The Power of Positive Thinking: Training Your Mind Positively

Introduction

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

The Power of Positive Thinking has always been the key to a strong action-oriented mindset, success and personal growth. It is not a motivational hackneyed phrase, but a scientifically backed approach that allows any individual to access and utilize their innate power to achieve big things in life. In today’s social media driven world, where people are hooked to their phones as soon as they open their eyes, constant comparisons to other people’s success make us doubt our own. A positive mindset is essential for us to keep ourselves on track, and the Power of Positive Thinking certainly helps you to tune out the noise, stay on your path, and develop immunity to self-doubt and negativity.

This article will dive into the Power of Positive Thinking and five ways on how anyone can train their mind to cultivate positivity every day.

Why Positive Thinking Matters

In a “Social Media driven” era, comparison and self-doubt are prevalent among teens, adults and even seasoned professionals. Such mindset not only determines how we handle adversity, it affects all areas of our lives, from mental health, motivation, and overall drive to fulfill our long standing goals and dreams. This is where the Power of Positive thinking is more necessary than ever, as some tweaks and changes in daily habits contribute to long term, sustained development of an individual to achieve things they always wanted to.

Science further verifies this approach as in one study in The Journal of Positive Psychology, individuals who practice optimism are healthier, more resilient, and significantly more likely to achieve their goals in life. Developing positivity cultivating habits are not exercises in “feel-goodism” but rather, strategies to change one’s life, completely.

Respected psychologist Dr. Martin Seligman, a pioneer of positive psychology quotes: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” and Norman Vincent Peale‘s timeless book, The Power of Positive Thinking reminds us: “Change your thoughts and you change your world.” These words might feel heavy and unachievable at first, but the only path to tap into the infinite possibilities of an individual’s mind, is by cultivating the Power of Positive Thinking through small daily habit and routine changes.

Benefits of Positive Thinking:

1. Decreases stress: Positive thinking creates emotional strength, calmness and ultimately makes a person resist stress.
2. Enhances Physical Health: Optimism enhances the overall immune system and physical health.
3. Improves decision-making: Positive thinkers are generally calmer and able to solve problems with precise decision-making, clarity and creativity.
4. Enhances relationships: Positivity creates healthier communication and better relationships with other people.
5. Fuels Goal Achievement: Positive thinking has a ripple effect on a person’s focus, confidence and drive, helping them to achieve their goals.

By harnessing the Power of Positive Thinking, any individual can set aside the negativity created by comparison pressures, enhance their overall well-being, and tap into the innate power of the mind to unlock their true potential. In the following sections, we will discover practical approaches on How to Train Your Mind to Think Positively.

Train Your Mind for Positive Thinking

1. Practice Gratitude Daily

Gratitude has always been considered a cornerstone of the Power of Positive Thinking. Whether it is praying to god at the start of each morning or being thankful for the things in life you have, you shift the focus from “what you do not have” in life to “what you have” in life. As you develop the habit of practicing it regularly, you shift all the negativity in your mind to positivity, and it will have a significant snowball effect in your overall well-being.

As Melody Beattie quotes: “Gratitude turns what we have, into enough.” gratitude reprograms a person’s mind to observe and appreciate the things they have in life, enhancing their overall emotional health, relationships, positivity and overall outlook towards life.

How to Practice Gratitude

1. Begin your day with Gratitude: At the beginning of each day, write down three things that you are thankful for. Read them every night before you go to bed to remind yourself that what you have, is enough.
2. Reflect on the Positives: At the end of each day, be thankful for the positive things that happened to you during the day. For the negative things, analyze them and find ways to tackle them next time you face it, with positivity.
3. Express Gratitude: A simple “thank-you” for the smallest of gestures made by other people could sparkle a positive atmosphere and brighten their day and yours. Practice it.

2. Reframe Negative Thoughts

Negative thoughts are part of life and often dominate an individuals mind, leading to unnecessary, unwanted stress and limiting self-belief. In The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer quotes: “Your mind is always telling you that you have to change something on the outside to solve your inner problems. But if you’re wise, you won’t play this game.” This means that the mind is always looking for negatives on the outside, and trying to blame external factors for an individual’s failure, lack of motivation and stress. Contrary to this belief, the true Power of Positive Thinking shines when a person realizes that reframing negative thoughts by shifting the focus to internal solutions, empowering their mindset by focusing on the positives, and approaching negative thoughts with a positive and calm outlook can significantly empower them to handle even the toughest situations.

