Do You Really Believe in Positive Thinking?

By Jahiel Kamhi

I got this unexpected question just a minute after finishing my presentation on positive thinking. Honestly, I was very surprised, even confused and totally unprepared. Actually, I sensed a bit of anger in the individual's voice. How should I answer this angry person? "Yes, I do"? In a split second I made a decision and said: "Would like to have a cup of coffee with me?"

"Me? I don't think so," said the angry person.

"No problem. Maybe next time. I understand," I replied.

I didn't have a chance to say anything more. He has just turned around and left the room.

This article is devoted to my angry listener who didn't want to find out more on positive thinking. My intention was to give him additional explanation, not to criticize him or to ignore him. I had just one desire-to help and encourage him. We know that people don't change by force, they change when they want to.

What I wanted to say to him is this:

Anger, doubt and blame are not appropriate answers to unhappiness. We can replace this negative energy with a positive one. It is up to us to put all the pieces together and switch from anger and unhappiness to live life well. We do not need anger. Anger is suffering. A productive and happy life goes only with understanding how to deal with problems.

Positive thinking is not just believing. It's the process of creating positive thoughts and clearing the mind of confusion, preparing the mind to meet every difficulty, and looking only for the good in any situation.

The positive-thinking person will accept whatever comes his way, not denying reality-tragedy does exist and life gets in everybody's way, but the positive-thinking person will refuse to dwell on it. Facing challenges, the positive-thinking person will make all possible efforts to find a solution. Dealing is a positive approach-complaining is negative one. This is the biggest difference between the positive and negative-thinking person.

Positive thinking is a state of mind and is the choice of the wise man. It's more of an outlook- how you will explain the situation to yourself when bad things happen. A true positive thinker actually understands that whatever happens, they will know how to handle it. If unwanted or unexpected events occur, they'll require wisdom, not sympathy, to move forward and to deal with the situation.

The problem with my "opponent" is his non-critical way of thinking. There is no way to reach any goal, any destination or anything else with narrow-minded thoughts. Pessimism is just one example of narrow-minded thinking.

Mistakenly, people believe that a positive thinker is always "in the happiest state of mind". No, it's not true and it's totally impossible, but positive thoughts will bring positive energy when you need it the most. Anger or sadness will bring only more unhappiness and more negative energy.

Do positive people feel sorry for their mistakes? Of course, but they know they can't undo them.

I know it's not easy to change negative thinking into positive. It takes time to break an old habit. We must have a good reason to change ourselves for the better; in this particular case, the reason is avoiding unnecessary anger and doubt.

Also, we need to use and exercise our minds! It sounds silly but the mind is developed by use, like our muscles. Using the mind by exercising it in the positive direction will provide us with mental power.

Every comment, thought or act is a direct outcome of belief. Every believer is known by his conduct-the negative believer by negative behavior, the positive believer by positive actions.

Whenever we are angry, sad or hurt, and we step forward to change it, we are doing a great service to ourselves. I can't stop emphasizing the immense ability of the mind to produce a healing change in the body. Emotional states (anger, fear, hurt) influence physical health for the worse and my angry listener probably is not aware of this fact. I must repeat a well-known statement: Whatever we expect-we attract. What we think, we become.

My non-believer doesn't accept positive thinking. How can he expect a positive outcome out of his negativity? What comes out of person is always what's inside the person.
I do not know the reasons for people's anger and unhappiness, but I know: when people stop blaming for their unhappiness, they'll start taking real steps toward recovery.

One more friendly piece of advice to my suspicious acquaintance: Be around positive people, they are our sincere friends. We can't be at our best when we are around negative people who bring us down. This is just one more reason to believe in positive thinking.

Whatever you do for yourself, do it with the love. Whenever you do something with love, your mind opens and everything changes.

Wise men use knowledge, while the ignorant ignore it.

Jahiel Yasha Kamhi
jasakamhi@hotmail.com

Jahiel- Yasha- Kamhi holds a degree in Medical Biochemistry and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry.

Jahiel is passionate about writing, and conveying positive ideas that help people live life with more passion and purpose. His mission is to promote a good mental and physical health. Jahiel's core message is to inspire and encourage people, to give them hope and help them live their everyday life.

Being thankful for what is good in life rather than focusing on the negative is his message. With hope, all things are possible.

