performance improved.

How Perfectionism Destroys Confidence

Perfectionists experience chronic stress because they never allow themselves satisfaction. Selk cites research from Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernetics: people rarely outperform their self-image. Constant negative evaluation lowers that internal thermostat, turning motivation off. Instead of driving excellence, perfectionism drives exhaustion.

The RSF Alternative: Improvement and Done-Wells

RSF replaces perfectionism with two habits: recognizing done-wells and having an obsession for improvement. Done-wells are small acts worth celebrating—arriving early, sending a loving text, skipping dessert. Acknowledging these trains your brain for confidence through expectancy theory. Improvement isn’t about fixing everything; it’s making one thing better today. This shift creates sustainable growth rather than anxiety.

Performance Under Pressure

Tony Christensen’s story exemplifies performance through RSF. After surviving a catastrophic car crash, Tony used his mental training—breathing control and positive visualization—to manage pain and survive. Even in crisis, he asked, “What can I do now to make this better?” His recovery proved RSF’s power beyond sport or business—it can save lives.

“Stop beating yourself up for not being perfect. Focus instead on improvement. There is always a way to improve. Always.” —Selk

The chapter closes with practical advice: schedule your process goals and recognize your done-wells daily. By focusing on progress over perfection, you replace fear with confidence. Mental toughness isn’t about being flawless; it’s about being relentless.

In the final chapter, Selk lays out tools to make RSF habitual. The Mental Workout and Success Log form a two-part training system that embeds solution-focused thinking in your neural wiring. You don’t need hours—just three minutes daily. Like physical exercise, consistency, not intensity, builds mental strength.

The Mental Workout

Comprising five steps lasting 100 seconds, this routine centers you for the day. You begin with the centering breath (inhale six seconds, hold two, exhale seven) to control heart rate and eliminate fight-or-flight panic. Then repeat your identity statement—a personal mantra defining who you are (“I am unstoppable.”). Next, visualize your long-term vision of self-image and short-term integrity goals—the two most important activities that day. End by repeating the identity statement and taking another centering breath. The sequence builds mental focus, confidence, and calm.

The Success Log

If the Mental Workout is preparation, the Success Log is evaluation. Each day, answer six questions: What did I do well? How well did I execute my process goals? What can I improve tomorrow? What action step helps that improvement? How well did I use RSF today? The act of written evaluation deepens the “neurons that fire together wire together” principle. Focusing on success and improvement strengthens confidence and consistency.

Consistency is Power

Selk warns of the 72-hour rule: skip training for three days, and mental deterioration begins. Like missing gym sessions, gaps weaken mental muscle. However, perfection isn’t required—done is better than perfect. Even incomplete logs maintain momentum. Research by David Kohl at Virginia Tech supports this: writing goals increases achievement ninefold.

“RSF will become your norm when you commit to training it.” —Selk

By blending mental and physical discipline, RSF training builds an unstoppable mindset. It transforms fleeting motivation into endurance. As Coach Wooden said, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” The final message: attack one thing, relentlessly. When you train every day to replace problems with solutions, your mind stops fighting normal—and starts mastering life.