How to Reframe Negative Thoughts:

1. Identify your “Negative thought Triggers”: Whether it is a social media post, a person’s energy or the way that your table is set in your room, you have to identify triggers that spark negative thought patterns, and avoid them or change the setting to cultivate a positive outlook.
2. Question your Thoughts: Whenever you find yourself stuck in a negative thought, ask yourself the question “Is this thought based on something grounded in reality or a habitual story that my mind tricks me into?.” By becoming aware of this, you can unravel false narratives and create space for a more balanced, constructive and positive thoughts.
3. Replace Negative Statements: Consciously swap phrases like “I can’t”, “I’m done with this”, “I will not be able to handle this” with phrases like “I’ll try”, “I’m learning”, “I will give my best shot.” Small, conscious shifts in language can change your overall perspective and mindset while approaching a challenging situation.

The Power of Positive Thinking allows any individual to successfully reframe negative thoughts, allowing them to gain a mastery over their minds turning challenges into stepping stones for self-improvement. Practicing it on a regular basis makes a person optimistic and prepares them to face challenges head-on with positivity and clarity.

3. Harness the Power of Positive Affirmations

“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” – William Ernest Henley

Positive Affirmations are a powerful tool that have the ability to rewire your mind and help you attain your maximum potential. They reshape and reprogram your subconscious mind, enhancing self-confidence, optimism, and an overall positive mindset. When practiced regularly, affirmations can help you develop a success-oriented positive mentality which fosters personal growth by allowing you to attain your true potential.

In The Power of Positive Thinking, Normal Vincent Peale emphasizes: “Formulate and stamp indelibly on mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade.” This is a timeless advice which underlines the significance of visualizing success and consistently affirming that mental image of “you succeeding in life” fosters a positive self-image, and rewires your subconscious to achieve it.

Similarly, in The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Dr. Joseph Murphy discusses how positive affirmations plays a crucial role in reshaping the subconscious mind, and ultimately, your reality. He states: “Your subconscious mind does not argue with you. It accepts what your conscious mind decrees. If you decree that you are unsuccessful, your subconscious mind will accept that as truth and begin to create circumstances to match that belief. However, if you affirm success and visualize yourself succeeding, your subconscious mind will work to manifest that success in your life.” When you consistently practice positive affirmations and statements, you influence your subconscious into making it believe that this “should” be your reality, which in turn cultivates a positive mindset, opportunities and success in your life – an essential aspect of the Power of Positive Thinking.

How to Effectively use Positive Affirmations:

1. Align Affirmations with your goals: Firstly, you will need to identify your goal in life. Whether you aspire to become a surgeon, a painter or an investment banker, you will have to align your goals with your affirmations. For instance, you should practice “I have all it takes to become a successful investment banker” or “I am capable of achieving my dreams of becoming a great painter” will help cultivate a positive tone in your subconscious, which will in turn reinforce your hunger and drive to achieve your goals.
2.  Make it a daily habit: Every morning after you brush your teeth, look into the mirror and say out your affirmations loudly, looking at yourself in the eye. Incorporating positive affirmations into your daily routine will further reinforce your thinking, setting a positive tone for a confident and an empowered day ahead.
3. Write them down and place it where they are clearly visible: Writing your goals in a piece of paper and placing them where it is visible to you everyday will constantly remind you of your true purpose, ultimately making them a part of you and helping you to keep your focus, drive and energy towards attaining them with a positive mindset.

Thus, incorporating Positive Affirmations into your daily schedule is a simple yet powerful strategy to leverage the Power of Positive Thinking, ultimately helping you to reprogram your subconscious mind with positive thoughts and creating a positive, driven and clear outlook on your goals. It helps you to overcome self-doubt, keeps you motivated and on track to turn your dreams into reality.

4. Surround Yourself with Positivity

As highlighted in the introduction section, in today’s “Social Media Driven World,” constant comparison of one’s life with the lifestyle of influencers often leads to self-doubt and lack of motivation, planting the seeds of negativity in an individual’s mind. It is vital to identify these negative triggers and patterns and stay away from them, to create a positive atmosphere that fosters creativity and motivation, as your environment definitely plays a crucial role in shaping your mindset. By surrounding yourself with positive influence, whether through the people you are following in your social media handles, your friends or the content you view on your electronic devices, you can stay away from unwanted negativity. Moreover, your physical surrounding is also equally important in fostering a positive mindset.