He writes regularly for online Newsletter http://www.personal-development.com and magazines. Jahiel delivers customized presentations, inspiring others to find more meaning and balance in their lives.

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Mind Power - Happiness With Positive Thinking Tips

By Joel Chue

Being a negative thinker is very unhealthy as it lowers your self-esteem and bad for your morale. It drains your energy rapidly and causes you to lose focus. To stop being a negative thinker, you have to change your thoughts pattern.

1. The first tip to being positive is to look after your body and mind. To ensure that you are in a good shape, eat well, exercise regularly, sleep well and spend time with your family. A relaxed and healthy body is a natural attractant for positive energy.

2. Reject and delete any negative thoughts that flashed through your mind. Researchers found out that an average person has about 60 000 thoughts being flashed through his mind on a single day. Why should anyone cling onto a negative thought? Make a conscious decision, and do your best to rid of any negative thoughts.

3. Hug your loved ones. By hugging, it increases your self-esteem. It makes you feel comfortable and loved. Move past a cold and sturdy handshake, and hug someone you really love and care for.

4. Make sure that you surround yourself with happy, cheerful people. Avoid friends who think poorly of themselves. This way your mind will always pick up positive vibes.

5. On a piece of paper, write down all the things that you are happy and grateful for. They can be your friends, your colleagues and your family. After you are done with the writing, paste the list somewhere it is conspicuous so that you can see it everyday. This will remind you of all the things you are grateful for and not take the things you have now for granted. Most importantly, it keeps you happy too.

6. Get out of the habit of fixing labels to people and situations. Don't say "I always knew it" "I always said so" "She never cared for me" "You have always used me" , etc. Such negative thoughts put you on a negative footing. They also lower your self-esteem.

7. Do not ever be afraid to speak up. You will never gain confidence if you do. You do not need to bother what others might view you as if you speak up as you are living your own life, not others. Opportunities may slip away if you remain silent.

8. Don't think of the negative stuff when something happened. When your boss asks for you, don't think of him reprimanding you or giving you a sack. Life is unpredictable; he may want to give you a raise in salary for your excellent performance.

9. Extend a helping hand to those in need. You can read a story to your neighbor's mother who is crippled and can't move; or you may go out and trim the garden of an orphanage on a weekend you are free. You will find that these small gestures have a wonderful way of generating positive energy. They make you feel warm, energetic and wanted.

10. There may be times when you find it impossible to get rid of negative thoughts. In such situations you should go out of your house for a walk or a jog. You can even go to the gym and do some light exercises. Such activity takes your mind off the negative thoughts.

If you follow these steps, you will find that your mind starts rejecting negative thoughts on its own.

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Positive Thinking and Belief

By Stephen Ryan

One of the most important things in trying to achieve any noteworthy goal is that of believing. Believing that you can and will achieve your goals. In fact believing so much that you expect it to happen. When you expect something to happen obstacles can then be seen not as problems but as natural events that must occur in order to for the expected outcome to manifest. Remember belief is complete and absolute faith and contains no doubts only positive thinking.

Belief is on three levels: thoughts, words and actions. If you only believe something in your mind but don't demonstrate this belief through your thoughts and actions then you are going to make little progress. If you only talk a good game then that too is not going to make great strides towards your goals, and we have all met people like that. However when you believe on all levels that is your thoughts, words and actions do not contradict eachother and are all focussed on the same goal then you are in control of a very powerful creative force.

Indeed expectation through belief via the law of attraction moves the goal towards you and actions and thoughts move you towards the goal. Thus all three combined can manifest your goals much quicker.

This process of simply focussing your thoughts works! Have you ever had a particular thought running through your mind and then noticed a group of related subjects, events, people or places showup in your life? For example, maybe you have been thinking about where to go on your next holiday suddenly all the posters in travel agents windows, adverts in glossy magazines and so on continually jump out at you and people you meet have just comeback from places you are thinking of visiting. After this then it is your turn to make the next step with your words and actions in organising the holiday.

Of course these things were always there just you had not placed your focus on that area so your mind did not let you notice them. Your mind is programmed through selective attention to get rid of all the clutter and leave you with only the relevant information. Having this ability to focus helps you continually discover new things, circumstances and opportunities to achieve your goals that much quicker as you can continually pursue them through these new avenues with your words and actions.

