3 Steps towards Positive Thinking as a Way of Life
The phrase “positive thinking” has become somewhat of a buzzword in a lot of ways in our culture today. So many books and experts suggest “positive thinking” as a solution to low self esteem and confidence issues without ever really exploring what the phrase means.
Positive thinking involves much more than just deciding one day that you will change the way you think. Obviously, altering the way you think about yourself and the world around you is a difficult task. Oftentimes we fail to sit back and consider that the way in which we think about ourselves and the world very much shapes our world and our lives.
Negative thinking has a way of affecting every aspect of our lives without us even realizing it. So much of our happiness and our success rely on our ability to think positively and create positive situations. However, the trek to a positive attitude and positive self thought is no easy path. Follow these three steps in self improvement to gain the ability to think positively and create a new way of life.
Be Aware: Hear Yourself
Self awareness is an essential step in any form of self improvement. You have to be aware of yourself and the things around you before you can understand them and then learn to change and improve them. Before you can learn to alter your way of thinking you have to be aware of how you think in the first place. Take the time to monitor your thoughts and feeling carefully. Listen to yourself throughout the day. When doing this you may be surprised to find just how much thinking you do that you are not completely aware of throughout the day. Pay attention to those negative beliefs you hold that pop up without you realizing it, listen for negative thoughts, watch for negative actions (and reactions), and pay close attention to negative feelings that arise. All of these things are utterly important to be aware of. You should work hard to be conscience of the vocabulary you use throughout the day. Start by simply changing the words you use. Rather than saying “I have my job,” try rewording and rethinking things to say “I would love to find a new career”. While this may sound trite, merely changing the vocabulary you use is a great start to positive thinking.
Take Responsibility: It’s All about You
One of the most common forms of negative thinking involves placing blame on other things. Of course, we all do this. We point the finger at anything but ourselves at times. This is an easy path to take and a difficult habit to break. By placing the blame for something that is bad on someone else, you take the attention off of yourself. This, of course, is only a temporary fix. Even when we place the blame one someone else, that negative energy is still there. Turing the attention away from ourselves can never lead to a successful solution. After you have worked to become more self aware, you have to learn to take responsibility for your feelings, actions, and thoughts. By taking responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and emotions, they become something that you can control and change. Part of placing blame is believing you are powerless. Take responsibility for yourself and, in turn, gain control of yourself. Only after you admit fault and take responsibility for yourself and your thinking can you successfully alter the way you think and act.
Make the Commitment: Change Your Attitude
Each of these steps in self improvement is equally as important as the next. Without self awareness and acceptance, there is no hope for change. The final step in gaining a positive outlook and positive inner voice is committing to change. You must commit fully to positive self thought. Without total commitment very little progress can be made. This, of course, will inevitably take some time and dedication. With a history of negative thinking and blame, it can be very difficult to change our ways. Much of that thinking has become a natural response to our actions and our environment. For this reason, it is essential that you fully commit to creating a more positive inner voice for yourself. Create goals for new beliefs, new outlooks on certain things, and new distinctions for things. Make the commitment to creating a healthier self and a happier mind. By thinking positively and owning our thoughts we can learn to control our situation and master our bad moods.
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