Positive Thinking

Positive thinking is a term that is thrown around a lot. It has been discussed in so many ambiguous ways. It is an important subject that I work with a lot. Positive thinking means having the strength and courage to accept and face life's situations, even the very difficult ones. It is the knowledge that our thoughts are what creates the quality of our lives and when we are able to focus our mind on a plan of action rather than stagnating with fear and anxiety, it is then that we are able to have balance.

Positive thinking means that we don't take things so personally because we know that the things that other people say and do are part of their story not ours. It means knowing how to have goals and do our best to reach them, while also accepting that life has unexpected turns. Positive thinking means that we feel energized with life because we don't take our thoughts and emotions so seriously that we let it define our day to day. It means not having the need to complain or whine on a constant basis. It means accepting what comes, doing the best we can, having fun and not taking everything so seriously.

Sometimes we have wonderful days and sometimes we have hard days. Positive thinking means that we provide ourselves with the tools to not get too attached to the good and not be too affected by the bad. It means that we understand that it does not mean that we never get angry, offended or sad, but when we do, we also accept the fact that though at that present moment there is this feeling within us, it is temporary and does not define us and we are not absorbed by it. It also means that we do not get so attached to and absorbed by happiness and excitement that we feel sad when it passes.

When we get too attached to happiness or optimism, we have a harder time when these transient moods change. 2500 years ago, in Ancient Greece, Heraclitus said, "The only thing that is constant is change." What was true since the beginning of time, is also true for today. Nothing stays the same and everything changes. Our strength and positive thinking lies, not in being happy and optimistic all the time, but in being able to accept these changes with a certain level of equanimity. It means not getting so anxious, afraid or drained when things go differently than we want. When we are able to do this, our definitions of good and bad change and often become much less acute. If we had true control over everything, our lives would go exactly according to our plan. But we have no real control. We can only adjust ourselves to what life brings us. This is true positive thinking. To learn more about how to think positively, call today.