For example walking down a street an advertiser would subconsciously notice the blank advertising space on the side of the wall whereas the real estate agent would notice the vacant building nearby which could be renovated and sold on. You see it is the same situation for both people only our subconscious mind which we have programmed through our habitual thoughts allows to notice that which we have programmed it to.

If you wish to program your mind there are plenty of positive thinking techniques such as positive affirmations, visualisation techniques, developing positive habits and so on that will allow you to do so, however they would all ultimately comeback to belief, that inner unwavering faith. So the key message here is there are no coincidences only that which you bring about through your belief and focus. So believe and focus.

Those who think they can, can.

Author Tim Ryan provides FREE guidance and training on the power of positive thinking. By following this link you will recieve over $60 worth of FREE positive thinking training and advice immediately, simply click: Power Of Positive Thinking or visit the Beyond Positive Thinking Blog now.

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How Positive is Your Perspective?

By elizabeth Savino

If asked to visualize your future, is your perspective filled with excitement and possibilities? Or do you envision the life you would like to have but are burdened with the distractions of the obstacles you may have to overcome to create it? If asked to describe yourself, what comes to mind first? Are you quick to sight your shortcomings or would your more attractive qualities come to mind first?

Sadly, many of us are living lives defined by negatives. Such negative thoughts are beliefs as to what we cannot do and have in our lives. Though there is no doubt that negatives, hardships and individual limitations exist in our lives, clearly positives are present as well. Perhaps we are more programmed to look at what is wrong, so we can correct it, as opposed to having love and appreciation for the positive aspects of our lives and the relationships associated with it. By merely acknowledging and focusing on what is right, what is positive and what is a gift in our lives, we actually promote feelings of happiness. The truth is, if we look carefully, both positives and negatives exist all around us. Why not shift our focus to what is positive?

According to Dan Baker and Cathy Greenberg, in their recent book, What Happy Women Know, when one engages in any positive emotion they cannot simultaneously be miserable. This is so because the brain is not wired to process both positive and negative emotions at the same time. Thus, by consciously practicing focusing on gratitude and the joys that are present in our lives, our level of happiness increases. The more we practice such gratitude, the more we are open to the positive possibilities both in our present and for our future.

In moving on or transitioning after any hardship in life, possessing a positive perspective is crucial in allowing us to build the momentum needed to recreate the lives we envision for ourselves. To begin practicing gratitude and focusing of the positive that exists in your life, follow these tips below.

1. Be an optimist- Hold fast to the possibilities that are always available to us. Look for the joy in life and allow yourself to wonder about what possibilities exist in any situation.

2. Believe in the power of you- Despite any hardships that come your way, have faith in and tap into the inner power you possess. Dig deep and pull from the tremendous strength that lives within you. We all possess this strength, but it is up to each of us to grab on to it and use it as our fuel.

3. Know your true passions- Give thought to what really excites you. What do you love? Know what your passions are and what brings you your greatest joy. Once you are aware of what this is for you, do everything in your power to hold fast to living out your passion.

4. Take personal responsibility for your life- Life is about choices. Make them wisely and with thought. Then, understand that you and you alone are responsible for the choices you make and the life that you create for yourself.

5. Learn From your mistakes- Though most of us strive to do what is right, mistakes are an inevitable part of life. View mistakes as an opportunity to grow and learn. Assess what happened and take proactive steps to remediate what caused such a mistake to occur.

6. Look for the joy that already exists in your world- Make a commitment to taking a five minute break each day to focus of gratitude. For five minutes do nothing but acknowledge what is positive and what you are grateful for. The more you do this the higher your level of happiness will become.

7. Be courageous- Life is a wonderful journey! Follow your dreams in the persuit of happiness while holding fast to the knowledge that fear is merely an emotion. Feel the fear, and do it anyway!

Elizabeth Savino is a Life Coach and Founder of Sole Life Coaching located in Pennington, New Jersey. Elizabeth specializing in recreating your life after divorce by promoting clarity and empowerment to promote positive changes in the future. She has studied through both Mentor Coach and Coach U which are coaching schools that train individuals to become Certified Coaches recognized by the International Coach Federation. Sole Life Coaching, Pennington, New Jersey 609-737-9980. Email:elizabethsavino@elizabethsavino.com http://www.elizabethsavino.com

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Modeling Beliefs

By David M.

