DR MOTIVATOR
The Power of Positive Thinking
When someone is worried or anxious about something, a friend will often tell him or her to “think positive”. While this may just seem like something nice to say to help someone feel better, thinking positively can actually help to change the direction of your life.
Now, do not confuse thinking positively with ignoring all things that are unpleasant, or ignoring your problems because you think that solutions will simply fall into your lap. Achieving your goals requires hard work, and positive thinking is just the first step to getting what you want out of life.
Learning to think positively begins with using positive self-talk. Self-talk is the conversation you have with yourself, including the thoughts that you have in your head, which will have a direct impact on your actions. People who think positively are much more likely to get what they want out of life than people who think negatively. This is because thinking in a negative way is a self-defeating practice. If you think you will fail, then chances are, you will. This is called a selffulfilling prophecy. For example, if you wake up thinking, “It’s Monday, it’s raining and I have a test to take in math class. This is going to be a horrible day!” — chances are, you will indeed have a terrible day ahead. However, if you wake up thinking “Great, it’s Monday, the start of a new week! It is raining so I get more time in study hall and have a better chance of acing my math test!” — then you will likely have a good day because you told yourself that you would! If this sounds too simple, it’s because it is simple! If you want positive results, then you must think positively.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that things will always turn out the way you hope, but if you have developed the habit of positive thinking, it will not be such a crushing blow when things go awry. Positive thinkers also benefit in other ways, such as having a lower risk of depression, developing greater resistance to physical and mental illnesses, and having longer life expectancies.
If you can develop your positive thinking skills at a young age, then as an adult, you will be better able to cope with stress and other hardships that you may have to face as a worker, a spouse and a parent. So remember to tell yourself to “think positive”, and you can enjoy your life with a new outlook on the world!