Maintaining a positive attitude is essential for progress in life. Thus, self-help books often refer to the “power of positivity.” Without a positive mindset, you will not be able to continue toward the creation of your best self and your best life. Negative thinking only creates discouragement and stops people from moving toward their goals anytime they experience something difficult.
Negativity is normal
Negative thinking is a natural tendency of the human brain, and at one time, it helped us survive. Thousands of years ago, our ancestors needed to be highly aware of the dangers in their environment, so their brains were always alert to potential threats—predatory animals, difficult terrain, toxic plants, and so on. Today, we retain a similar kind of stress response in our brain, but our environment has changed dramatically. We no longer face the same kind of threats to our survival, yet we do still experience stress of a low but nearly constant type. In addition to affecting our energy system and our overall health, stress also affects the quality of our thinking, leading to negative thought patterns and sometimes anxiety. This tendency may lead to difficulty in many areas of life, damaging our relationships, undermining our ability to achieve goals, and harming our self-esteem.
Neuroplasticity and overcoming negative patterns
Fortunately, our brains possess a magical property called neuroplasticity. This feature allows us to change and reshape the wiring of our brains throughout life, giving us the ability to learn new things, develop better habits, and direct our own personal growth. If you choose, you can use neuroplasticity to rewire your brain toward positivity. If you find that you have some habits of negative thinking, such as negative self-talk or fear of failure, you can use visualization and imagination to rewire your thinking in a different direction.
Using imagination for visualization and reframing
Reframing our negative thinking patterns begins with imagination. In a sense, our negative thinking also begins with imagination born of fear of a negative outcome. For example, people are sometimes afraid to apply for a new job because they think they will do poorly in an interview. They believe this because they imagine a scenario in which they fail to do well, stumbling over questions and feeling awkward. In this way, negative thinking becomes a blockage preventing success. Yes, failure is always a possibility, but if we let a negative visualization direct our choices, we will be forever trapped by fear that leads to inaction.
To begin reframing negative thought patterns, take a personal inventory of negative thinking that affects your life. In what ways do you think negatively about yourself? Do you want to do something, but are you afraid you are not talented enough, too old or too young, or too unlucky? Are you afraid that taking a risk will inevitably make your life uncomfortable or unlivable? Are you worried about what others will think if you take a step in the direction of your dreams? Questions like this can help you see the ways you stop yourself from taking action or giving up when you face a challenge. Try to look at all areas of your life that you would like to improve and make more positive, including relationships, career, health, and spiritual growth. Notice when your ego responds to situations automatically with habitual negative emotions, and notice how negative thinking dampens your motivation and will to succeed.
When you find yourself returning to a negative thought pattern, replace those thoughts with something positive. For example, if you want to apply for that new job but fear failing the interview, visualize yourself succeeding instead. And change your thinking around the possibility of failure. Instead of thinking about how embarrassing failure might be, imagine how proud you will be for having tried your best, and imagine yourself succeeding in the future and at another time. Also, reframe the idea of possible failure as a chance to grow, not a defeat.
Focusing on growth and gratitude
Shifting “defeat mindset” to a “gratitude mindset” is key to creating a truly positive mind. Instead of only looking for what’s wrong in a situation, develop a sense of gratitude for everything that will help you find a solution to your problem. Even if your situation is very painful or seemingly impossible to solve, there is much to be grateful for—the supportive people in your life, the gifts from the Earth that support your life, and your marvelous brain, which will ultimately find the solution to your problem. If you believe that your problem is insurmountable, that will be true. If you believe in the power of your positive brain, you will find the solution.
Be an artist who creates your best life
Creating a positive mindset will unleash the true creative power of your brain. In that sense, everyone is an artist, a brain artist. Every choice you make is made through your brain, and those choices, in turn, create the life you live. For that reason, I hope you will imagine an amazing, beautiful vision of what your life can be, and I hope you can truly believe that your brain has the power to create that life for you.