If you have been reading my blogs or know my work in some other way, if you know me at all you know that positive thinking is an important part of what I stand for and the way I live my life. Thinking on the bright side of things can be a powerful tool for transformation. One that creates a framework for productivity, happiness and true achievement. I often argue that leveraging from your strengths is a more effective way of moving forward than focusing on fixing your shortcomings. Still, it might do you good to take a closer look at how it is that positive thinking is serving your purpose or not. Whether it is taking you closer to your goals or steering you away from the life you would like to have.
In its most useful mode, positive thinking opens up a world of possibilities. You cannot build an interesting, powerful vision without positive thinking. And creating one is a crucial part of leadership, teamwork and life itself. It starts a cycle of thinking-moving that is as productive as it is enjoyable and energizing. It is motivating and efficient. It presents you with the possibility in which you are the one to fulfill the vision you created and your actions follow accordingly, expressing your vision in everything you do. This type of thinking builds in an important aspect of productivity: hope. Without hope for the future there is no motivation to change anything. Without awareness of how your actions can contribute to that future, you will not find the strength for the personal transformation necessary to guide your actions. Hope, in this case, energizes you. It invites you to make plans and stick to them, to think big, to make an effort, to improve, to make the vision a reality and to find new paths where old ones are blocked.
So far so good, right? The trouble comes when a positive perspective leads you not to reflection but to wishful thinking. When you believe that if only you can think positively enough, everything will turn out exactly the way you think it. When it is more form than substance. Instead of thinking-moving, this train of thought will lead you to thinking-stopping or thinking-waiting. At the very bottom of this lack of action is a hidden fear that, no matter what you do you cannot have a real impact in the world. People that unconsciously do not feel capable of effecting change in the status quo tend to embrace this brand of positive thinking. They become absolutely superstitious about it. In the face of their own feelings of inadequacy they choose denial and keep repeating to themselves that everything will be fine, as a way of not confronting their lack of control over the world around them. As popular wisdom states, if you are going to think that you win the lottery, you had better go out and buy those numbers!
Having faith that the world will conspire with us is not a bad practice. Especially because it will lead you to act with more self-confidence, to move forward with all you’ve got, to make brave, bold decisions and explore uncharted territories. Faith can most definitely move mountains or leave you in the dark ages.
By all means, have faith in yourself and hope in the future.
Make it count by
- Being mindful of whether your thinking moves you forward or holds you back.
- Knowing yourself and facing your fears. We all feel helpless at times. We fear we will not achieve our goals. We worry about being stupid or falling short of people’s expectations of us, or our own, for that matter! Choose reflection over denial.
- Accepting your fears and taking them with you. Fear is human. It is designed to protect us from danger. Listen to your own fears, protect yourself and learn to move forward in spite of them. Take them with you.
- Visualizing a Positive Future. Practice makes perfect and the more you do this, the better you will get at it. If you find that doubts and negativity appear, do not fear them. Allow yourself to explore that nightmarish view and also imagine an option where all goes perfectly well. Reality will most likely fall somewhere in between or even take a whole different course, but contrasting the two will help you balance your perspective.
All in all, take charge of your positive thinking and how you handle it. Be aware of whether it leads you to move or freeze in place. Learn. Know Yourself. Make a decision for your thoughts to move you, inspire you and lead you to build what you desire. ¡Practice productive, positive thinking!
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Great article. I love several things in this post, including
1. The distinction between positive thinking that moves you forward and positive thinking (wishful thinking) that keeps you where you are.
2. The idea of carrying your fears along with you.
3. Contrasting the positive and negative thoughts/visions that arise.
Thank you for this wonderful, very clear teaching.
This is an important and very valuable distinction and your way of articulating it is most helpful. I find your timing for this topic especially perfect as new years resolutions (all too often an exercise in wishful thinking rather than positive thinking that moves you forward) will soon fade for most.
