We’ve all heard it. “Don't think Negative, Be positive” “Focus on the good in life” “Think, you could be in a much worse situation so you should be thankful for what you have” etc etc.
But the question here is … Is it a practical advice?
Well for me, no matter how well I understood the effects of positive thinking, it just didn’t work with me. Negative thoughts more often than not always barged in…never waiting asking for my permission.
The common thought is that being positive means being right, happy, and good. Positivity means good. Negativity means bad. Isn’t that obvious? Well, the short answer is “Not Really.”
What I mean here is …
To focus 100% on positivity, to try to push your brain into thinking everything is great, is to prevent yourself from making an impact in your life and in the world. When you turn a blind eye to what’s wrong in the world and what’s wrong in your life, you’ll never be able to give a permanent solution to things and situations around.
Negativity is not always bad ... Why even Unilever used this concept to give a positive spin to this concept via its Dirt is Good communication campaign (more popular as the Surf Excel 'Daag Ache Hein’ ads in India J
What I have realised is that it is absolutely ridiculous to focus 100% on being positive in your life. That can be a futile effort. Negative thoughts cannot be ignored. They will come our way, it’s being human.
While there may be many suggestions coming from experts on how to replace negative thoughts in mind to positive ones, it is very important to understand one thing, as the saying goes “ The more you resist the more it persists”. So the best approach is FACE THEM.
The idea is to first BE AWARE OF YOUR THOUGHTS WHEN THEY ARE NEGATIVE IN NATURE. Becoming aware of your negative thoughts is the first step that you can take towards controlling your thoughts and ignoring them. By becoming conscious of the flow of negative thoughts, it’s possible to reverse them.
Second, ANALYSE YOUR THOUGHTS AND SEGREGATE THE POSITIVE ONES FROM THE NEGATIVES ONES. Analyzing the negative thought patterns, understanding their source and working to segregate them from the positive ones, whether consciously or unconsciously, are techniques that are certainly helpful.
Last but not the least try CHANNELIZING THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS SMARTLY OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM BY POSITIVE WAYS OR ACTIONS. Great people attach their happiness to taking positive action and achieving real results through this simple technique.
The life of Abraham Lincoln and many other successful people have shown that it can be done. Cognitive therapists believe that we can control our moods with our thoughts, rather than blaming feelings on external events. As a young man, Lincoln was known for his melancholy and depression, but by the time he was President and facing the national crisis of the Civil War, he had adopted thought patterns that allowed him to experience happiness and joy in the midst of tragedy. Lincoln had learned how to change his thinking and eliminate pessimism. It is possible to change your thinking and become positive in life.
Negativity isn’t necessarily pessimism. That inner sense of being unsatisfied with your current situation will often be what drives you to achieve. I feel, though being positive has its merits being negative also has its own virtues. In fact, in many cases that negativity is what will drive you to succeed and change your life and it is the negative thoughts that actually push your mind to think positive.
So, let yourself be negative once in a while…but when you do that make sure to take real action to make it better. That is pulling positive energy … That is making the Laws of the Universe work for you! :)
Cheers!
Lipsa Mohanty
