7 Tips for Positive Thinking

These tips for positive thinking will help you maintain a positive attitude -- an essential ingredient for happiness, health and success.

1. Pay attention to your thinking

It may seem funny, but the truth is, most people are as aware of their thoughts as a fish is aware of the water they are swimming in. They don’t have a clue.

Their minds are constantly chattering, jumping from what they could have or should have done in the past, to worrying about what may happen in the future.

None of the tips for positive thinking would be of use, without an awareness of your thoughts in the first place

At first, just be the observer and notice how you think and what you are thinking about. You may be surprised at just how much anxiety-producing, negative thinking  is actually going on in your head.

Notice your self-talk – the language you use. Are you focusing on what could go wrong—or what could go right?

Just notice. Then make a conscious effort to change negative thoughts in positive ones.

2. Focus on what you want -- NOT what you don’t want

In my last article on How to Think Positive, I discussed how the brain processes in pictures and you cannot visualize a negative concept. When you want to communicate positive messages it is important NOT to use words like “don’t” “won’t” “can’t.” When you focus on what you don’t want instead of what you DO want, you will tend to draw to you the exact thing you are trying to avoid.

3. Use the Power of Metaphor to help you –  not hurt you!

Tips for positive thinking would not be complete without touching on the language of the mind.

Because the brain thinks in pictures METAPHORS are very powerful communication tools. I use them a lot in the mental exercises I offer to communicate and reprogram the subconscious mind. Like with any mind tool, it can work for you or against you – depending on how you use it.

When you are careless with language your brain STILL makes those pictures – whether you want it to or not. 

If you keep repeating: “… is a pain in the neck,”  don’t be surprised if you develop pain and soreness in your neck. If you constantly say “I’m starving” don’t be surprised if you have a slow metabolism because as a survival strategy, the brain will slow your metabolism if it believes you people are starving. And certainly -- no one is gorgeous enough to drop dead for!

4. Take charge of your brain and mind

Your brain is like a very sophisticated machine that executes on order. Whether you actually see something with your physical eyes, or imagine it in your mind’s eye, it sends messages to the rest of your body, reacting to what it perceives. It does not know the difference between what is real and what is imagined.

That is why if you just imagine eating a lemon, your salivary glands react. Likewise if you visualize yourself with the behaviors you want, your brain will execute on your behalf as well.

5. Have a sense of humor – because your brain does not.

Your brain has no sense of humor. No ability to judge right and wrong -- whether something was meant as a joke -- or not.   It simply carries out your instructions in the most efficient way it can. Take control of the command center of your mind and give clear instructions.

We are always programming ourselves with our self –talk. Paying attention to your self talk -- and using strong , affirmative language and clear mental pictures,  is critical when you are learning how to stay positive

6. DELETE negative thoughts.

When I was teaching the Silva Method, the process we used to train people to think more positively was to say: “Cancel -Cancel” whenever we caught ourselves or another Silva graduate saying a negative phrase or expressing a negative thought. It was a very effective strategy to bring much needed attention to negative thinking and get you to rephrase or reframe it.

In the first of these tips for positive thinking, I suggested you first just start to pay attention. After you have spent some time observing your thinking,  pick a sound or a word you can use every time you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative. You can use “Cancel -cancel” or “delete- delete” or perhaps a buzzer sound. Then change negative thoughts into positive

7. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

It is impossible to feel anything other than positive, when your heart is filled with appreciation.

More Tips for Positive Thinking

• Power of Positive Thinking
• 5 Powerful Auto Suggestion Techniques for Taking Control of Your Life
• Positive Power Thinking
• 7 Tips for Positive Thinking
• Subconscious Mind Programming
  
• How to Think Positive
• How to Stay Positive
  
• Building a Positive Self Image
• Building Positive Self Esteem and the Role of Beliefs

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