Many people would say “just think positive dude!” And they themselves seems don’t understand the process behind that positive thinking. Is it true positive thinking really works?

Before we got there, what’s really a positive thinking? Positive thinking is not just reversing the negative thoughts or the opposite of negative thinking.

Should we be in a state of happy, cheerful, good mood every day in order to think positively? No, we don’t have to.

In short, positive thinking is the absence of negative thoughts and negative emotions and that thoughts replaced with positive thoughts and emotions. In other words, it is the inner peace. When you really feel at peace with yourself, you are naturally going to think positive. You do not have to fight all the negative thoughts, or trying desperately to think of positive things; with the so-called inner peace is eventually positive things will happen by itself.

What we usually do is we think positive in the midst of doubt. We think positive when we emotionally feeling negative. For example, try to put fresh apples in a group of rotten apple. Fresh apples would go to rot. Think of these fresh apples here as positive thoughts. What about these rotten apples? Yup that’s right!

Humans have more negative thoughts than positive. Negative thoughts or doubts will surely cover the positive thoughts. The positive thoughts are polluted!

Your Thoughts Create Your Reality

It is not just by thinking about something positive that makes what you think suddenly and magically happened! That is called desperate thoughts. We can think positively, but there’s still a speck of doubt exists.

The solution is … you have to change your belief to the deepest! The analogy would be: first remove all the rotten apples from the basket then fill with fresh apples.

Conscious Mind and the Subconscious Mind

See, human have two kind of mind. The first is conscious mind or logical mind. And the second is the subconscious mind. The mind which we use to think of everyday is the conscious mind, our logic. The subconscious mind is running as well all the time but totally beyond control.

As an example, when you drive to a place that you regularly visit: work, college, or school, you are not entirely in the moment driving to your destination. Along the way your mind was floating everywhere. The subconscious mind is doing it all for you. What if on your way you suddenly almost hit another car. Your reflexes are also the work of the subconscious mind. You are not aware since birth until now you’ve trained your subconscious. The subconscious mind works like a tape recorder that stores the conclusions of every experience you’ve had, and it is working beyond your control. See how good your subconscious mind is!

When you fail, your mind creates a new memory in the subconscious mind which says “I’m not able”. It’s like a tape played over and over in your head. When you experience similar problems, this will cause a new failure to strengthen your memory about this disability.

Conversely, if the problem you say “I can do that!” Your subconscious mind will work automatically to create the solutions you are looking for. It will search its memories and find all experience with similar issues or approaches you’ve ever experienced. When you successfully solve the problem, it would record a positive memory and strengthens the belief that you can. The thought about “failed” wouldn’t exist when you are on a positive situation. The subconscious mind would interpret it as something else such as “haven’t found a solution yet” or “still in the process of finding a solution” or “learning”.

In life, you want to reach a goal but along the way negative thoughts always come up. Many people misunderstand by regarding the negative thoughts with realistic thinking. Think again.

Think Positive Creates Good Memories

One of the consequences of negative thinking is the failure to see the light, which causes the formation of bad memories. When I went on holiday to interesting places, but at that time I was disappointed because some things like a bad lodging and food is not good.

Now when I look back about that holiday, which first appeared in my mind is only the bad memory. Though the holiday is a lifetime experience and I already ruin it with negative thoughts. If only at that time I was in the positive thinking, I would remember only the good thing. But, from here I’ve learned something.

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” – Wayne Dyer

Focus correction

Positive thinking can work well, if and only if used correctly. One reason why positive thinking does not work so well is because you focus on the wrong place.

We shouldn’t want something because we want to avoid the opposite. For example if I say “I don’t want to be sick!” And believe that this thought will prevent me from being sick. Where do I focus? I focus on SICK. The subconscious ignores the word “no”.

How many times have you said to yourself to NOT forget something, but what happened? You forgot again…

Instead of saying “I do not want to be sick”, why not just say “I am always healthy.”

Another reason why positive thinking does not work is because we try to cover the negative feelings with positive thoughts layer. Suppose I say “I want a loving relationship”. Sounds very sweet and positive, eh? But the hidden message behind it is I want it because all this time my relationship with my partner is never intimate. I think positive with negative feelings and emotions. So I want a loving relationship just because I wanted to avoid the opposite.

Rather than be a positive thinker, be a positive feeler. You will feel a better life. Live life as if we’ve already got what we wanted. Naturally, the subconscious mind takes us into what we want.

“Positive thoughts have the power to change your life when the mind is carried by positive feelings.”

Perfectionism

Perfectionism is a form of negative thinking, because it will magnify every imperfection. Trying to make something more perfect can waste your time.

“No positive thinking can get you anything, but it can get everything better than negative thinking can” - Zig Ziglar

Be Positive Thinker

You are a positive thinker if:

1. You believe in yourself, and feel the peace within yourself. See how you look at yourself. Make sure you have a healthy self-image, you accept yourself what it is and accept any liability as a part of yourself.
2. Accept if the problem exists and find a solution. The situation doesn’t always happen as we want, but don’t let it affect your thought and behavior. Many people try to think positive by trying to ignore a problem. How can you solve problem and find the alternative solution if it’s not discussed. Dealing with problem to find solutions is not negative thinking. By complaining, making it a reason to give up and not going forward is a negative response.
3. Accept the challenge and grow. By accepting the challenge and do challenging things to help us shape the habit of positive thinking. Besides, to accept a challenge needs some optimism and positive thinking. You’ll also get new abilities, will also automatically increase optimism. Do not feel enough with what you already have now. Accept the challenge, ready to fail and learn from failure. Failure is not a failure as long as we can learn from it to be better. In short, faced failure in a positive way will bring us one step to success. Learn from your mistakes and grow.
4. Be ready to make a change. Know when to stop to try and change the plan. When doing the same thing and get the same results, look again. Positive thinking is believes in your self, but it is useless to stick to the same plan that did not produce the desired result.
5. Have faith in God. Don’t worries about results, do the best; in the end submit the results to God. So as a positive thinker, thank God not only for what we already have, but also for what he had achieved. Be optimistic and grateful even before it is given.

“Optimist: A man who gets treed by a lion but enjoys the scenery.” – Walter Winchell

Happy positive thinking!
Josua

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