The power of positive thinking

First off—what is positive thinking? It’s an emotional and mental attitude that focuses on the good as it relates to your life. When you focus on the good things you want in life, you’re training yourself to adopt an abundance mindset. Remember—every positive thought brings good into your life; every negative thought pushes good away. Being able to cultivate and nurture your positive thinking is a powerful tool that will help you create a happy, healthy, and successful life. 

So where do you start, if you really want to change your thinking? Step one is realizing it’s all up to you. Taking responsibility for how you think, act, and feel allows everything in your life to fall into place. You can’t always control life’s events, but you can control how you react to them. Empower yourself to change what is in your control and let the four points below guide you as you learn the ways of positive thinking. 

Fine tune your mindset.

Your mindset governs what thoughts flow through your head and how you feel and react to the people and situations that arise in your life. If your mindset is poor, everything around you will seem negative and down. If your mindset is positive, everything around you will seem positive and up. It’s the Law of Attraction in work. 

We can choose to focus on the negative or the positives in any situation.  If you choose to focus on what’s bothering you, it will negatively impact your life and you’ll attract more negative situations. Positive thinking bypasses that negative pattern, allowing you to enjoy the moment and be fully present. By consciously choosing to focus on positive moments in your life, you’ll begin to reframe your thoughts by creating a mindset that is grateful and open rather than negative and closed off. The next time a negative event occurs, remember it’s your response that truly determines the outcome and try to approach the situation in a positive way. 

Practice your self-talk.  

All of our self-talk, or our internal dialogue, plays a big part in our life. You’re affirming and creating your life experiences with every word and thought. Are they loving and supportive? Or something more along the lines of: I’m too fat, I’m never going to find a man, nothing ever works out. Those negative thoughts will attract more negative experiences in your life. 

So I say—Talk yourself up! Tell yourself you’re beautiful and that you’re a wonderful loving person. Do this for a while and you will come to believe it. Pep talks work. They motivate, inspire, and lift you up. Be your own cheerleader! It’s another way of looking at the glass as half-full. The next time something goes wrong, instead of telling yourself “This is bad,” instead affirm, “I can handle this” or “I will be okay.” Rephrase in a positive way. Make your internal dialogue loving and supportive.

Choose your words carefully.

The words you choose, both in conversation and in your mind, have a deep impact on your mindset. Studies show that positive self-talk improves your psychological state and helps regulate emotions. The words you choose in a conversation affect how others respond to you. You’re creating a feedback loop that can be either positive or negative. Take notice of the words you use and the response you get. 

I’ve had clients that took the time to write down all the negative words they found themselves using throughout the day. For every single negative word, they wrote a positive alterative next to it. The next time that negative word came up, they had a new positive word to replace it. This can be overwhelming at first. Be patient and loving with yourself and when you get frustrated, stop, take a breath, regroup. And remember—they are only words and words can be changed. 

Look to those you admire.

Think about the people who have changed your life for the better. Friends, family, a teacher or co-worker, maybe even someone you’ve never met, like a celebrity or professional athlete. What mottos does that person live by? 

One of the people I admire is Oprah. Her motto is: Own your power. She’s all about learning, growing, and leading by example. When I’m feeling down or letting the negative thoughts flow, I reach for quotes and affirmations from the people I admire. It helps shift my mindset to a positive one. One of my go-to affirmations is “All is well,” from one of my favorite spiritual teachers, Louise Hay. Whenever things aren’t going right, or seem a little negative, I remind myself that all is well. And upon thinking or saying these three short words, my vibration goes up and there is a sense of calm from within. That’s the power of an affirmation.Each thought is precious. Today, at this very moment, you can choose to change your thinking. Yes, it takes effort to gain control over our thoughts; however, the rewards are wonderful. Our true power lies in the thoughts we choose to think today. So, as Oprah says, “Own your power” and create a positive mindset for a happy, healthy life.