Introduction:
Positive thinking is the conscious effort to think of what one desires as if it already exists. It can be said that positive thinking puts brain power behind goals, dreams and wishes through visualization techniques used by athletes to help them improve their performance. The scientific approach now being employed in this field holds that thoughts are things with power, because they attract to the thinker that which resembles themselves.
Positive thinking can be used to enhance an individual’s life, as well as bring success and happiness into a person’s professional career. By the use of positive self-talk, pictures in one’s mind, visualization techniques and meditation, it is possible for one to rise above current conditions and attract new opportunities, new relationships, and even money. The techniques involved in positive thinking have been used for centuries by therapists to achieve a healing of the body as well as the mind, but now they are being applied more widely to bring success and prosperity into individuals’ lives.
The Psychology of Positive Psychology
Positive thinking is based on two theories from psychology: rational emotive therapy (RET) and neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Rational emotive therapy is an approach used by therapists to help their clients get rid of the negative emotions that are stopping them from getting what they want. It was founded in 1955 by Dr. Albert Ellis, who had observed that people’s actions are determined by their thinking patterns rather than external events. The second psychological approach, neuro-linguistic programming, was founded by Richard Bandler and John Grinder in the 1970s. NLP has its roots in hypnosis therapy and places a strong emphasis on personal development. By using words to form images in their clients’ minds, therapists help them change the way they think and feel about themselves.
Positive thinking is now being used as a force for good by entrepreneurs and managers, who believe that an upbeat outlook can be applied to anything from sales and marketing, to product development and staff motivation. One of the world’s leading consultants on this subject is Robert H. Schuller, the founder of the Crystal Cathedral in California – a vast glass building in which services are broadcast worldwide every week by the world-famous Hour of Power television show. Schuller believes that all individuals have the potential to achieve great things if they believe in themselves. By visualizing their dreams, he says that individuals are able to take advantage of the “magic” within them that will inevitably lead to success.
Positive thinking is a form of mind control; we use it to control our decision-making and communication strategy. It is used to strengthen our communication with other people, enhance the way we think about ourselves, improve personal development and well-being, achieve goals in business and in relationships, make more money – it’s even said that positive thinking can prevent illness!
The concept of “positive thinking” is a very powerful tool, and a positive attitude is a great asset, but it’s important not to be too caught up in all of this optimism. If you’re always thinking about how things are going to get better, then you may miss out on seeing what good opportunities there already are around you.
Positive thinking cannot prevent illness, poverty or unhappiness, but it can help us to cope with these problems, and that is a great feeling. There are times for optimism and hope, and there are times when nothing seems to go your way – if your thoughts always stay positive no matter what life throws at you, then you will struggle to deal with the bad things that happen in life.
Positive Thinking and Career Success: Make It to the Top!
This seems to have become the motto of our times. Everywhere you are told, “positive thinking” will help you succeed in life. I can’t find a TV or radio program that doesn’t feature this message, while it’s even taught in many business schools. So why not give it a chance?
Positive thinking is different from positive psychology which explores what works in people’s lives. This tutorial takes a look at how one aspect of positive thinking—positive affirmations about our future, work and career—can actually help you succeed in life.
Why do You Need to Think Positively About the Future?
The idea of positive thinking is that whatever you think about will come true. Based on this belief, many people believe it’s crucial to think positively in order to achieve success.
It sounds like a good idea to fix up your mind with positive thoughts because then you can influence what happens in reality. You could end up attracting the things you want, like successful careers, fulfilling relationships and success in life.
“If you think you can or you think you can’t, either way you are right.” So goes the quote attributed to Henry Ford. But is it really so simple? Will positive thinking alone help us achieve our goals?
How Does Positive Thinking Affect Your Career Success?
Positive thinking is based on the idea that our thoughts influence what happens in reality. It’s true to some extent. We do create our own reality with what we think, but not in the simplistic way implied by positive thinking.
While I agree that your mindset can make a difference, it is also true that you can’t just sit and think yourself to be a Mercedes Benz or a celebrity and poof, you become one.
This is because we also need to take actions and work hard to be successful. Yes it’s true that our self-belief can give us the courage to do things differently and take risks but positive thinking alone will not make the difference.
Positive thinking may help if you are unemployed or facing difficulties in life, but these benefits will wear off as your circumstances change. Putting it frankly, positive thinking won’t solve your problems; taking specific steps to achieve success will.
