"The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over, but expecting different results."
My goal is to point out what really needs to happen to make this concept work. There is more to it than the average person would think. We forget about or have no clue what tools there are that we need to make this a permentant change! For example, understanding how our brain works, knowing why we act the way we do, and the application of universal principles is needed in this recipie of success. If these things aren't a part of the process, we will find oursevels with temperary or no change at all. An open mind is going to be needed to make this shift in our conciousness. Consciousness is the quality of the mind that includes your own internal reality, which also determines how you experience the world.
How many times have you had a situation that you perceive as "bad" happen and then try to think positively and made it all better? It might have been changed for a short period of time, but the only person you can't fool in this world is yourself! These thoughts of doubt, fear and anxiety are still running around in your head like annoying kids that won't shut up! The more you try to get them to stop the louder they get. Raise your hand if you have ever had that happen. If you have anything attached to your shoulder that resembles an arm your hand should be up. We have been given this amazing tool, our brain, but we never received the instruction manual for it! How do we make positive thinking actually work? To understand this we need to learn a little bit more about ourselves and how we operate.
Generally speaking, we have 50,000 thoughts per day. If you were to sit back and observe your thoughts and your self talk, how many of them do you think are actually positive? Odds are not very many. There are two types of thoughts that we have; CON-structive and DE-structive. What is the difference? Constructive thoughts are the ones that we have when we are thinking positivly. They serve us and have our best interest in mind. Destructive thoughts are the ones that limit us. Most of the time it is when "logic" is entered in to the equation. How many times have you been doing something and thought, "This is too good to be true?" or "I never have good luck.". Again, if you have an arm it should be in the air. If we haven't programed ourselves for "positivity" we will sabotage ourselves! Guess what?! That self talk is your BELIF system starring you right in the face! Our reality is created by different things. One of them is our belief system. Our belief systems are neural networks created in our brains through past experiences, childhood, and programs that we've attained over a lifetime.
"What fires together, wires together."
This means that different events that had a significant amount of emotion added to it were connected to create a reality for you. If you were bitten by a dog when you were younger you had a new neural network created. You will ALWAYS fear dogs at any age in your life until you "re-wire" your brain. If you were in love and had a terrible break-up, it will probably wire you to feel gun shy to date for awhile. Do you remember a converstation with your dad when you were 14 years old about fishing? Probably not, unless it had a significant emotion attached to it. Take a second and relect on your memories from your past. Which ones do you remember?If you ask 10 people who were part of the same past experience, why is it that some of them will remember the event and some of them won't? The answer is simple. Different people remember different things depending on the emotional influence it had on them.
Let me ask you this. How can we expect these "positive" thoughts to be permenanent if our belief system has wired our brain to be negative? That's like saying that you have downloaded only the basic version of microsoft word, but expect it to perform the tasks of the advanced version! Our belief systems can't give what they don't have. Here's the natural progression of belief systems.
Belief -->> Habit -->> achievement of current reality
Remember, perception is reality. Our reality filters through our past experiences. If we have had negative life experiences, we will visualize the world as a terrible place that never lets you get ahead. If you have had positive life experiences, then you will view the world as a place full of limitless possibilities.
Another point about the brain that is very important is how it attaches things to stored "files". For example, I am going to say different words and I want you to see what happens. The object is to think of the first thing that comes to your head. Take 10 seconds and think of that word and see what happens.
"Basketball"
What did you think about? Was it just the word? NO! It was probably a picture or a mental movie. This probably lead to a basketball related memory you might have had. If you aren't an athlete or have any clue what a basketball is, you probably didn't have too many attaching thoughts. Lets try it again.
"PIPSISSEWA"
What did you think about there? Is this jibberish I just randomly came up with? What did you attach to this word? I'm going to guess not too many people know what this is. It's actually a plant. The Native American name of this plant means 'it breaks into small pieces, because the leather-like evergreen leaves were used in medicine to dissolve kidney stones. Known for its strengthening properties and used in medicines for diseases of the eye. An infusion was made with water and applied to heal blisters. If you aren't a plant lover, there's no way you can attach anything to this word that is related to the definition. You might have attached something else to it, but it's only something that you have in your "files" in your brain. You can't choose files from a cabinet you don't have! I hope you understand the idea of attachment now. Now, how is this even related to positive thinking? Lets start putting it together.
