INUVIK
Tyson Joe almost talks about his new mindset like a drug.

Tyson Joe, left, Terrance Allen and Dez Loreen talk about positivity during a podcast recording. The three make up Those Kugs, a group aiming to spread good messages and talk openly about mental health in Inuvik. - Stewart Burnett/NNSL photo

"Change is possible," he said. "You don't have to sit back and be stuck in a vicious cycle just because that's what you think should be happening."

Joe made change in his life by following more positive thinkers and reshaping the way he thinks about his life.

"You start doing what they do and then you see the results in yourself and it's like... I want more, man."

Those thoughts are shared around the room during podcasting sessions from Those Kugs, a group of positive thinkers in Inuvik made up of Joe, Terrance Allen and Dez Loreen.

The name is a bit of a play on words, taking "kugs," which can be used in a derogatory way to refer to Inuvialuit youth - "Get dressed, you're looking kuggy," for example - and redefining it under the acronym "connecting and uniting generations by speaking."

For Allen, his simple goal is becoming the person he wants to be.

"I was paying attention to what people were doing, trying to follow them, because I just grew up that way, seeing who had the best trucks, who had the biggest trucks," he said about what led him to his new way of thinking.

He started to realize the influence everyone has on everyone else and just how in control he can be of his own reality.

"I want to be a different person, happy all the time, smiling, saying hi to everyone, smiling to everyone, treating them good, becoming that person," he said.

That kind of an attitude can spread and reward you, he added.

"By working on that kind of trait inside of myself, I'm noticing a big effect on the people I'm around," he said.

"I'm hardly seeing anybody angry anymore. I'm not seeing anybody fighting. I'm seeing more people smile. I'm seeing more people say thank you. It's inspiring when you can make a difference in yourself and you see an impact in your community. When you see it happen, you want to do it more."

Loreen thinks he took too long to start figuring it out, and he wants to spread the message to young people today.

"I've spent a lot of time thinking one way and not wanting to change, knowing the change was there," he said. "You could always be better to people. You could always change the little things in life and how you think about them."

For him, it's about compassion, empathy and realizing life is not just about himself.

"There are people there with good intentions and (I want) to let them in," he said.

"Not having that openness has stopped me from having a lot of experiences earlier on in my life."

He pointed to his film career. He wanted to be a movie director, and now he's working on his fifth short film five years into it. His films are shown in territorial festivals and he gets funding for equipment and more opportunities.

"I've worked at it," he said. "It's legitimate now."

You'll never get rid of the bad days, he said, but it's about not letting them get to you.

"That's what took me so long to figure out," said Loreen of the negative cycle he used to let himself be a victim of.

"A bad thing would make it a bad day and (then) nobody wants to hang out with me," he said.

Erasing those negative thoughts is a constant process.

When Allen has a negative thought, he visualizes it and dissolves it, turning it into a positive.

"When you continually complain about things, you're going to continue to look at things to complain about . until you realize, 'I am the source of my misery,'" he said.

Now he lives by this motto: "Our rewards in life will always be in exact proportion to our contributions."

The great thing about being positive is it's not forbidden to anyone, he said.

"You've got to choose to become who you want to become," said Allen.

"You've just got to set your own standards," said Joe.

Loreen added that he's not preaching a certain lifestyle, such as total sobriety, but more of a change in mindset.

"You don't have to be 32 before you figure it out," he said jokingly, referring to himself.

The group speaks openly and honestly about these thoughts on their podcast, which often explores their past and continuing development of their thinking.

They want to get more involved in the community, especially with young people, and hope to involve more people in the show, perhaps one day doing it in a venue with an audience.

Find Those Kugs on Facebook to hear their podcast and see what the group is up to. They are also at: @thosekugs on Twitter.