Using the Power of Positive Thinking

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happy cannot be underestimated. A favorite book, the sound of your
child s laughter, the scent of fresh popcorn or wet earth after the rain; any
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of the hundred small things you take pleasure in can be accessed to
generate happiness. Keep a mental list of your favorite little things and
draw on them whenever you feel a few quarts low on happy.
4 Laugh. Just laugh. You don t need a reason, or even a trigger. At any
given moment, no matter where you are or what you re doing, just start
laughing. Laughter can give you an instant mood boost that lingers for
long periods of time and strengthens your resolve to be happy.
Bee-have
Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly, and they
will show themselves great.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
The way you treat other people is a reflection of your own attitude. You cannot
expect to sustain a positive attitude by acting negatively toward others. Even if your
positive mood is not returned, you must strive to retain a sense of dignity and
enthusiasm. Eventually, those who begrudge your happiness will either give in and
join you, or give up and go away- and in either case, you will be rid of the negative
influence without stooping to negativity yourself.
How can you refrain from treating other people poorly? The answer lies in your own
behavior. It is not so much what you should do as what you should not do when
dealing with negative emotions from others. Following are some basic guidelines for
behaving better and retaining your positive attitude:
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DON T Throw Fits. Many people resort to temper tantrums when they don t get
their own way. Some do this without even realizing it. Ranting about the unfairness
of the situation will not change things; all it will do is generate more negative
emotions and fuel the flames. The person you re confronting probably won t give in
because you re whining. Learn to recognize the signs when you start to experience a
meltdown, and force yourself to step back and take a more rational look at the
situation. There may be more to it than you first noticed.
DON T Stay Angry. Getting angry is acceptable, and even beneficial in some
circumstances. Anger can be a powerful motivating force. However, getting angry is
far different from staying angry. Holding on to your anger is counterproductive; you
will simply remain where you are in the situation and nothing will change except the
level of your anger. When someone or something makes you mad, take that anger
and channel its energies into doing something about the situation. If there is nothing
to be done, use your anger to do something for yourself. But whatever you do, don t
allow anger to keep you rooted to the spot.
DON T Hold Grudges. Nearly everyone can think of at least one person they have
vowed never to speak to again for as long as they live. You may be able to think of
several people who fall into this category. Holding a grudge against someone can
occur spontaneously, or it can be a carefully planned and executed assault. Some
people have elevated grudge-holding to an art form, forcing everyone else around
them to take extra precautions with the seating arrangements at family gatherings to
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avoid putting together people who are loudly ignoring each other. It is easy to form a
grudge, and infinitely harder to let one go. However, you must let go of grudges in
order to maintain a positive attitude. Maintaining negative feelings for a sustained
length of time will taint your mental garden, and provide an automatic supply of
negativity whenever you are reminded of the person you re not speaking to. By
nursing a grudge, you are expending energy that could otherwise be used to enrich
your own life. If you would rather not speak to whomever it is that angered you, that
is a choice you can make. The better choice is to simply agree to disagree, and go
your separate ways. Letting go makes you a better person, inside and out.
DON T Act Superior. Believing you are better than others is a damaging attitude,
even when it s the truth. A little humility goes a long way. When others feel
comfortable talking with you, you will find your confidence growing and your
attitude improving. Putting someone else down in order to make yourself feel better
is a dangerous proposition, and more often than not it will backfire and return to
haunt you. Be the best person you can be, but don t allow yourself to feel superior.
We are all only human in the end.
DO Unto Others. The Golden Rule is still the best rule to follow. Treat other
people the way you want to be treated, and eventually they will follow your example.
When you extend courtesy and kindness to others, it will always come back to you in
one form or another, sometimes when you least expect it. Angry words and hurtful
action can be forgiven and forgotten, but good deeds linger for a lifetime. Even if the
people you treat with respect do not offer the same to you, take comfort in the
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knowledge that you are behaving with dignity and have nothing to be ashamed of. A
lack of shame breeds fearlessness, and those who are fearless can accomplish
anything.
Bee flexible
If we listened to our intellect, we d never have a love affair. We d
never have a friendship. We d never go into business, because we d be
too cynical. Well, that s nonsense. You ve got to jump off cliffs all the
time and build your wings on the way down.
- Ray Bradbury
When life affects your attitude, you must be willing to bend and ready to seek out an
alternative path to positivism. Living an inflexible life is akin to standing in the
middle of a hurricane. No matter what you choose to hold onto, you will be blown
away, and your plans will be changed for you. You must be willing to alter your
methods and rules, and allow life to lead you to the places you are intended to go.
We must be willing to adapt to our circumstances if we expect to develop as a person.
Eminent evolutionist Charles Darwin once said, It is not the strongest or most
intelligent of the species which survive, but those most adaptable to change.
Inflexible structures, no matter how solidly they are built, are more susceptible to
breaking. You must learn to bend and give.
Flexibility also allows you to discover new opportunities you might otherwise have
missed. For example, you might always drive the same route to work. However, what
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would you do if the morning traffic report indicated congestion on your usual route?
You have a choice: you can either follow the same path you always take and sit in
traffic for an extended period of time, or you can choose an alternate route. If you
choose an alternate route, you might discover a new restaurant you didn t know was
around, or witness a sunrise over a whole new setting.
There are steps you can take to increase your flexibility and prepare yourself to be
receptive to change. Here are a few tips to maintaining flexibility and being ready to
take advantage of new opportunities as they arise:
1 Give yourself time. If you are scheduling an appointment or planning to
travel somewhere, be sure you have more than enough time to make it.
Try to leave a window open: rather than saying I ll be there at 7:30, give
yourself permission to say I ll be there between 7 and 8. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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