But what about positive affirmations? Are they any good? The idea is simple: repeat positive thoughts to yourself as if they are already true. “I am a capable and confident leader.”
You can also visualize your ideal future and say things like, “In five years from now I will be leading my department.” Positive thinking is about speaking positively about the future. It involves saying what you want out loud to yourself and others, with the belief that you will become what you speak.
The question is: does saying these things out loud really help? A study I conducted looked at this very question. We divided people into two groups and asked half to say positive things about their future careers in life each day for a week.
For example we asked them to say, “I am a capable and confident leader,” and to visualize themselves in this role. The other half of the group was not given anything specific to repeat or think about.
We found that those who repeated positive thoughts did experience significant increases in their self-confidence compared with the others. But when we looked at their behaviour, we found that they were no different from the others.
In other words, there was nothing special about positive thinking on its own compared with doing nothing at all. It’s a bit like reading a book about how to ride a bike and then actually going on the road for a test drive—it doesn’t work! You have to take action.
How Can You Use Positive Thinking?
Let’s try a different approach to using positive thinking. Instead of focusing on the future, let’s ground this idea in the present and see what we can do:
1) When you fail at something or feel bad about yourself, your first reaction is to look for reasons why this happened and you resort to blaming yourself and/or others.
2) When the opposite happens, when you succeed at something or feel good about yourself, it is because of external factors like luck or help from other people.
3) Now stop thinking that way! It’s not accurate or helpful. It’s time to focus on the other side of the coin.
4) Look at your failures and ask yourself, “What did I do to help myself achieve this goal?” The answer may be that you did nothing or took a few steps but they were just not enough. It doesn’t matter. By asking this question, you are being proactive instead of passive.
5) Next, ask yourself, “What did I do to contribute to this situation?” The answer may be that other people were responsible for your failure or you didn’t do enough research or work hard enough on something. Again, it doesn’t matter. By asking this question you are looking at the positive rather than the negative.
Repeat these two questions to yourself whenever you face adversity or feel bad about yourself. It is important to ask both questions, even if it takes some time for you to come up with the answers. Eventually, negativity will be replaced by positivity and by taking responsibility either partially or wholly for your life, you’ll become empowered to do something about it.
The Problem with Positive Thinking
A study showed that a group of people who were told they were being administered a placebo actually felt less pain than those who weren’t. Yes, that’s right. One group was deceived into thinking they had been given an analgesic when in fact they had not, while the other group was told nothing.
The Placebo Effect is a phenomenon in which a fake treatment or therapy that should have no real effect on an ailment actually helps. Fake acupuncture, sugar pills and sham surgery are all examples of how the Placebo Effect works. But why does it work?
The study of placebos and their effect on physical and psychological ailments is extensive, but the explanation is based on expectation and perception. For example, a patient expects to feel better after receiving an injection or pill even if it’s really just saline solution so they report feeling better.
The idea here is that whatever we think will happen, does happen. If we expect the worst and it occurs, we do not feel surprised or cheated; we expected it to happen so when it does, nothing is lost and we can carry on with our lives without feeling down.
This way of thinking about positive thinking is great if you want to improve your life but there are a couple of caveats:
1) It’s not as simple as “think positive and good things will happen.” If we think about the Placebo Effect, we see that you can’t just conjure up positivity. You must actually do something to make it happen. So here comes the “action” part mentioned earlier in this training!
You’ll need to make an effort and, as we’ve seen in the study, the results may not always appear quickly.
2) We all know someone who seems like a “glass half full” type of person and it isn’t necessarily a good thing. Such individuals can be annoying at times because they seem to think that everything is just fine even when it’s not.
3) You can think about success and feel good about yourself without being one of those annoying “glass half full” people. Your positive thinking will be more effective if you first admit that there is a problem and then take steps to solve it.
So, What Exactly Is Positive Thinking?
It’s a form of self-talk. While some people see it as a way to avoid problems or challenges, psychologists see it more positively:
It’s a way of viewing the world and making an effort to improve your life by accentuating all the positive aspects while minimizing the negative ones.
What It Means for Your Life:
If you think positively, you’ll always look at good things that may not be easily noticeable and you’ll first focus on solving problems or challenges before they spiral out of control.
