guest post: what REALLY is positively thinking?

( ♥)

The following post was written by Faizal Nisar, author and creator of FaizalNisar.com, a website that strives to (and does!) elevate the mind. If you have the time, I'd highly recommend checking out "How a Balanced Life Brings More Success," one of my favorite posts on Faizal's site. 

 

If you’ve been exposed to self improvement for a while now, chances are you’ve heard the term positive thinking used many times. You probably also seen people who praise positive thinking while others criticize it as “being unrealistic." Why is there such conflict over this topic? I believe it’s because positive thinking is such a vast subject that it’s frequently misunderstood. The most common definition of positive thinking I’ve seen is simply “think positive." While that may be somewhat accurate, it simply doesn’t define the subject in its entirety. 

Positive thinking is a style of thinking. To take full advantage of it, you must completely replace your current style of thinking. I think that’s where the most confusion comes in. Positive thinking is usually seen as something “to do” instead of being seen as an absolute state of mind. People say “think positive” as something to do without realizing that in order to think positive, you first have to lay down the foundation. That’s why positive thinking gets deemed as an “unrealistic” approach to life.

How old are you right now? Your age is how many years you’ve been thinking the way you do. You’re accustomed to it and have become an expert at it. Now imagine working at one job for that many years. You know exactly what to do, how to do it, and when to do it. Then one day, someone says we’re completely changing how everything is done and the change starts now. How difficult would it be to adapt to this change? Extremely difficult, right? You’ll find yourself continuously going back to your old ways. You’ll have to slowly grow into developing new habits. That’s exactly how positive thinking works. Advice such as “think positive” or “look on the bright side” just isn’t enough. You need to lay the ground work and slowly shift your style of thinking. How exactly can you lay down the groundwork for positive thinking?

How to Lay the Groundwork for Positive Thinking

1. Accept your current way of thinking and make a conscious decision to shift it to positive thinking. You making this shift will bring you more enjoyment and less stress from life. You’ll experience more productivity, pleasure, and freedom from your thoughts. You’ll focus on finding solutions rather than concentrating on problems. Solutions bring peace to the mind while problems bring worry. To become a positive person, you realize you must condition your mind first. 
2. Start building your foundation through continuous training. Here’s a great exercise to get you started. List everything in your life that you are not content with. Then go back over your list and write three things positive for each negative thing in your life. For example: I hate the car I have. 3 positive things: It takes me front point A to point B, it’s a gas saver, and a simple oil change is all it needs to keep running. Try to keep yourself from completing this entire exercise in just one day. Take your time with it. Chances are if you do everything at once, the great deal of information will slip your mind. Doing it once a day will help you grasp the information and retain it longer. Repetition is the best way to teach yourself.
3. Immerse yourself in positivity. You see, your current style of thinking is shaped by the two E’s: your Experiences and your Environment. To shift your thinking, you have to alter both. To build positive experiences, you need to read, see, hear, and feel positive things. PositivelyPresent.com is a great source for this. In order to change your environment, start making friends that are positive instead of ones that are lazy, complainers, or even depressed. We subconsciously pick things up from people around us, so you want to make sure you are picking up on positive things.
4. The last step is to actually feel positive. There’s a direct relation to the thoughts in your mind and how you feel emotionally. Once you feel positive and content, you are well on your way to mastering positive thinking. You will be tested at times by facing situations where there seems to be no hope. Don’t get pulled too deep into this. Be conscious and say to yourself, “It always can be worse.”

 

Faizal Nisar, who inspires others from his own inspiration, writes at FaizalNisar.com on the subject of self improvement. His free book, The Instant Success Guide, can be found on FaizalNisar.com and will change how you approach success.

Comments

[Mark]

Excellent article and useful tips on how to develop a positive mindset. It is true, people are confused by positive thinking and often believe that to be a positive thinker is to not be realistic. We all know that stuff happens that is not always positive yet it is how we think that drives how we react to the bumps in the road.

[Marie]

It is true that there are good things about every situation . . . even if it is that our character is being strengthened and we are learning life lessons . . .

- Marie (Coming Out of the Trees)

[monika]

Great blog on positive thinking. Thanks.

[Rocky]

great stuff Faizal ! A couple of my best friends and I always debate about the usefulness of positive thinking. Since they're a bit more comfortable with the more "negative" side of things, sometimes it gets a bit heated. Stuff like this really makes things easy to explain.

[Topi]

These are all fantastic tips, but for me the top tip is to immerse yourself in positivity. I think that can be the make or break. I loved this post!

[positively present]

Mark - So glad you enjoyed this article! I agree that it's filled with very useful tips and I'm so glad I had a chance to post it on Positively Present. How we think about life really DOES have a huge impact on how we live life!

Marie - Yes, that's absolutely the truth. It's not always easy to see the good things, but they are always there.

Monika - Glad you liked the guest post! Thanks for stoping by!

Rocky - I'm happy you enjoyed reading Faizal's post. I hope it'll help you win your argument for thinking positively! :)

Topi - I'm with you on that one. Once you immerse yourself in positivity -- positive people, places, things, ideas -- you're much more likely to be successful at being a positive person. Glad you liked the post!

[Steph]

I often think about this, in the sense that developing new neural pathways takes time. I sometimes get incredibly frustrated that I've developed such easily worn grooves to the negative response to events. I want to be happy! I appreciate the reinforcement of important ideas that articles like this (and the many posts on this site!) present. Thanks!

[Kate]

Hello Faizal,
I agree some people see it as unrealistic, I completely disagree. It is looking realistically at a situation, and even if this appears to be negative, to look for the silver lining. I don't care what the situation, there is always something positive, something to learn, or something to take forwards. And that is positive!

Many thanks,
Kate

[Joshua Noerr]

I think your third point is the best. You have to immerse yourself in positivity and positive influences, because the reality is that it is 100 times easier to be negative!

Negativity is a form of mental laziness, and to combat that, you must circle your wagons. Hang out with positive people and keep your head in that space!

[positively present]

Steph - It definitely takes time. Lots and lots of time. You have to rewire your brain completely when you go from thinking negatively to thinking positively. I completely know what it's like to be frustrated (I am all the time!) when it comes to thinking positively, but I think persistence is key!

Kate - Thanks for your comment on Faizal's post. I love your attitude about looking at a situation realistically and seeing the positive. It's so true that there is always a silver lining and, if you're thinking about a situation from all real angles, you should be able to see that.

Joshua - That is a great point of Faizal's! I'm glad you highlighted that one because it really is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to being positive. And I love what you wrote about negativity being "a form of mental laziness." How true that is! Thanks for your comment!

[Syd]

I like to think and act in a positive manner. There are many times that the old way of thinking does come in. After years of living with alcoholics, it is hard to muster positivity every moment. But awareness has helped. I can see when I am slipping into old behaviors and reactions. I would rather have action that is moving me forward.

[positively present]

Syd - Me too! It's hard to do it all the time (especially when dealing with those that aren't positive or positive influences), but it's possible to have a positive attitude most of the time if I really put the effort into it. Awareness is definitely key. Great point!

[J.D. Meier]

It can always be worse is somehow always true. When the chips are down, that one little reminder really does put things in perspective.

[positively present]

J.D. - Yes, it is always true and it absolutely helps to put things in perspective -- no matter what one is going through.