The Power of Positive Thinking

By Darshan Goswami, M.S., P.E., Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Your life is your garden, your thoughts are the seeds. If your life isn’t awesome, you’ve been watering the weeds.

Positive thinking can change your life. If you want to live longer, be happy, healthy and successful, all you have to do is think positive.
More and more people (including Doctors and Scientists) are turning to positive thinking because it is a powerful tool for transforming your inner self into an amazing health generating, and self-healing entity. Optimistic people have discovered that the human mind has the power to turn wishes into reality through positive thinking. Researchers continue to find increasing evidence pointing to the many benefits of positive thinking. According to a Stanford Research Institute study – success is 88 percent positive thinking, and only 12 percent education. Therefore, positive thinking is an important factor in your ability to succeed in life.
Positive thinking is an optimistic state of mind that always sees the bright side of life and focuses on the glass being half full instead of half empty. Positive thinking is a mental attitude that produces constructive results. Positive thinking brings inner satisfaction, happiness, peace and better health; improves relationships and attracts success into your life. While we all have this powerful tool, many of us are not aware of it.
Some long term studies on positive thinking and health have been conducted that confirms positive thinking strengthens the immune system and assists in healing. The evidence so far affirms that positive thinking leads to positive outcomes. Perhaps the greatest contribution made by psychology and neuroscience is that positive thinking is linked with virtues like kindness and compassion, and in proving that positive thinking leads to “wealth” of mind, body, and soul.
How does the power of positive thinking work?
According to psychology our mind controls our body. You can tap this capability by following a few simple steps. Each person is capable of programming their own mind to achieve what they desire. By learning to direct your thinking, you can change the way you behave and achieve a positive mindset. With a positive mindset, you always expect more joy, happiness, better health, greater success which also helps you reduce your stress levels. Basically, whatever your mind thinks and believes is what you expect. Anticipate positive situations and you’ll get positive outcomes. So, taking charge of your mind becomes a vital factor in keeping your body healthy. You can do this through affirmations and by consciously relaxing your mind through meditation.
The power of positive thinking helps us cope more easily with the daily affairs of life, see the opportunities all around us, and gives us the courage to take action when the moments of truth arise. There is no greater joy than a healthy, positive life. You feel exhilarated, energetic, happy and on top of the world. A sense of total well being permeates your mind. The future looks bright. You feel good to be alive. Adopting positive thinking as a way of life will bring constructive changes into your life, and makes them happier, brighter and more successful. An emerging field of psychology takes a scientific approach to the power of positive thinking and has come up with some surprising revelations:
· Positive thinking is a “skill” that can be learned to create happiness.
· Happiness is the cause of positive outcomes in life, not the result.
· Wealth does not bring happiness, but using one’s wealth to benefit others does contribute to personal happiness.
· Happy people tend to have deep religious or spiritual beliefs.
How to develop Positive thinking?
Many of us know what positive thinking is, but not all of us know how to be positive or how to maintain a positive attitude. Watch what you say – try to say positive things to people, avoid complaining and saying negative statements. In order to turn the mind toward positive thinking, some inner work is required, since attitude and thoughts do not change overnight.
You can develop this state of mind by reading inspiring and motivating literature, through visualization, affirmations and meditation. When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you’re able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. This ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.
Here are 10 simple things you can do to jump-start positive thinking:
1. Smile and Laugh – It has been scientifically proven that smiling can improve your overall mood and outlook in life. Laughter is the best medicine and they aren’t lying. Join a Yoga laughter club for group support for laughing and Meditation practice for calming the Mind, Body and the Soul.
2. Help others unselfishly – Focus on helping others by donating your time, wisdom, and money.
3. Eliminate your ego – Human ego is a dangerous thing since it makes people criticize and judge others.
4. Gratitude – Being grateful improves your chances of becoming more happy and content in your life. By being thankful for what you have, you will achieve true happiness.
5. Set goals – Set your goals daily on a piece of paper and plan out your priorities from the top to bottom. Having goals will provide the drive and motivation you need to become happy and successful in life.
6. Train your mind to focus on more positive thoughts – Replace negative with a positive thoughts and also take positive action.
7. Surround yourself with positive people – Hang out with people who have a positive attitude and outlook on life.
8. Be persistent and find the positive in all situations – Make positive thinking a daily habit and way of life.
9. Work Out & Eat Right – Eating healthy and working out will keep you in a great state of being and help maintain an active mind. Go for a long walk, run, or go to the gym. Also include Yoga, Meditation and Pranayam in your daily routine.
10. Listen to your favorite music.
Health Benefits of Positive Thinking
Researchers continue to explore health benefits that are produced by positive thinking and optimism. For example, positive thinking may help to:
· Lower stress levels;
· Improve your body’s immune system;
· Make you more resilient and to develop the ability to overcome life’s difficulties;
· Bring more happiness and respect from other people;
· Increase your life span;
· Create greater inner power and strength to inspire and motivate yourself and others; and
· Reduce depression.
Conclusion
Positive thinking is a mental attitude that helps us see the “silver lining”. Having a positive mindset causes us to anticipate happiness, joy, health, and favorable results. Real and effective positive thinking requires focusing on positive thoughts and positive emotions, and also taking positive action to bring about favorable outcomes.
The power of positive thinking is about committing yourself to get the most out of your day – every day. It is about being enthusiastic, keeping your mind focused on important things and developing strategies for dealing with problems. Positive thinking can help you to do your best each day. It can also help you to look back at things that happen along the way and view them as positive life lessons. In addition, in sharing positive mood and positive experiences, you and those around you enjoy an emotional boost.
We create our entire world by the way we think. Thoughts are the causes and conditions are the effects. Our circumstances and conditions are not dictated by the world outside; it is the world inside us that creates the outside. Regardless of our circumstances, each person has the innate, God given ability to create or alter reality using the power of positive thinking. Studies show that people who participate in positive thinking lead more successful and happier lives than people who don’t.
Positive thinking reduces stress by eliminating negative self-talk which, in turn, can even improve your health. When you share your positive experience, both you and those around you enjoy an emotional boost. So, refuse to waste time participating in negative inner dialogues. Instead, display a more positive emotional and mental attitude toward yourself, other people and situations.
Positive thinking is the cause of success and happiness. Positive thinkers will look at circumstances realistically, search for ways to improve a situation, and try to learn from their experiences. Positive thinking helps you cope more easily with the daily affairs of life. It brings optimism into your life, and makes it easier to avoid worries and negative thinking. If you adopt positive thinking, it will bring constructive changes into your life, and make experiences happier, brighter and more successful. Choose to be positive. You’ll feel better, make others feel better, and, you’ll look younger too!