"We will attach a negative or positive thought to a belief that we have created through our experiences and views of what reality is. "
Our "Reticular Activation System" (RAS) is what our brain uses to point out what is important to us at that particular time. If you are considering buying a Chevy, you'll start to notice Chevy's all over the place! Did everyone all the sudden feel the need to buy a Chevy? NO! They were there all the time and you didn't notice them because it wasn't important to you at the time. If you are interested in cars, you probably aren't going to notice all the different types of birds in the area. Who cares!? Your focus will be on the crisp paint job of the hot rod that just drove by. Unless there is always bird crap on the cars you are looking at, you'll never notice birds! With this concept learned, now we can fit it into the puzzle.
"We will attach a negative or positive thought to a belief that we have created through our experiences and views of what reality is that is given to us by focusing on what is important to us at the time. "
Positive thinking needs to be practiced on a daily basis and also needs to be evaluated. Without consistent work, we will revert back to what we have always thought. If you look at your mind as a garden we are either planting flowers or pulling weeds. Planting flowers refers to putting in positive things in our consciousness. Since we are constantly being "programmed" it is important to filter what goes in. What comes out can only reflect what has gone in. Either you let the news program your reality or you read inspirational literature. It's your call. Lets say that you get on a positive thinking kick. For about 2 months you are happier, your relationships are better, and you notice life is good! What if something bad happens? What does your thought process do? Do you fall off of your mountain and go into a valley or do you stay centered. Realize that sometimes things aren't going to go as planned. How you react to the situation is going to determine what you REALLY believe about your "positive attitude."
"Consistent efforts don't always yield results, but they ALWAYS yield success"
-Duane McGill
This concept was brought to my attention by a great friend and mentor of mine, Duane Mcgill. If we let a situation get us too low or too high, we become imbalanced. When we are imbalanced we become irrational. If we are too high, we think we can do more than we are capable of. If we are too low, our self image is damaged and our confidence in our ability lowers. Staying centered allows us to make it though anything. This will lead me to topic of self-righteous vs. self-wrongness. When you think that you're more positive than negative, you get self-righteous and build yourself up, and when you see more negatives than positives, you get self-wrongness and beat yourself down. When you're up, you feel elated and act self-righteously and superior toward other people; and when you're down, you feel depressed and act self-wrongeously and inferior. It is very dangerous to be on the extremes! For example, if you try to put on a facade for the world about how positive and upbeat you are, there will be chaos in your private life or your personal health. Everything is in perfect balance. This statement by John Demartini sums up an amazing point.
"When you stop taking credit and blame, you have the potential to become present, and in that state of presence, you're capable of what most people call miracles."
Demartini also goes on to say, "Every time you splinter yourself into a positive and negative emotion, you scatter your light, dissipate your energy potential, and disempower your true and centered being. In this way, you separate yourself into past and future, and you're no longer present."
We attract everything into our life. We only see what our perception of reality is. We could have an amazing person that crosses our path that could help us accomplish our dreams, but if we aren't on a higher plane of awareness, we'll miss them. If a situation or circumstance has been delivered to us we will miss it unless we are looking for it. Positive thinking isn't just about doing it when we want something. It's about making it a habitual process of life. You can read about the successful people who "got it." They are usually the people who were told something couldn't be done and they fought through it anyway because their vision on the inside was more powerful than the obstacles on the outside. People such as the Wright brothers, Henry Ford, Dale Carnegie, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin or anyone else who has done something significant in history. Authur Schopenhaur once said, "All great truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident."
Will positive thinking work for you? The answer is up to you. It is your personal responsibility. Jack Canfield, author of Chicken Soup For The Soul, has a great line that fits beautifully.
"You can't change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind. You can only change yourself."
Change is what happens when the pain of remaining the same becomes greater than the pain of changing. If you want positive thinking to work, plant flowers. Look around and do an honest self evaluation. You must remove what is hindering. Who are the types of people you hang around? What do you do for entertainment? What are your habits? What are your hobbies? Remember, the quality of your life is determined by the quality of questions you ask. What have you been asking lately?
