Learning To Think Positively – The Power Of Thought
“Life is enchanting. You just have to see it through the right glasses.”
Is the glass half-full or half-empty? Optimists and pessimists may have different opinions here. People who see life positively recognize the good in every situation. Even in difficult situations they do not lose their courage to live, because optimists draw their strength from positive thoughts. Who thinks positively, should be more balanced and happier according to studies. Is positive thinking really the secret formula for a fulfilled life?
Positive thoughts are the best start for the journey on the sunny side of the life. According to earlier studies, there is indeed a connection between our way of thinking and happy life. Optimists are said to be less susceptible to high blood pressure, depression, and cardiovascular problems.
What exactly is positive thinking and what can it help with?
Positive thinking is also called “power thinking” and describes a mental, positive basic attitude. By means of affirmation and visualizations, desirable states of mind and personal happiness are to be manifested. Our thoughts have an influence on our feelings and actions – who have an optimistic attitude to life, should be altogether healthier and deal more calmly with crises. Researchers see a connection between positive thinking and health.
“We are what we think. Everything we arises from our thoughts. We shape the world with our thoughts”.
Think positive for an illness
Granted. Optimism alone will not cure a cancer patient (even if some of these miraculous cures have allegedly taken place). However, studies show that positive thoughts and visualizations of a healthy life triggered a kind of placebo effect in serious illnesses and the patient recovered more quickly. However, one must never lose touch with reality. Positive thinking can even be harmful after a certain degree.
“To be happy is not to have the best of everything, but to make the best of everything.”
Can positive thinking be harmful?
You have to be able to distinguish between: thinking positively and talking beautifully. Even if positive thought patterns strengthen us and make us self-confident, one should not lose sight of reality. There is no point in whitewashing facts that actually give cause for concern.
It often seems that negative thoughts should not belong in this world. One should always smile, not fail and certainly not be unhappy. Doubts and fears are part of the basic human feelings – in the past, these feelings could even save lives, because they saved the primeval man from danger.
It becomes absurd when positive thinking becomes an obsession. Whoever has a brain tumor can think positively as much as he wants, he will certainly not cure cancer by himself.
A test, for which one has not learned before, will not bring a good mark by positive thinking – there one can be as optimistic, it already requires diligence to achieve that. Even those who invest their last cent in gambling do not become millionaires through optimistic thinking alone.
Important: Positive thinking can, therefore, be harmful as soon as you refuse reality and rely solely on mental powers. One should see one’s thoughts much more as support for one’s own way of life. Only through thoughts, neither man himself, nor the world will change.
Therefore: One should be aware that negative thoughts are also part of life and are completely okay, as long as they do not take over and one sees life only black. Conversely, positive thought patterns are very good for motivating oneself and for not giving up in the event of setbacks.
“In all things, hope is better than despair.”
How can positive thinking be learned?
On average, people think about 40 thousand thoughts a day. However, he does not think about the extent to which the thought influences his mood and actions. With the following tips, one can learn to think positively.
Accepting the situation
Those who accept their current situation take the first step in the right direction. What else is left to one – some situations cannot be changed.
That’s why the inner attitude has to be changed so that dealing with crises is easier. Thinking positively also means taking responsibility for one’s life and actions. It’s okay to fail as long as you get up once more than you fall down.
Practicing gratitude
The embrace of a loved one, a helping hand in difficult times, the fulfilling job or your own four walls: We have many things to be thankful for. Sometimes we forget how well we’re doing and the extraordinary bad things are so present that we don’t appreciate the constant little things anymore.
A gratitude diary visualizes everything that does us good. If you write down what you are grateful for, you will realize that your life consists of more good than bad things.
Delete unhealthy contacts
Poisoned relationships don’t do anyone any good – and yet everyone has at least one person in the immediate vicinity who simply makes you feel uncomfortable. People who cause us grief and strain our energy influence our thoughts and actions in a negative way. It can be a violent partner, a sneaky girlfriend or a family member who causes restlessness and anger.
Therefore, unhealthy relationships burden us and have a negative effect on our emotional world. Whoever removes such people from his life will notice a positive change after a very short time.
Experience nature
On average, people spend about 80% of their time indoors. This is a great distance from his nature and from what his soul needs. Those who regularly go into nature not only gather new impressions but also find inner peace. Away from the daily environment, he has time in nature to think things over. The head is clear and new thoughts can help to look at situations from a different angle.
A visit to the forest or the park can be seen as a short break from everyday life and contribute significantly to positive thinking.
Do not compare with others
The big house from the neighbor, the chic Porsche from the colleague, the professional success of the best friend: Others seem to do everything better and better and you can’t keep up. Anyone who thinks like this attracts negative thoughts magically. To compare oneself with others is the most unnecessary thing you can do. On the other hand, every person is individual and has other successes to show for, on the other hand, the guy with the chic Porsche has his own problems and may envy his neighbor for his beautiful wife.
The fact is: Nobody has everything. And you shouldn’t measure yourself against material values anyway, because they are transient. Happiness, however, comes from within – no matter how rich or poor someone is.
Smile
Studies confirm what Grandma already said: Those who smile more often not only have a more positive effect on their surroundings but also influence their own thoughts.
Those who simply walk through the streets smiling or give a smile to strangers are guaranteed to get one back and become aware of the great effect of this little gesture.
Read success stories
Often the people who were at the bottom inspire us the most. Other people’s success stories take us into a world where anything is possible and make us believe in our own abilities. Success books can inspire, build and help you think positively.
The main actors in these stories are mostly people who have experienced setbacks such as a serious illness. They too first had to learn to think positively in order to give their lives new impulses and to turn everything to good.
Affirmations for positive thinking
They are regarded as a successful instrument of mental training and are used specifically to reprogram our thoughts. Positive affirmations are clearly formulated sentences that dissolve stuck thought structures and lead to a new self-confidence. Those who use them regularly can train positive thinking.
If affirmations are repeated often enough, the contents solidify as thought patterns and program our thinking positively. Just try it out and see how it changes your life!
Personality and motivation seminars
Seminars on personality development are not only very popular with managers and coaches. More and more people feel the urge to get the best out of themselves and to change their personality so that they use their strengths to be more successful. This can be both professionally and privately useful.
Self-motivation, rhetoric, stress management and self-confidence are trained in practical exercises and should help to better understand one’s own and others’ behavior. This helps to avoid conflicts in everyday life. You deal with problems more confidently and strengthen your personality. Those who are plagued by self-doubt and fear should try to think positively. Exercises help to create new thought structures and to draw new strength from difficult situations.