I’ve found that a sure sign that positive thinking is of the wishful variety is when people are positive about their future but not honest with themselves or others about their present. When the gap between the future you hope for and even know in your heart should be possible for you seems too big it can be paralyzing. I think that is where “accepting your fears and taking them with you” can come into play. As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Any dream worth dreaming won’t be manifested in a day either!
You have a very powerful voice, Monica, which I hear also when you write.
It’s vibrant, clear, compassionate and optimistic.
It’s also very HONEST and COURAGEOUS.
It takes a lot of courage to face our fears and to carry on believing in our bright future.
You ‘re a living example that it is possible and your post is crystal clear about it!
Reminds me of Elizabeth Guilbert’s talk on TED about creativity.
Show up and do it anyway!
Olé to you!
Superbly put, Monica! Positive thinking can be used to move us forward or hold us back. And your points about ‘making it count’ are so very useful.
My favourite ‘bete noire’ with positive thinking is what I call ‘positive stinking’. This is all about ‘happy-clappy’ denial of things which need dealing with, both external and internal. Would love to hear your view on that
Go woman go!
We tend to think in theories therefore generalized positive thinking or optimism is a far better choice than predicting fearful outcomes. Optimism is a foundation for the freedom from self that we need for productive action. When we can govern our thoughts and theories accurately and without distortion then we transform “fear” into “concern” that is “actionable” but yes, a sense of vulnerability is part our humanity that we do carry with us! Beyond Cognitive Science and self-talk we move into the area of faith and God-talk. In this realm we can be quite lofty with our dreams and visions. However, healthy spirituality always comes with a balance of worship, contemplation, and contribution that is quite practical. Frankly, the Law of Attraction is not a “law” and it is not a science. It is a theory and “theology of self” that is called humanism. Like all faith, it has its place, but their method of “prayer” is no more measurably “causal” than the “prayer” of Muslims, Jews, or Christians. Like all faiths, it can be healthy or unhealthy. The distinction is that healthy psychology and healthy spirituality creates a “productive freedom from self”, and these four words provide a great measure that points straight back to your teaching. I obviously agree strongly with your grounded stance and could go on forever, but, it becomes a bit odd when a response becomes longer than the blog!!! You opened some incredible doors for great discussion Monica! Okay, I’m done. Thanks for listening!
Great Article!!!!
Hi Monica,
Thank you for your balanced perspective on positive thinking. I am with you. You make it clear that by becoming aware of the direction and energy of our thinking (whether it’s more to negative thinking or positive), we develop a consciousness to determine what serves us and others in a given situation. I sense that those of us who practice positivity in the way you succinctly and eloquently outline it are collectively dispelling the myth that positive thinking is pollyanna-ish. I fully enjoyed reading your piece, and my big take-away is that positive thinking is such a foundational piece for sustaining hope and faith.
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Hi Monica
I get a lot of platitudes about positive thinking whenever I meet a friend or colleague and it comes out that I am unemployed. I know they mean well and it doesn’t bother me that they do this, but every time I hear someone say “aww. something will come up soon” I am tempted to say “why would that be?” It’s as though they have knowledge of some hidden law of averages that is bound to swing back my way eventually. Or perhaps they can’t think of a response any more meaningful than a gesture of routine cheerfulness; the same way people almost always say “good” when you ask them how they are doing, even when things may be going terribly wrong for them at the moment.
As you have pointed out, however, there is a diametric adversary to positive thinking; to leave out the “thinking” and just be positive without application of reason or logic.
You’re action items make good sense and I resonate with them. Personally, I possess a positive outlook on life even after 15 months of unemployment. It’s not because I am a positive person and somehow believe I will get a job soon. Rather, it’s because I’ve thought long and hard about the future, developed a plan and am working that plan. Barring that, I would indeed be the most wretched of men, longing without reason for some wrinkle in the universe to open up and mystically drop a job in my lap.
Blaise Pascal said “The heart has it’s reasons that reason know’s not of.” In this statement I sense his recognition that lasting hope comes from a balanced blending of emotion and logic. We are all thrust into a world containing both pain and pleasure, but we have choices before us and a mind with which to make them aright.
Blessings!
Don F Perkins
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