The way you approach life and yourself, can have an impact on your mood. If you think positively, even your toughest days will be more bearable. Positive thinking is the key to living a satisfying & fulfilling life.
Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking, cogitated on a few thought-provoking thoughts about approaching life in a positive manner. He said, '"We tend to get what we expect.'" One interpretation of this saying is that whatever we expect or believe will occur will indeed come to pass. So, if you believe that you'll do well on a work project, you will. If you expect not to do well, then you likely won't.
Dr. Peale also said, "Change your thoughts and you change your world." The beauty of this statement is that it gives incredible hope. The implication is that if you can take hold of your thoughts, you can think your way into success. Positivity rules again.
Positivity: Illustration and Discussion
It can be tough to stay positive when things go wrong and you don't always feel confident in your abilities. If this sound like you, perhaps you need to take a leap of faith to think positively. Maybe you think "What if I fail?" or "But what if I make a fool of myself?"
Consider this illustration:
You're up for a promotion at work. How will you think about the situation? What do you believe about yourself as it relates to the possibility of receiving the promotion? Here are three ways to approach this matter:
-
Assume you won't get the job. After all, you didn't excel in school. And that new Vice President barely talks to you. You think you won't be chosen
-
Decide you don't care about getting the promotion. If you don't get it, it doesn’t matter. This way of thinking demonstrates the easy way out. It's easier to not put emotional energy into things when you're indifferent.
-
Dare to believe you can get the promotion. You believe that you are smart enough to be chosen. The others in your company are probably already aware of how much work you put in and what a good candidate you'd be for the job. You decided to think positively!
How can you come out of this situation feeling fine, no matter what happens?
Let's take a look at each approach to the possible promotion.
Most likely, if you respond like #1 and don't receive the promotion, you won't feel very positive. You might see it as additional confirmation of what you believed about yourself, that you would never succeed. However, even if you do get the promotion, you may believe you don't deserve it. Negative thoughts and a negative outlook can prevent you from feeling content with your success.
If you react as in #2, then you don't care either way. You've convinced yourself that nothing is important enough to invest in it. Your life goes on the same. When you don't care about something, the results don't really matter. If it really doesn't matter if you get promoted or not, then maybe you won't be happy getting promoted if that's your end result. By completely disconnecting yourself from the idea of a promotion, you’ve deprived yourself of joy.
But if you react like #3, you go into the situation with a lot of hope, excitement and energy. If you're chosen, your positive mindset will be rewarded and you'll be filled with energy for what's to come.
Even if you don't get picked, there's only a little letdown. After the speed bump, you'll be confident that good things will come to you again soon. The key is to stay patient and confident--you can't lose in life with positive thinking!
Pondering positivity is worth your time. When you aren't sure about how to think about a situation, remember Norman Vincent Peale's quotes on approaching life in a positive way. A little positivity goes a long way and can help you change your life for the better.
