The Influence of Positive Thinking
I’m not really sure if it’s just from getting older and the age I am or if the world is truly just becoming harder to live in and that there’s an influx of sadness surrounding everyone. I contemplate this often after talking to my friends, family, and acquaintances. It seems like everyone is dealing with something difficult no matter who you talk to, whether it has to do with health, finances, family, friends, and/or careers. It can be very overwhelming to constantly hear the troubles people are going through, while also going through a difficult time yourself. It’s easy to give in and be defeated by the hardships of this world. In a world full of negativity, we have to choose to be positive.
In an article titled Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress by the Mayo Clinic, the Mayo Clinic staff states that “Positive thinking doesn't mean that you ignore life's less pleasant situations. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.” To dive a little deeper into this statement, it doesn’t mean that we have to minimize or ignore our difficult situations but spend a little extra time focusing on the positive instead of the negative. No matter what we are going through, whether we’re stuck in a traffic jam or just got a detrimental medical diagnosis, we need to have a moment to grieve and acknowledge the “suckiness” of it. Each person and situation have their own timeline for grieving, so don’t ever feel guilty for how you cope with your own difficult situation- as long as you’re not harming others in the process. Resist the temptation to brood and feel sorry for yourself. Don’t allow the heartache to control you.
After you’ve had your moment of acknowledging the “suck” and working through the sadness, try to separate yourself from the situation so that you can find the positive and hopefully guide your mind in a new direction. Stepping outside of the situation can help us view what is happening from a new perspective. Personally, I am old school and like to make lists. Make a list of the positives and focus on those items. The article, The Power of Positive Thinking by Johns Hopkins Medicine, states that “People with a family history of heart disease who also had a positive outlook were one-third less likely to have a heart attack or other cardiovascular event within five to 25 years than those with a more negative outlook.” It also states that “There is definitely a strong link between “positivity” and health. Additional studies have found that a positive attitude improves outcomes and life satisfaction across a spectrum of conditions—including traumatic brain injury, stroke and brain tumors.”
We all know this is easier said than done, but the more we practice positive thinking, the easier it will become. Just like we exercise our muscles, we need to exercise our minds and the more we exercise, the stronger we get. We can overcome our negative thoughts. Just think of how our lives can change with positive thinking and the opportunity we have to change other’s lives with the ripple effect. It’s easier for me to see the negative effect I have on my husband and my kids when I’m in a terrible mood than the effect it’s having on myself. If I’m outwardly causing destruction, I can’t imagine the inward destruction my negative thoughts are causing. The owner of a company my dad used to work for used to say, “Negative thoughts bring negative actions that give you negative results, conversely, positive thoughts bring positive actions, providing positive results.” If we want positive results, we need to practice positive thinking.
Self-discipline is the greatest tool we can utilize in order to change our thoughts and then subsequently, our lives. Our thoughts not only change our lives, but the lives of those closest to us. Change the story that you believe about yourself. What we do, what we accomplish, what we produce is a result of the story we believe about ourselves.
Watch this video for some motivation: How to Find Yourself Again