The beliefs that we each have about ourselves, others and the way the world is have a major impact on the quality of our experience. Because of the 'self-fulfilling prophecy effect', beliefs influence behavior. They can support particular behavior or inhibit it.

This is why modeling beliefs is so important.

One of the simplest ways to model the beliefs of people with outstanding abilities is to ask them questions about why they do what they do. The answers they give you will be rich with insights into their beliefs and values.

There is a story of a child in Rome who spent hours watching a strange young man work intently. Finally, the boy spoke, 'Signore, why are you hitting that rock?' Michelangelo looked up from his work and answered, 'Because there is an angel inside and it wants to come out.'

Beliefs will generally take one of three main forms. They can be beliefs about what things mean. For example, if you believe that life is basically a competitive struggle and then you die, you are likely to have a very different experience of life than if you believe that it is a kind of spiritual school with many rich and fulfilling lessons to offer.

Beliefs can also be about what causes what (cause and effect). And so will give rise to the rules we choose to live by. Or again, they can be beliefs about what is important and what matters most, so giving rise to our values and criteria.

In modeling out beliefs, you want to focus on those that are most relevant to and supportive of the particular skills and competencies that you are interested in. Some good questions to elicit beliefs and metaphors are:

• Why do you do what you do?
• What does that mean to you?
• What would happen if you didn't do that?
• What is that like? What do you compare it to?
• What is empowering to you about this?

Once you have elicited the beliefs of your model you can begin to experiment with them for yourself. When you go beyond simple understanding and actually 'try on a belief' to 'see how it fits', the difference can be profound.

You do this by simply acting for a time as if the beliefs were true and noticing what changes when you do. One of Einstein's core beliefs was that the universe is a friendly place. Imagine how different the world might seem if you were to act as if that were true.

• What new actions would you take if you believe that?
• What would you do differently?
• What else would you be capable of?

If you realize that the only thing between you and what you want is a belief, you can begin to adopt a new one by simply acting as if it were true.

Put everything you have into everything you do, the choice is uniquely yours.

Entrepreneur, Visionary, Motivator, Entertainer, Agent of Change & Master Performance Coach ... he has been called all of these and more. David Martin combines over 30 years of "in the trenches" experience to bring you a no-nonsense, get to the point, create results NOW methodology that has become known as Performance Coaching Systems.

info@eperformancezone.com 800-748-6838 http://www.eperformancezone.com

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Alternatives to Positive Thinking

By Mike Scantlebury

We all know the situation, it happens on the TV News every night. The person who's just been flooded out; or seen their house disappear off the end of a cliff or been burnt to the ground; or had a child kidnapped or ransomed; is asked by the interviewer with the intrusive microphone: "How do you feel?" In England, and America, we are all expecting the usual result. They will be brave. Despite being frightened, angry, lost, ignored or assaulted, we anticipate that they will gulp, take a deep breath and tell us how things will be better in the morning; they will pick themselves up, dust themselves off and start all over again; they will soldier on, and it isn't the end. No matter what the disaster, for some reason we expect people in the West to be universally brave and looking forward in a positive way. After years of having it drummed into them, losers, victims and worse are always expected to 'think positive'. Why? What comfort can you derive from a hurricane, a forest fire or a plane crash? Okay, it's true, they might feel better after a good night's sleep, but can't they be allowed to shriek, shout and complain - just the once?

Perhaps the reason that such 'positive thinking' is being fostered in schools, home and in numerous self-help books, is that it doesn't come naturally to many in the population. How many times have you had the experience of hearing a colleague is due for promotion, only to ask them and they dolefully reply, 'I suppose it means more responsibility, more work, longer hours'. But you'll get more money, you say. 'I'll be paying more taxes', they say, or 'Well, it might help but it won't pay off my credit card'. Sound familiar? Yes, 'negative thinking' comes naturally to lots of people, and if thermostat hadn't been so resolutely switched to 'positive' by years of harsh training and exhortation, it might be the natural state for most of us.

