The Reality of Positive Thinking: Now You Know

For the most part, you probably know that negative thoughts don’t serve you. They can be quite sabotaging and they can also lead to rumination, which may open up a whole flood of other negative emotions.

However, how bad are negative thoughts and what specific harm are they doing to you right now, this second?

Allow me to walk you through a brief visual.

Imagine that your mind is a beautiful beach. That’s right, feel the warm sand, the crisp blue ocean, there’s not a cloud in the sky, it’s a very nice and clean beach. The waves are just right and the soothing sounds of the wind and the waves are calming your soul. As you look around the beach, you see the people who love and support you. Perhaps there are children laughing and dogs barking happily. As you can probably tell, the beach is a happy place. Your mind right now is a happy, loving and peaceful place.

Now, what happens when you begin to bring some junk to the beach? What if all of a sudden there is broken glass all over the beach? And how about a banana peel? Candy wrappers, beer bottles, empty bags of chips and more junk are beginning to fill the beach! And then when you thought it couldn’t get worse, you start to hear a loud noise coming from the construction site and the fumes are beginning to really get to you. At this point, you would probably start getting distracted by the junk on the beach instead of soaking up that lovely sunshine and spending time with your loved ones. The junk is occupying your mind and it’s making you blind to the true beauty of where you are and what you can do.

The junk that I am describing are your measly little negative thoughts that are constantly slowing you down. They are not allowing you to enjoy your life and since they overpower your mind, you can’t help but only notice the bad.

Whatever You Focus On Expands

You see, whatever you focus on expands in your life. Think of it this way. If “junk” is clouding your judgment, it also makes you miss the opportunities, answers, solutions, happiness and joy that could be standing right in front of you. It keeps your attention on things that don’t matter, which keeps you from taking the right steps in order to achieve your goals.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be burden free as much as possible, and how could you possibly have any fun or be creative with all of this junk laying around in your mind? In reality, this junk is composed of misleading subconscious beliefs that are deeply rooted in your mind, which prevent you from succeeding in various areas of your life. They are lies that have been sitting in your mind for years.

You can be your own worst enemy based on the repetitive thoughts you have for days, weeks, months and years. This is why it’s important to change your pattern of negative thoughts.

Now, if the example of the beach isn’t working for you, feel free to imagine a different place. You can imagine a park, your room, your house, any place at all. I’m a firm believer in learning from the past, yet once it begins to hurt and sabotage your present and future, it’s time to kick it out of your life.

It’s Not Magic or Wishful Thinking

I’ve seen amazing progress with people who simply take one deeply rooted thought and make an effort to remove it. It’s not magic and this is not wishful thinking; we are talking about human psychology.

You might be thinking: “How do I know if it’s sabotaging my present and future?” You know it when it doesn’t make you feel good. Your emotions are actually more powerful than you can imagine. They can serve as your guidance system to help you realize what is right and what is wrong.

It’s OK to acknowledge what happened. In fact, acceptance of the past is critical and healthy. Rumination on the other hand, is not.

The funny thing is, the second you start thinking more positively, changing your thoughts and language, having gratitude for what you have, enjoying the love you have and focusing on what you really desire, all this goodness expands in your life.

I’ve seen this time and time again. Don’t be surprised if once you start changing your thoughts and clearing your mind for the better, opportunities seem to arise; a creative idea may hit you on the head and so forth.

Go on, give it a try and let me know your thoughts (no pun intended) in the comment section below!