Spiritual Fridays: From Positive Thinking to Positive Action

Is positive thinking merely about telling yourself it’s all good, it’s going to be fine, nothing will go wrong or you’ll definitely be able to see through the tough times? I have my doubts. While it may help to an extent, it’s like mugging up answers just to pass an exam. To make positive thinking a way of life, not just a tool that you use now and then, it will require some deep understanding, reflection and positive advancement.

Positive thinking is about trying to be able to find the good in the bad, to be able to see with a calm mind rather than with fear, it’s about thinking in a manner that leads to positive action. The following points should be able explain the idea better:

Tracing the source of negativity
When do we need to make a shift to positive thinking? When we are thinking negatively. When do we think negatively? When we hold on to the past (be it bad memories, our weakness or failures etc.), when we are faced with tough situations or situations we dislike, when we are uncertain about the future or we’re chartering into an unknown territory, when there’s external negativity directed towards us, and also when we dream of having or doing something. So the first step to positive thinking is understanding the source and cause of negativity. Once we have it figured out, we can focus on addressing it.

Addressing the problem

• If the past is pulling you down, you need to remind yourself that with each day, you’re growing and changing and so are other people, so is society and so is everything around you. The best way to address this is by being in the now, judging people and situations based on how they are today. This will also mean you won’t lose your optimism, won’t give up on life, on yourself or on anything, easily.
   
• If you’re faced with an unpleasant situation, instead of hating it already, see if it can have positive outcomes. For instance, did you learn anything when your boss shouted at you? Did it overtime teach you to stand up for yourself and say enough is enough? Later in life, did it show you how to put your foot down when it matters? Shouldn’t you see the benefits too? It is rightly said that heroes are born in times of war, because tough times push us to test ourselves, stretch our minds, be creative, be brave and do things even we may not have imagined we are capable of. So don’t be impulsive and complain, first try to find a solution.
   
• If uncertainty is eating away at you, especially when it is about something you dream to do, then decide whether want the gold at the end of the rainbow, badly enough to chase it. If you don’t, drop the idea. If you do, take small, medium, large steps towards it as per your comfort and soon you’ll have more clarity. You can turn back at any point and if it continues to seem like the right thing to do, you’ll automatically gain confidence. The more you walk on a path, the clearer it gets and the closer comes the destination.
   
• There will often be times when the source of negativity is outside. It could be friends, family, colleagues, competitors, random strangers, society, anyone. The truth is no one can make you feel something, without your permission. Just as we fall ill when our immune system is weak, we absorb external negativity when we are weak from inside. To strengthen yourself from within you have to first love and respect your ownself, treat yourself well, work on your skills, work on your weakness, be honest with yourself, face situations head on, decide whose opinions should really matter to you (the person should be your well wisher, should have a positive attitude towards life and should also capable thinking well). That’s building inner strength and the other way to tackle external negativity is by realising that those directing the negativity to you are actually putting out their own weakness. So try to understand the source of their weakness and tackle them accordingly.

Eliminate your fear
A great source of negative thinking is fear, our own fears based on our past, others fears that they constantly share with us, fears that society as a whole holds on to so preciously and many more. But when fear overcomes you, you need to stop and think whether it’s really rational, valid? Or is mere something based on our past experience or assumptions we’ve formed from what we see, hear and read? Just because something went wrong in the past will it also go wrong today, should you not attempt again? Is it your survival instinct kicking in to protect you against some make-belief obstacles? What’s the worst thing that can come out of this? Can you handle it? More often than not you’ll realise that your fears can be eliminated in this way with a little bit of thinking through things. Finally, even by risking nothing, you’re risking everything. So why not take the risk?

Having faith
Even if you think you haven’t done anything earth shattering, you will have surely had small and big achievements, you will have overcome several obstacles, and if you look deep you will have several reasons to believe in yourself. So have faith in yourself. Moreover, for every bad thing, or unpleasant thing you encounter, you will have encountered several people, situations, sights etc. to feel inspired and grateful, to remind you everyday that there is so much beauty and goodness in life, only if you’re willing to see it. So have faith in the universe, yourself, have faith in life. We can’t predict the future, so why delve into negative speculations? Why not have faith?

Making positive thinking a way of life
Don’t force positive thinking into your life, approach it logically, it's not easy, but if you practice it diligently, it will at some point become your second nature.

If this works for you, let me know on poojabhuladna@gmail.com