It's false, says Oliver James, the psychiatrist, in his new book 'Affluenza'. Worse, it's certainly not natural. In other parts of the world, such as China, it is quite usual to see the bad side of events, and, he suggests, thanks to Confucianism, quite okay to see both the positive and negative in everything - Yin and Yang, and all that. Contrary to Western expectations, it doesn't make people down and defeated. Quite the contrary, it simply means that these people are a little more realistic about life, and can recover from setbacks more easily, knowing that neither bad or good is more prevalent, and a tragedy today is no indicator that tomorrow will be the same or worse. Sunshine and showers, it's all good, all part of the fabric of life, and putting on 'rose coloured glasses' doesn't make the world a better place, or even make it easier to bear.

If there's a role for stressing the positive, says James, it's not in thinking but in planning. If you want to plan your future, then it helps to imagine that things will generally come out better than they are today, and may even be a lot better. That doesn't mean lose yourself in unreality, or fail to appreciate when things go wrong. But it's a pre-requisite of believing that such things are worthwhile, to want to look forward and put ideas together for building that vision. In other words, don't bother with 'positive thinking', you don't need it. Just stick to 'positive planning', and it will get you where you want to go.

That, he concludes, will be a big weight off your mind. Instead of bravely smiling through, putting a positive gloss on everything that happens, good or bad, you can focus on what you want and put your efforts into making it happen rather than interpreting reality in only a positive light. After all, he says, that's the ultimate measure anyway, isn't it? If you're determined and set on a path to great wealth, fame, fortune, or any of the other things that people in the West hanker after, the real test is in the bank account, the size of your house or car. It won't do to have a smaller car but be 'thinking positively' about it. At the end of the day, it isn't the thinking that's important at all. It's the action, and anything that moves you forward towards your goal is good, in fact 'positive'. That doesn't mean that 'negative' is bad, of course, in action terms, because your path may very well be a cross-country course, with hurdles, walls and hedges to clamber over, hills to climb and streams to ford. To get there, you need to stretch and make the effort, but above all, know that you've got a plan to reach the finish line. It's that 'positive plan' that helps you reach your goal, not the time and effort invested in 'positive thinking' along the way.

Mike Scantlebury is an Internet Author and a pain in the ass. You say up and he says down. You say right and he says left. Can't the man agree on anything? No, he likes to provoke, to challenge and to encourage. Read more on one of his many websites or look for his books, to download or buy, (Amazon or Lulu). The website starts here. http://www.mikescantlebury.biz

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Positive Living Through Positive Thinking

By Raquel Smith

Do you yearn to live a fulfilled life? Do you feel like life has thrown you a curve ball? We all have answered yes to either one of these questions at some point in our lives. Some of us may still be answering yes to one or maybe both of those questions. The good news is you can live a fulfilled life. You can still bat a home-run with a curve ball thrown at you. There is a popular saying that goes like this, "when life gives you lemon make lemonade." That is exactly what you do and more by living a positive life through positive thinking.

You may ask, what is positive thinking? It is simply a mindset. That means, you will always find the good in every situation. No matter what is happening to you, you remain optimistic and know that all is well. Remember, as long as there is life, there is hope. I am sure you have come across people who always have a smile no matter what. Then, there are others who always seem so grouchy. I know you don't have to think twice about which one you prefer to be around. Here is the key, this is where positive thinking comes into play. The person who always says I have no money is constantly broke. The person who believes their needs will be supplied, always gets their needs met.

The fact is not about what we go through but our attitudes and thoughts about what we are going through. We must have a positive mental attitude in order to live a fulfilled life. We cannot be successful in life with a negative attitude. Negative attitude draws negative situations and failures into our lives. On the other hand, positive attitudes bring prosperity into our lives. People prefer to help people with a positive attitude. Here are seven keys to living a positive life through positive thinking:

1. Get rid of old baggage

Free your mind from what happened in the past. Star living in the here and now. You cannot change the past and harboring ill feelings only keeps you stuck in a rut. You are unable to live a successful, fulfilled life because your baggage is weighing you down. Lighten the load; you may even lose some weight by doing that. Your mind must be free of worry or grudges in order to cultivate positive thoughts.

2. Positive Self-Talk

Most of us grew up in families where negative self-talk was the norm. You always talk bad about yourself even in joking with friends. Stop it now. Your subconscious mind believes everything that you say. Therefore, you will always do negative things to sabotage your success because that is all you program yourself to do on a daily basis. Start by looking in the mirror and telling yourself that you are somebody. You deserve to be successful. You are capable of doing, being and creating whatever you want. Whenever, a negative thought pops up in your head say, "thank you for sharing." Then, replace it immediately with a positive loving thought about your self. You will find that you start feeling good about yourself and then the possibilities are endless.