As Dr. Joseph Murphy quotes in his book The Power of Your Subconscious Mind: “Your subconscious mind accepts and acts upon the thoughts and suggestions you give it. Therefore, you should focus on positive thoughts, people, and environments that nourish your mind.” you should focus on creating a positive atmosphere for your conscious and subconscious mind to flourish, which will ultimately strengthen your mindset and help you maintain an optimistic outlook towards attaining your goals and potential.

How to Start Surrounding Yourself with Positivity:

1. Spend Time with Uplifting People: Imagine this, you have a cousin who is a drug addict and always has a negative outlook towards life. Would you want to surround yourself with the person? Similarly, be with people that inspire you at your workplace or school, and have a positive outlook towards life.
2. Consume Positive Content: It is impossible to give up on socials in today’s world, where everybody is connected virtually. But more often than not, when we try to connect with a person, we end up scrolling for hours on these platforms. Following the right people, who inspire you, foster a positive mindset to maintain positivity. Moreover, focus on personal growth and positivity by listening to uplifting podcasts, reading motivational books, and watching influential people on personal growth and positivity.
3. Reorganize Your Physical and Digital Space: Plant indoor, low-maintenance plants in places where you spend most of your time to create a positive and vibrant environment. Similarly, declutter your digital space by removing/unfollowing creators who project negativity towards you and stop consuming their content.

By consciously creating a positive surrounding, you will reinforce the concept of Power of Positive Thinking and in time, the environment you create will greatly support your mindset towards positivity, allowing for tremendous personal growth and success.

5. Set and Celebrate Small Wins:

Every big dream starts with the first step. To achieve long-term sustained success in life, you will have to learn to divide a larger task into smaller chunks, and tackle them one at a time. Trying to achieve everything at once will only lead to failure, and shroud you with more negativity and self-doubt, hampering your overall confidence and drive.

Setting smaller goals and celebrating each of them individually constantly fuels your brain with the required dopamine and drive to keep on continuing on your journey. Balancing the tasks you have at hand with your own rewarding system is crucial for sustained goal achievement. Celebrating at the end of each milestone not only fosters a sense of accomplishment, it also boosts confidence and creates a clear, positive pathway to finish it.

Ways to Set up and Celebrate Small Wins:

1. Segregating Larger Tasks into Smaller bits: Similar to cutting a pizza into six slices for easier consumption, breaking down larger tasks into smaller chunks will not only make them attainable and manageable, it will help you complete any task easily.
2. Tracking your Progress Daily: At the beginning of starting a task, highlight what you want to achieve within a day and the time required to complete it. Set yourself on “Do not Disturb” mode for the entire duration of the task, then start working. At the end of the day, track your progress, and note down any deviations that inhibited you from achieving your set goal.
3. Consistency is Key: The key to successfully completing numerous tasks, over and over again lies in consistency. Consistently showing up to complete the work at hand is crucial to achieve long-term success. Also, do not forget to celebrate at the end of each milestone you set up for yourself, as you will get a chance to take a much deserved break to refuel your drive and motivation.

By applying the process of setting and celebrating small wins, you ensure that your progress is steady and your goals are achieved, while fostering a mindset that constantly seeks continuous growth and success.

Conclusion: Positive Thinking – A Lifestyle

From the article above, it is evident that Positive Thinking is not just a “stay-happy” mindset, it’s a way of life that rewires your subconscious and conscious thoughts, behavior, attitude, and ultimately, your outcomes. By consistently practicing gratitude, reframing negative thoughts, using powerful positive affirmations, surrounding yourself with positivity, and setting and celebrating small wins, you can completely transform your mind and unlock the door of your true potential.

Stay small, stay consistent, consistently block negative thoughts from engulfing your mind and watch yourself transform into the person you truly wanted to be all along. Besides the five points explained in the article, you can foster the Power of Positivity and Positive Thinking via regular meditation, making small changes on your everyday routine, following a balanced diet, regular exercise and incorporating daily motivation hacks.