How do you define prosperity?

Matt: Sure, I am mostly a husband, a father, and a grandfather to five amazing grandkids. Grandparenting is the best. I love to be out of doors. I love to be in the mountains on the seat of my mountain bike, and hiking around our beautiful Utah mountains.

I spent about 25 years in technology working in various positions, but I would come home often from my job and say, is this all I am meant to be doing? Is this what I'm supposed to be doing? Then about four years ago, I was turned on to life coaching by my wife and have been working in this ever since.

Me: When you work with a typical client, what's your main goal?
Matt: That's a great question. But honestly, it's not so much my goal. It's about the goals that my client has. If I am worried about what I am wanting to accomplish in a particular session or with a particular client, that gets in the way of what my client really wants. So, I find a great deal of satisfaction in helping the client to be able to see that they are ultimately extremely capable of creating a life, outcomes, and results that they truly want.

Me: How do you help clients define what matters most in their lives?
Matt: Trying to define what matters most can be kind of scary for people, to actually put down on paper what they truly want. Because when you do that, you're kind of making a commitment or you're ignoring it altogether. So that is kind of a challenging process, but it involves a lot of self‐reflection, asking some very serious questions. It can involve journaling, study, prayer, going inward, seeking wisdom from greater sources and trusted people, and for me, seeking wisdom from God. It involves learning to trust what feels right for me.

Me: You have this concept of what you call Wealth 360. Tell me a little bit about that.
Matt: Wealth 360, it has felt like a stewardship for me, like a dialogue or discussion that needs to go out. In today's world, we look at success very often in, in terms of what it looks like materially or from a career perspective or a bank account perspective. The concept of Wealth 360 is that true prosperity is way bigger than the number in a bank account or mutual fund.

But prosperity comes from all of the most important areas of our life. Relationships. Physical health. Spiritual connections. Community. Purpose. People. It could be careers. There are certain pillars of importance, if you will, and the idea is that people need to spend time to define those pillars for themselves.

Me: What general advice would you give someone to help them figure out what will really bring them happiness?
Matt: Keep your whole self planted where your feet are. Be present in the place that you are right now. We live in a world where there is so much opportunity for distraction. We hold in our hands, we hold in our pockets, an instrument that can allow us to be distracted 24/7. And quite often we don't want to feel what we are currently feeling. So, we'll open up a phone and look at something to avoid feeling something that feels a little bit uncomfortable to us. So, my piece of advice would be, get good at feeling uncomfortable for a moment and allow that feeling to pass.

If I'm feeling a little bit anxious. Why is that? Actually lean into that feeling as opposed to trying to avoid that feeling. Try to discover what that feeling is trying to tell you.

Me: What role does gratitude have in your work with different clients?
Matt: Gratitude is a very powerful emotion. When you're feeling gratitude, excitement, encouragement, or love, you are in a place where you can create more powerfully. Gratitude allows you love, allows you excitement, allows you to be able to live, create, and love in a much more empowered way.

Me: How do you help clients shift from a scarcity mindset to an abundance mindset?

Matt: In my particular faith tradition, scripture talks about God wanting to give us all that he has. Am I willing to be a recipient of that? I want to learn and help others learn to be a recipient of the whole life experience of the abundant life. And an abundant life is going to look different for different people.

Me: How does your faith or your belief system impact what you do and how you live your life?

Matt: I actually have a document that I call my declaration of who I am. Some of the points on there are beliefs that I hold very strongly. Some of them are aspirational things that I am working to become in my life. The very first bullet on that document says that I am a son of divine loving, heavenly parents that are intimately involved in the details of my life. That's a basis of strength for me. It is foundational for me. It is a foundation from which I live. So, that's a very, very powerful part of how I live my life and how I approach my stewardship as a coach, mentor, husband, father, grandfather, and uncle.

The above has been edited for length. To see and hear the rest of the interview and get even more insights on how Matt Rutter helps his clients transform their lives, watch the full interview at www.kenbakerbooks.com/expert_MattRutter.html

You can find Matt Rutter a www.mattruttercoaching.com, linkedin.com/in/mattruttercoaching/, and instagram.com/mattruttercoaching/