Two men look out from behind the bars,
One sees mud and one sees stars.
This is what positive thinking is all about,looking for a silver lining in dark clouds. Actually, positive thinking is more than mere thinking.It is a philosophy of life,a mindset, a habit- -either innate,or developed over the years by diligent practice.It entails facing life's upheavals in an optimistic & constructive manner--thereby making the best of even a bad situation.It is like a true friend; which,once adopted,will stand by you & help you sail through difficult times. While some people are born optimists others are not so lucky. But this does not mean they are destined to remain pessimistic all their life. They too can become positive thinkers with regular practice.
There is a wonderful concept to guide you further towards acquiring positivity - the concept of MEMORY BANK . This bank has two kinds of deposits which you can draw from,positive & negative. The interesting thing is that the more you draw from an account the more it grows . And if you don't draw from an account it will diminish. So the thing to do is to draw from the positive deposits & let the negative ones wither away.
Suppose an exam is approaching &you have lots to catch up with.If you are pessimistic you will think that you cannot possibly pass this exam & begin to worry about the consequences that will follow.Your negative deposit will come up with past instances of failures.You will lose sleep, confidence & valuable time;thereby failing and making your prophecy come true. This failure will go to swell your negative deposits so that when the next crisis crops up you will recollect your failures and be disheartened even before you have tried to overcome it.
On the other hand, had you recollected your achievements and believed in your abilities, you would have gained confidence , been energized into trying your utmost,passed the exam & further increased your positive balance; which would have come to your aid again & again.
Here are some tips to get on the positive bandwagon:-
CHECK YOUR MIND TO ROOT OUT NEGATIVITYShun Negative Emotions
Negative emotions like worry, fear,guilt, sorrow, remorse, bitterness, prejudice, greed ,resentment,vengeance swell your negative deposits. The more you draw from them, the more your negativity will increase.This post will help you to get rid of negative thinking.
Keep Away From Negative Influences
If you are already struggling with pessimistic feelings, melancholic persons will further accentuate your negativity-refrain from spending time with them or asking their advice.Shun tragic movies,sad songs & heavy,morose literature.Similarly,if sordid,depressive news of murder, gruesome accidents or other crimes perturb you then shun them on TV & newspapers.
Forgive YourselfIf you committed a mistake inadvertently or knowingly,just leave it there in the past.It should only serve to educate you;and not flog you.It happens with everyone----we learn as we go along.
Do not castigate yourself for everything that goes wrong.
Sometimes events occur at their own velocity.You are not able to prevent a mishap from unfurling despite best intentions & efforts.Flogging yourself for such incidents will only sadden you.You will suffer guilt pangs for what was not your doing at all.
Resuscitate your self-image.
Positive thinking asks for a sound foundation.It becomes difficult to be optimistic if one has low self-esteem.If we think we are no good then we cannot expect any good from life. Those having low self-esteem tend to focus only on their shortcomings & blot out their achievements.This kills confidence & generates pessimism.Therefore it is important to refurbish your self-image in order to inculcate positive thinking.Nurture your self-confidence.Without it,positive thinking will not be of much help.
INCULCATE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Recall your strengths and achievements.Whenever you find yourself losing hope,recollect the accolades earned, exams passed and targets achieved.Think of the relationships which sustain you.This will renew your hopes & perk up your spirits.Follow this routine at night to get a sound sleep & wake up in good cheer next morning.When you start the day on a positive note you will have confidence in your abilities, spread good vibes & attract positive people--which is essential to finding success & happiness.
On the other hand, if you morose,negative people will be drawn to you. They will sap your energy & diminish your confidence--discouraging you with their criticism . INCULCATE A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
Recall your strengths and achievements.Whenever you find yourself losing hope,recollect the accolades earned, exams passed and targets achieved.Think of the relationships which sustain you.This will renew your hopes & perk up your spirits.Follow this routine at night to get a sound sleep & wake up in good cheer next morning.When you start the day on a positive note you will have confidence in your abilities, spread good vibes & attract positive people--which is essential to finding success & happiness.
Not only people, even situations & opportunities that come your way, largely follow your thought patterns. Just a small example--suppose you are faced with two career options,one demanding & the other laid back.If you are besieged by feelings of incompetence & hopelessness you will automatically choose the easier one and hence pursue a second-grade career all your life.
On the other hand, if you decide that you have the ability & you can do justice to an upscale career, learning the ropes on the way;then you can give it a try & maybe lead a much more fruitful life.In this way, you attract what you think & shape your own destiny. As your attitude changes, your ways of tackling problems also change & this, in turn, changes your luck.
BENEFITS OF POSITIVE THINKING
Positive thinking subdues worry and enriches our mental health by many degrees.Tensions recede and we feel hopeful of overcoming our troubles.An optimistic fellow is always happier than a pessimistic one.
It enables us to think up a solution to our problem in a rational manner rather than panicking and losing heart.
Positive thinking does a lot more than merely instilling hope and pointing to solutions--it also energizes us to get into the fighting mode in order to overcome our difficulties. We are able to defeat our misfortune & smile again.
It enables us to think up a solution to our problem in a rational manner rather than panicking and losing heart.
Positive thinking does a lot more than merely instilling hope and pointing to solutions--it also energizes us to get into the fighting mode in order to overcome our difficulties. We are able to defeat our misfortune & smile again.
A positive attitude attracts friends and cements relationships.
It also boosts our physical health and immunity, while negative thinking leads to anxiety, poor health, poor stamina& poor performance,all of which combine to create a substandard life.
A positive person exercises better control over his life-situations and the quality of his life improves greatly.Certain downturns in life cannot be avoided but keeping an optimistic outlook, looking for the silver lining and concentrating upon it,result in success and happiness. The image has been taken from google.
