Positive Thinking

The term positive thinking, is no stranger to most of us. We hear it used all the time but, since it has become a common rallying cry from self-empowerment gurus, its potential may get slighted and over-looked. Don’t get caught up in disregarding such simple ideas, for they may have a great influence in your everyday life. Negative thinking has such a toxic effect which is easily observable all around us.

The effects of negative thinking is apparent in dirty, downcast, crime-ridden neighborhoods where residents exist under a cloud of violence and despair. It is obvious in the atmosphere of a work environment where it spread like a disease after word of a possible mass lay-off circulated like a germ. Negative thinking is contagious; it has a detrimental effect on the individual as well as those who they come into contact with…unless of course, one has developed the anti-bodies to ward off attack. The medicine is positive thinking, and once you use it to inoculate yourself, you will function better under all circumstances.

Positive thinking serves to empower you with the release of neurons that accentuate the feeling of self-worth. Personal doubt fades, and you move towards accomplishing tasks at an easier pace. Impatience becomes a thing of the past as you ‘know’ the outcome of your desire will be beneficial, and arrive soon enough.

Some people believe that, we and our world, are what we think…whether this is true or not, it is evident that our thoughts certainly affect conditions around us. The parent who comes home from a tough day on the job distressed and angry can, instantaneously turn the smiling, happy faces of his children into saddened expressions of fear. Often, it doesn’t take a single word to project your gloom upon another…it can be in what you don’t say as well. (Stone Silence) The tone of a downcast individual or their body language 'alone' will telecast mood. Negative energy will reflect back upon you and bore viciously into the pit of your soul.

Walking through the door in a positive light is a rather easy, conscious decision that any of us can make. I once heard of a man who put an imaginary hook on a tree by his door. Each time he came home to his family, he would pause by that tree, and hang his imaginary coat on that hook which represented ‘any’ burdens he might be carrying. This simple habit greatly aided in his ability to leave his problems outside the door, where the tree could neutralize them, preventing any possibility of them having a negative effect upon his loved ones.

After hearing this wonderful story, I began to put it into practice, and it worked…soon, my smile would form as soon as I began to remove my imaginary coat of gloom, even before I hung it up. That action alone served to change my reaction to any new strife that the family might be displaying as well. I became calmer, clear headed, collected and possessed a demeanor which helped to peacefully solve family issues at hand.

Before drifting off to sleep at bed-time, you can also benefit from positive acclamations. Clear your mind of any troubling thought and begin to focus on ‘you’…mentally praise yourself for the good person you know yourself to be. Include expressions of encouragement like, ‘I am well able…I am strong, well and happy…I am filled with love…I can give love to others and easily accept the love offered to me….’ Use any words that sound good to you…'it is your mind'…you know what is best for it, and you know that you 'can' achieve it by focusing on the positive.

In the same manner that these techniques work for you in a general sense, they can be employed to target specific goals and desires. Using positive acclamations for the purpose of reaching a health or fitness goal will speed the process immensely. Re-affirm your belief that ‘you can do it'… it doesn’t matter how old you are, or how far you have let yourself decline in health, you are well able to positively affect change. Consciously laid, positive input, planted within the fertile ground of your mind will act as the seeds which, germinate and bring forth a garden full of fragrant, colorful flowers. Planting the messages on a regular basis will become habit in time, and subconsciously, you will carry the ever present whisper of encouragement throughout your day.