3. Stop complaining

Do you realize that the more you complain the worst the situation gets. That is because you are putting out negative energy. Whatever you put out is what you get. You know that what is sown is the exact thing that is reaped. You cannot plant apple seeds and expect to reap oranges. It doesn't work. The same law applies to our lives. Instead of complaining, thank God for allowing you to see that this is a temporary situation that you are passing through. You know that you will be stronger in the end. Whatever you focus on the most is what you create in your life. Therefore, focus on joy and peace you will find that no matter what happens, you will be quite calm. The journey through the particular situation is quicker and easier. I know, I am speaking from experience.

4. Be Thankful

Be thankful for everything, good and bad. Live every moment in a state of gratitude. I have heard many people say that everyone should be grateful for their bills. Yes, that's right. Obviously, you are enjoying the convenience of many things, including a roof over your head and food on the table. The bills are a sign that you have several things to be grateful for. You are much better off than some people. Think about the homeless people, they would love to have a place of their own and some bills. Here is another thought, your creditors believe in your ability to pay your bills. That is why they send you a monthly statement. Be grateful that you are able to pay your bills. Even if you are saying I can't pay my bills, be grateful and a way will appear. Once you are totally consumed in being thankful every moment of you life, you will see a shift in your life. You will begin to live in the abundance that is rightfully yours.

5. Be Accountable

Everyone needs someone who will help them to stay on track. It could be a coach, a mentor or even a family member. You should choose someone who is not afraid to tell you that you are out of line. Let the person know that you are working on living a positive life. You would appreciate being told of any negative thing that you may say or do. It is okay if you slip up. Don't beat up yourself. Simply, be grateful that you recognize the misstep and turn it in a positive step. You should have a regular session with that person to discuss the challenges and success that you have encountered while traveling the positive thinking path. It could be weekly or monthly; whatever is convenient for both of you. You will find that you growth is faster because you have someone cheering you on.

6. Affirmations

Start the practice of using daily affirmations to increase your self awareness. You need to start the day with a positive statement. So that no matter what happens during the day you can refer back to your affirmation to keep your thoughts positive. At the end of the day you should give thanks for yet another successful day. Even if you feel like a lot of things went wrong, you must still give thanks for remaining positive. You will find that doing this continuously will make it a part of you such that you will do it automatically each day.

7. Associations

How many times have you heard the statement, "show me your friends and I will tell you who you are"? Well, that statement is true throughout the ages. You are who you associate with. Your income, your mindset and your success will be on the same level as your associates. Therefore, you must associate with positive minded people in order to be positive. You need people around you who will support you in your efforts to live a positive lifestyle. The more you associate with positive successful people, the closer you get to your goal of having a totally positive mindset.

Once you follow these seven steps on a daily basis, you will develop a positive mindset. You will grow stronger mentally and you will set the stage for massive success in your life. You may even be an example to someone else who wants to change their lifestyle to one of positive living. Positive thinking definitely guarantees positive living and life of success. It is time to change you mindset.

© 2008 Raquel C. Smith, Values Alignment Coach

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Raquel C. Smith, "The Values Alignment Coach," publishes the transformational Golden Life Living' monthly ezine. If you're ready to transform your life into a golden life and start living the life of your destiny, get your FREE ebook now at http://www.goldenlifecoaching.com

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Positive Thinking - Why Change Your Habitual Thoughts

By Adelaide Kwaning

"Such as your habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts"-Marcus Aurelius

In other words, what Aurelius is saying is your thoughts become your actions and your actions your habits. Thus, if you want to change any habit, you must first start by changing your thoughts.

Psychologists and self help fanatics have long since been preaching this message. Yet, many people fail to heed this good advice. Perhaps it's because despite the fact that people want to plan, most folks are doers first and thinkers second. This wouldn't be a problem if the success of any action was not dependant on the motives behind it.

However, everything we do has some reasoning behind it even if we are unaware. The trouble is most people are just that-unaware. They are not conscious of the habitual thoughts that are making up their character.

For example, if you wanted to lose weight simply to appear more attractive then you have not tuned your mind for long term success. What happens after you lose the weight and you don't feel anymore attractive than you did before you lost it? Chances are you will go back to your old habits.

