Look for the good in everything and you will find it
What is positive thinking about?
By Gail Lowe
On the surface,”what is positive thinking about?” is a really simply question. Many people may think they know and many may pay lip service to it, saying they practice it daily. Some people hate the idea of positive thinking and actively avoid anyone they know who they consider looks at the world through ‘rose-tinted spectacles”.
But the answer is really quite simple – it is exactly what it ‘says on the tin!’
Positive thinking is about having good thoughts that are amenable, comforting and optimistic in nature. It’s looking at the world with the old “glass half full” ethos as opposed to assuming that the glass is half empty.
It is approaching every situation from the idea that things are going to turn out for the best and that life is really based on a feeling of well-being and optimism rather than negativity or pessimism.
How do you consider the glass?
What does this mean in practice and how can it affect your life for the better?
I’m sure we all know people who seem to be constantly smiling and saying things like “chin up”, “it can’t be that bad”, “look on the bright side”……. but do these people count as true positive thinkers? Or are they really the most irritating people we’ve ever met?
Being in a good mood and thinking positively is key to manifesting the life you want because being in a joyful state will attract abundance to you; be it abundance in love, money, health or happiness. The thing that is important here is that you really feel good though, and not that you go around telling everyone else and yourself that you are happy when your real underlying emotion is one of worry, concern or anxiety.
Words are not the only answer
One of the problems with positive thinking and how it is often marketed is that it is just about the words you say: “every day in every way, I’m getting better and better” for example. Many people think that if they only listen to an uplifting message or repeat ad nauseam a positive mantra, then this will magically bring the universe to their door and the flood gates to their health, wealth and eternal happiness will stream open. Now of course, I do believe that the flood gates can and do open all the time for people in the right mindset, but it is not as a result of just repeating a mantra if that is at the expense of the feelings or the vibrational energy being generated at the time. I have often used the “every day in every way” phrase myself but I ensure that I am feeling really good about the things I’m saying when I say it.
I have been a drama teacher for over 20 years and I know the difference between the words that someone says and the way they say it. There are a million ways to say the words “I love you” but we all know that they can be said honestly, desperately, sarcastically or downright maliciously. You see the power of positive thinking is not in the words, but in the intent behind the words and in the vibrational and emotional energy being put into them.
Think of the last time you said the words “well that’s just great” or words to that effect. In that moment, did you really mean that something was amazing, awesome and fantastic? Or were you being sarcastic because what you really meant was you were fed up with the situation, frustrated by it and wished it would go away? You see my point? The emotional energy behind the two events is totally different and it is the emotional energy that the universe and the law of attraction respond to. If you believe that what you focus on, you get more of, then you’ll start to see why positive thinking of this kind just does not work for many people. In fact, it often works in the opposite way – for the more they repeat the words “I’m rich, I’m rich” whilst maintaining an underlying feeling of “yeah, right?, with a pinch of disbelief and a large dose of satire, you won’t be surprised when they get more of the same – bucket loads of lack of abundance and hopelessness.
Having faith in yourself is crucial to finding happiness
So how do you create true positive thinking without just glossing over the problem?
The answer is simple – you have to feel the positivity in your body using your emotions not just your mind – so that it makes you smile without having to force the sides of your mouth into an unattractive grimace!
You have to feel that tingle of excitement in every limb without forcing yourself to metaphorically bounce off the walls. You have to understand the language of the universe, which is vibrational and reads feelings.
It’s the feeling that is key, not just the words that you say or think. So find something to feel good about. Look around and get yourself into a good state before you say your affirmations. Feel the energy flowing through you in a positive way and then say your mantra or project your positive thoughts or visualisations.
Top 6 tips for getting into a positive feeling state not just positive thinking
- Find a trigger object, however small, that you can feel good about – be it the cat, the bed, the weather, the fact that you can feel your breath pulsing through your body! There will always be something to be grateful for and happy about. I used to say to some of my clients, that if the only thing there was to feel good about on a particular day was the fact they passed wind, then use that! It used to make most of them smile at least so there was a general step in the right direction too.
- Ask yourself “how will I feel when XYZ happens?” and allow that to resonate within. Visualise what you will see, hear and feel when the situation happens and allow your body to react accordingly. For example, feel what it would feel like to cuddle a kitten/puppy/baby or to drive your favourite sports car even if you don’t own it yet. You might find yourself dancing round the living room.
- Change your posture – stand up, move about, stretch. There is a link between our physicality and our emotions to use it to your advantage. It’s pretty difficult to feel miserable whilst standing on one leg waving your ‘arms in the air like you just do not care!’
- Go out into nature – go for a walk, have a go on a swing in a park or swim in water – all these are good for raising your baseline vibrational state making it easier to feel better.
- Put your favourite music on – music has a vibrational energy all of its own and is great for raising your own vibration. Better still – dance to it!
- Create a “joyful jar” or a “blissful box” and put some of your favourite things in there. When you need to feel positive about something, spend a few minutes looking through it and feel the energy that the items bring you.
If negative thoughts creep in and you find yourself feeling less than positive, then a trick I use is to visualise a rail of coat hangers similar to the ones you find in a primary school. Then mentally ‘hang up’ your worries on the pegs and tell yourself that you’ll deal with them later. Get back to thinking of your trigger object/song or phrase and move on.
I realise that there are many people out there, who may struggle with their current position in terms of their health, financial situation or love life such that they struggle to find anything to be positive about. But Esther Hicks once said, “you can be sick and be hopeful, or you can be sick and in despair”. And I think that puts positive thinking truly into perspective.
