Let's face it - the easiest thing in life is to be a critic. You don't have to attempt anything, learn something new, or even leave the comfort of your own lounge chair. You just have to lean back and become an authority on what's wrong with the world.
You can be a member of the glass-is-half-empty club, concentrate on people's weaknesses instead of their strengths, and never miss a chance to speak a discouraging word to anyone who is doing their best to succeed.
If that's you (heaven forbid!) or someone you know; it's not surprising. About 80% of the human race is walking around with a negative thinking pattern. In fact, anyone with a negative attitude is not an exception; they're the rule.
Are there any advantages to negative thinking?
Since I've trained myself over the years to be an incredibly positive person I had to think long and hard to see if I could come up with any advantages to negative thinking. And believe it or not, I've come up with a few.
1. You'll never have to feel bad about missed opportunities. When you have a negative attitude you become blind to great opportunities. You'll simply fail to recognize them. You'll be spared any sadness over missing out.
2. You can procrastinate about most anything. You'll always be able to justify not "taking the bull by the horns" and getting on with it because you're waiting for "the perfect timing." You can criticize positive, pro-active people, saying they are out of touch with reality or infected with a "Pollyanna Complex."
3. You can concentrate on obstacles and roadblocks. You can stay busy experiencing all manner of negative outcomes in your mind before any of them could ever happen. By rehearsing your weaknesses, you'll be unable to acknowledge your strengths. You never have to take any action because all the problems in the world will convince you that it is hopeless to try.
4. You can avoid relationships with other people. Negative thinking opens your eyes to other people's motives, ill will, and craftiness. You'll develop a spirit of suspicion that will encourage you to build emotional walls. You'll be free of any close associations that might hurt you in any way.
Although I've had a little fun with this, you can see there really are NO benefits to negative thinking! A negative attitude will impact your personality, your surroundings, your business, and your family life in very destructive ways. You'll walk around in a cloud of gloom and doom. You'll be void of purpose and joy; defeated before you begin. Not a way to live!
Whether you have a negative or positive attitude will be conveyed by your body language, the way you listen or don't listen, the way you speak, the way you physically present yourself. It's a composite. If the majority of your composite is negative, that doom and gloom persona is going to show. People will back away. They'll be repelled.
On the other hand, positive thinkers magnetize rather than repel. They're independent, creative, self-directed, confident, and pro-active about life. They see obstacles as opportunities, respond with trust rather than suspicion, and are willing to take risks. In fact, the whole world steps aside for a person who knows where they are going!
No other habit you can adopt has greater potential for affecting your life than positive thinkingNONE!
What separates a positive person from a negative person?
If you want to know what separates a positive person from a negative person, it's one wordCHOICE! No matter what you were told as you grew up, no matter what your peers say, no matter what the television news reports each day, the decision to take a positive attitude is entirely up to you.
For every reaction, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Fear can become courage, worthlessness can become worthiness, helplessness can become competency. You can experience offers of friendship rather than rejection, spot the good in people rather than the bad. It's all in the perspective you choose.
Can you just decide to be positiveis that enough?
No, merely giving lip service to positive thinking is not enough. Watching a motivational video or reading an inspirational book won't do the trick. You must practice this attitude day-in and day-out, monitoring how you think, how you listen, how you act, and how you physically present yourself. By including powerful verbal affirmations in your daily routine you'll eradicate old negative thought habits and replace them with confidence and enthusiasm.
You can use negative thinking to build a PRISON that binds and limits, or you can use positive thinking to build a PALACE that frees you to accomplish all that you ever dreamed or desired. Prison or palace? You get to CHOOSE!
Paul J. Meyer, best-selling New York Times author and founder of the Success Motivation Institute, shares the principles of positive thinking that have made him a success in his inspirational and "tongue in cheek" CD, "The Awesome Power of Negative Thinking." Start on your way toward positive thinking and succes - order a copy today at www.pauljmeyer.com.
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Article added to SearchWarp.com on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 View other articles written by Paul J. Meyer(789)
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