Negative Thinking - Beware The Results Can Be Powerful
If you're one of the many people who have recently become aware of your negative thoughts, or if you've been in this state for a while, this post is for you.
It's easy to look at someone who appears to be confident and think that person has overcome their negative thinking, but this is rarely the case. Conversely, it's easy to see someone going through a tough time and think that person is always in the midst of negativity.
As I've discussed in previous posts, the most effective way to stop your negative thinking is to change your behavior, and that means becoming effective with your mind. The first step of this process takes place after you've become aware of the negative thoughts you are having, but hasn't quite experienced a change because you're not yet aware of how much power your thoughts have over your emotions and behaviors. You're still at the stage where you think, "I'm having these thoughts so it must be because I'm like this. I'm this way, so I must be like that. So on and so forth."
That's when you start working on positively changing your mind, or at least shifting the focus of your current thought patterns to how you want to think. Think about what you want to say, do, or feel in those situations where you have negative thoughts. You can say good things instead of bad things. You can make better choices that help move yourself towards the path of success rather than negativity.
The first step is to become very aware of the thoughts that are passing through your mind, and the second is to make a better choice than the negative thought you're having. It's not easy, but it can be done.
That's what I mean by your negative thinking can be powerful: Powerful because it has that much control over how you act and feel in those moments when you allow negative thinking to take over your actions. For example, when you wake up in the morning and don't feel like getting out of bed. You could say something negative to yourself like, "Man I suck. I'm worthless." This is a pathetic way to start your day and will no doubt lead to negative behavior throughout the rest of the day.
Another choice would be to say something positive: "Man I look good though. I can do whatever I put my focused mind on. Let's do this."
The benefits to choosing the positive thought is that you start the day off making yourself feel good about yourself and you summon up the energy necessary to get motivated to get out of bed. You have more energy and positivity which makes you more attractive, and in turn, you make all your surroundings more positive, which attracts positive experiences.
This all comes from changing how you think and the most effective way of changing how you think is by first becoming aware of what your thoughts are telling you. It is difficult, but it can be done.
I've included a huge list of exercises and examples below on how to change your thoughts and behaviors, but the most important thing is to start making better choices that move you towards your goals. You don't need to be some mega-successful person to have positive thinking. You can still be the most powerful positive person on earth by simply learning how to think positively.
'The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything.'
- Warren Buffett
Negative Thinking - Change Your Behavior
I get that you're busy and have tons of responsibilities, but guess what? Everybody else is too. You're not the only one who gets bombarded by thoughts throughout their day. But the difference between you and all those other millions of people is that they don't let their negative thoughts rule them.
When I say rule, I mean it literally. You see, your negative thoughts have this incredible ability to control you if you let them. Therefore, in order for you to take control of your life, you'll need to learn how to change your behavior by changing what's going on inside your mind.
In this area, the key is to stop being so hard on yourself. That doesn't mean you should blindly accept your negative thoughts as some sort of fact based on reality, but it does mean you shouldn't get upset over every single little thing that goes wrong throughout the day.
Instead of getting upset over something really small like walking into a door, just tell yourself to be careful next time and move on with your life.
Conclusion
Changing your negative thinking is the most powerful way to improve your life and it's a habit that will pay you back in the long run. You'll be happier, more confident, and you'll attract positive experiences that make all your surroundings more positive.
You can do this by first becoming aware of how your thoughts are affecting you, and then making better choices to rule over these negative thought patterns. Then, slowly but surely, they will slowly fade away as they're replaced with thoughts that are more positive in nature.