It is not what happens to you in your life that is important. It is only how you deal with and think about what happens to you that matters. And you have the choice of how to think about something every minute of every day. It is never too late to begin thinking and feeling in a positive way, and when you do, your life will improve.
If you like this, check out my post on why failure is good and how to reframe things to your advantage.
Or if you want some inspiration, read I believe in you.
I hope you all have a great day.
Please leave a comment below to let me know how you got on.
RELATED POSTS – PLEASE READ ON FOR MORE INFORMATION AND ADVICE
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Ways to raise your vibrational frequency
Dance as though no one is watching: follow your own path
10 ways to always look on the bright side of life
Cool article, I love the tips you offer about how to get into a more positive mindset. Nature is a big one, I definitely feel better when I go outside in the sunshine and talk a walk through the farm near my house. I am also living to my favourite music right now also and the vibrations are HIGH:D thankyou
You’re welcome Josh. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. My favourite one right in this moment now is to appreciate the amazing blue sky right outside my window – must go and explore! Hope you have a great day. Gail
This is a great post. My dad is a therapist and spent years as a motivational speaker, so I grew up with much of this. However, even hearing your whole life how to be the one in charge of your emotions doesn’t make it easy. Your tips for getting there are solid and work quite well. Thank you for helping others who have such a hard time!
Thank you so much for your kind words Steve and great to know that others are trying to help people too. I’m glad you found it useful.
Beautifully put. Having any doubt about obtaining what you want in life is defeating your purpose. The laws of attraction will never lead you to the discovery of destiny. Positive thoughts do have to come from within and you must believe in yourself.
Thank you Maurice. It’s all in the feeling – you’ve got to speak the language of the universe after all! Have a brilliant day.
I have heard so much about the law of attraction in the past and I believe that this in itself is also positive thinking because what we allow our thoughts to be continually on, we will have. Expect good things to happen and it will and so is the other side of the coin. Your post will be encouraging to so many people.
Thanks for reading Norman and your kind words. I really would like to help people with my writing so if people can find some encouragement and it helps them, then I’ll be a happy bunny! 🙂
This is a great article and it is very true.
Attitude is everything and whatever you believe will bring you just that in life.
I first learned this with The Secret. Change your attitude, change your life.
Positive thinking will get you to where you want to be. Negative thinking will get you nowhere.
You have some powerful words here that everyone should adhere.
Do you have any daily affirmations that one should follow?
Hi Rob. Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. I totally agree with you about The Secret – it’s a great book. i do have some affirmations on the site under the tools section which are about success. They are guidelines really as it’s important for people to resonate with the affirmations so that the feeling and the vibrations they create are positive ones.
They are here: https://howtocreateyourownlife…
I’ll be adding more in time so stay in touch. Have a wonderful day. Thanks again. Gail
This is some great information about positive thinking. It has some really good tips that I think that I may use. This was a really inspiring post. I like how you gave examples. It helped me to really gain a true understanding of real positive thinking.
Hi Ashley. Thank you for your kind comments and I’m so pleased that you found the article inspiring and you liked the examples. Positive thinking (and feeling) is really our true nature but unfortunately we sometimes find it difficult to see that because we are looking at what we have already manifested and consider it lacking in some way. I’m glad that you are going to try out some of the practical tips too – let me know how you get on. Gail
I really like your post. I am the half full type of person. Unfortunately, I can’t maintain positive mood all the time and those tips you suggest will come handy even though I have my own happy places to go to when necessary.
Thanks for “Thinking” from Walter D Wintle. It hit the right place and I am sending it to someone very dear to me.
Hi Alex. I’m so pleased that you are a half full person. I hope the tips will come in handy as we can all have off days and off moments. No one (except source energy) is 100% positive all the time but that’s ok. The trick is not to be too hard on yourself. Esther Hicks calls it ‘contrast’ and says that it is necessary because when we know what we don’t want, it brings what we do want into sharp focus. So even if you have a moment, day or even longer, where you are not so positive, just smile and start again. No harm done! You can also see more of Esther Hick’s work by clicking here. 🙂 Gail
. Hi Gail, It was so uplifting to read this post. Thank you for all the good ideas. You have no idea how much I needed to read this right now. Will be putting these ideas into practice. Have a great day, Kind regards, Jill
Hi Jill. Thank you so much for your kind words and I’m so glad that you found the post uplifting and useful to you. Sometime life can get in the way of even our best intentions, but don’t be too hard on yourself – just take a deep breath; realise that well-being really does abound, and start again with a positive thought. All the best and I hope you have a great day. Gail
I could not agree with you more that words are not the only answer. People read a self help book and start thinking a bit differently, but to no avail. They did not change their actions. When you act in a positive manner, it impacts your thinking, creating a self perpetuating cycle.
I do have a question though. I enjoyed your mention of a ‘trigger object.’ It is a helpful concept. What is your own trigger object and why did you choose that particular one? I look forward to hearing your answer.
Thank you for sharing and I hope you make it a great day!
Hi Alex. Thank you for your comments and I’m glad you found the article interesting. You’re right in that people need to change what they do (feel or think) in order for different things to happen. It’s the old, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got” adage!
In terms of my ‘trigger object’, I have quite a few. The cat is definitely one and I think we humans can learn a lot from cats; they just follow their hedonistic path and it always works out for them…..I’ve already decided I’m coming back as a cat! The other thing I do is to think of my favourite songs which put me in a good mood and make me want to jump about – for me, Aha’s “Take on me” is right there along with “Bring me sunshine” and Monty Python’s “always look on the bright side of life” – quite an eclectic mix I know, but hey, they do the trick!
I hope you have a great day and come back soon! 🙂 Gail