However, if you wanted to lose weight to become healthier and live a better lifestyle, you would then be training your mind for long term success. Because staying healthy, requires long term motivation.

Before you can create new habits and true success, you must change your attitude and thinking about whatever it is you want to accomplish. Change the way you think about something and you can change the way you feel about it. In most cases, this results in changing the actions that follow these feelings.

If you want to change your size, you have change the way you think about your body, not just your weight but your body as a whole. Your weight is merely a symptom of your habitual thoughts.

The same applies if you're in debt. Do not just change your spending habits, but change the way you think about money. Once again debt is a symptom: a consequence for the way you've been thinking about money.

In order to relieve yourself of any symptom - debt, obesity, low self esteem, whatever - you have to be ready and willing to convert your mind and commit your heart.

This, for many, is much harder than just running on a treadmill or doing affirmations in front of the mirror. Because changing your thoughts means you first have to admit that you have a problem. You need to become introspective and start having some serious conversations with yourself. While we can admit to not being perfect, not many people want to own up to their problems. But understand that you can have a problem without it damaging the amazing person you are.

You may be thousands of dollars in debt, but you're not a bad person. It's just that you have not learned how to develop your thinking so you can build a healthy relationship with money.

Same goes if you're an addict. You, as a human, are not bad, but you do have bad habits and this is probably the cause of bad thinking.

The number of resources for changing your thinking is plentiful. SmartSolutions-ezine, for example, works on encouraging people to work from the inside out, regardless of what you're facing. Because loving yourself enough to make the mental change, is the first step to true success.

Website: http://www.smartsolutions-ezine.com/you-smartsolutions.html
Adelaide Kwaning is an author and publisher. If you would like to learn how to develop positive, successful thinking visit her website today and subscribe to her newsletter http://www.SmartSolutions-ezine.com

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Medicine and Positive Thinking – Achieving Optimum Health through Positive Thinking

By Michael Lee

Positive thinking has, for the longest time, been relegated to the realm of new age, inspirational, and metaphysical healing rather than to the empirical fields of science and physiology. Medicine and positive thinking, therefore, were once thought to go together like brownies and onions. But recent findings have revealed that medicine and positive thinking may not be as incompatible after all. Indeed, they may actually be far more complementary than we could ever imagine.

Not only is positive thinking good for mental health, but it is now scientifically proven to be just as healthy for the body. Optimists generally have lower levels of stress hormones and are at lower risk for cardiovascular disease — telltale signs of a healthier immune system—compared to those of pessimists. Positive thinkers are also more likely to get well faster during treatment for a physical illness.

If negative factors like anxiety and stress can adversely affect a person’s physical well-being, then it should follow that positive thinking has a reverse effect. The only reason this hasn’t been readily accepted as truth before is because for years, we have tended to focus more on the negative, measuring and quantifying depression and such while the scales of happiness remained uncharted.

Research has repeatedly shown that chronic and psychological stress delays the healing process, reduces vaccine effectiveness, and diminishes the immune system’s health. Here, at least, we have known that there is, in fact, an obvious connection between what you know and feel in your head and how your body responds to it. Literally, you are what you think.

Medicine and positive thinking are hardly interchangeable, but they work wonders when taken hand in hand. So when you’re sick, expect positive results. Picture yourself in the prime of health; or if you want to be more realistic, visualize yourself recuperating from your sickness. Laugh your way to recovery. That is the best medicine, after all, according to the well-known proverb.

Positive expectations, like the placebo effect, can greatly reduce pain; thus, proving the innate power of an optimistic outlook in life. So do yourself a favor by thinking positive and helping yourself get better.

Medicine and positive thinking do work famously together. It is not believing in a false hope, but rather embracing the beauty of life despite its many setbacks. Positive thinking was never meant to be a miracle cure, but if you focus on living instead of drowning in anger, sorrow, and self-pity, you may just find yourself thinking your way to health and wellness.

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The Ultimate In Positive Thinking?

By Roy Thomsitt

I will never forget an evening in 2003, when I met an amazing gentleman. I had, for several weeks, had a problem with my foot and ankle, having great trouble walking because of the pain. It was a bit swollen, and I thought it was an injury of some sort, although I could not recall how it had happened.

The doctor at the local hospital did not examine it. She looked at my age on the notes, glanced down towards my foot, and said: "Oh, that's gout. It comes with your age." As I was only 53, and feeling quite healthy, I was not impressed. I never went back; I knew for sure it was nothing arthritic. I had long experience of arthritic pain in my younger days. This was not right; I was convinced it was an injury, but was baffled.

I decided just to rest it as much as I could for a few days, and it did show some sign of easing, but not a lot. I had started to fathom out how it may have happened. I lived then, and now, in Palawan, a beautiful province of the Philippines, something of a tropical paradise. Then, I still slept with the air conditioning on, albeit down low. More often than not, my feet would become uncovered during the night, and they were right under the air conditioning unit. So, I was waking with cold feet every morning.

Then came that evening I will not forget. A friend had told me she knew of a herbalist who people turned to when conventional western medicine had failed. That evening, she brought him to our apartment. We all sat around and there was polite chatter, with the gentleman sitting opposite me. As he came in, and then sat down, I had admired his agility and remarkably healthy appearance.

I noticed that he was observing my foot; and I had been observing him, too. I thought to myself that he was probably about 65, but as he was so healthy, only looked about 58. He had a young face, and good skin. My friend looked over with a big smile.

"Roy, Mr ??.. is 100 years old."

I was shocked, and aghast. I think he is used to that reaction.

"What?......Really?"

My friend laughed: "Yes, 100 years old. And he has 45 children from 4 wives."

I observed him from a different viewpoint now, and with disbelief. I was too polite to ask at what stages each of his wives died, but he had outlived them all. All his children had been successful one way or another, and he was a proud and happy man.

What was his secret? He was a man of the forest. Palawan is still blessed with historic rainforest, which hide many secrets in and below its trees. It was the trees of the forest that he used to treat people, and had achieved some wonderful results over the years. He was too modest to have told me that, it was my friend who told me of his successes. He shrugged if someone asked his secrets about his being 100 years old, and appearing so healthy and young. His answer was a fairly short one:

"I eat only good healthy food. I have never drunk alcohol. I have had a happy life. I pray every day, and believe in God."

There was one more reason he gave for his longevity: "I always wanted to live to be very old. I always saw it that way. Every day I imagined myself over 100."

Now, those may not be his exact words, as my friend translated for me as he spoke. But one thing I do know, he spoke with great sincerity, calmness and a subdued authority. He was the epitome of confidence. I was in awe at this small, lithe, 100 year old Superman.

My ankle and foot? Eventually he sprung out of his chair, and examined my foot.

"No arthritis," he said, and I did understand that as he spoke. Then my friend had to translate. He had observed, I walked on cold tiles. He said I would go from the outside, where it was hot, and come in and immediately walk on cold tiles. The blood was no longer reaching my feet properly.

That reminded me of what I had been thinking about the air conditioning while I slept. I explained, and he nodded knowingly. Each morning I would get out of bed and immediately do over 100 push ups. While the exercise is mostly on the arms, the tendons on the ankles get stretched with each push. Cold tendons being stretched over 100 times? Every morning. For months. That was it; that was probably the cause of the swollen ankle.

He said not to worry, it could be cured in 3 days of treatment. He had to travel down to the south of Palawan, and go into the forest in search of the barks and leaves he needed. It was the rainy season, and he was gone a week. I was still struggling to get walking when he returned, but it was only 2 days to go until I was due to fly to Cebu, so no time for the 3 days of treatment.

I need not have been concerned. He came back twice to apply a hot compress, steaming with the magic ingredients of the rain forest. Then, I had to get my flight. "Don't worry," he said, that should be fine. He was right; apart from an occasional twinge while in Cebu, it was fine, even as I walked around.

All he asked in return was the payment of his travel down to southern Palawan and back, as it was a journey he had not planned to make. He gave his time, knowledge and attention for free.

My ankle, though, was not why I remember that 100 year old gentleman. To me, his was the ultimate example of positive thinking. He always told himself he would live to be 100, and he did.

Ever since then, I have had a plan for my 100th birthday. It is a day I think of a lot. My guest of honour that day will be, if I can track him down, that gentleman of the forest. He will be 147 then, and with the way he was looking at 100, he will still be around, surprising people as much as ever.

This positive thinking article was written by Roy Thomsitt, owner of the Routes To Self Improvement website.