So, 2014 has come to an end. Was it a good year for you? Did you accomplish the goals you wanted? Did you manage to stick to your New Year’s Resolution?
The majority of people will begin 2015 the way they began 2014, with promises to get fit, get a better job, save money, lose weight, etc. For many, those resolutions have been broken by the end of January. Surely there is a better way though?
How can we maintain the good intentions that we start with?
After all, our resolutions are clearly meant for our self-improvement. In order to fulfil these, we need to change our mindset. We need to build up our mental strength and energy to be able to make these positive changes. How we can start with and maintain that initial positivity to change? Through positive thinking.
The renowned the book, The Secret, by Rhonda Byrne, has promoted the use of positive thinking to make life changing results. This is based on what is termed ‘The Law of Attraction’. The book has sold over 19 million copies world-wide which shows that the concept works.
The law of attraction can be defined as the belief that like attracts like. So through focusing positive or negative thoughts you can make positive or negative outcomes. This stems from the belief that people and their thoughts are made up from a pure energy. This energy attracts energy of the like. So, positive energy will attract positive, and negative energy will encourage only negative. In other words, if you want to achieve something, for example, you want to buy a new car, by using positive thinking you will acquire the means to buy this car.
How do you ‘think positively’?
Thinking positively is simply a matter of retraining the brain from automatic negativity to automatic positivity. The following exercises can help you develop this.
- Keep a daily journal. Spend 10 minutes recording your life. Write down what happened to you, daily goals, secrets and anything else that comes to mind. When you are done have a look through for any negative words that you have automatically used. Cross out the sentence and re-write it with a positive tone. The more you do this, the more your brain will automatically begin to write positive. Example- I won’t get the report finished for work. This could turn into I will work hard to get that report finished. Or simply, I will finish that report tomorrow.
- Next idea, is to think before you speak. Taking a few seconds longer to make sure that you use positive thinking to make sure the words you are about to utter are positive. If you are having a conversation with your friend and you’re about to say, ‘I’m way too fat for that dress, I look hideous.’ Stop and think. Change it to something like ‘That dress will look lovely on me when I reach my new weight target.’
- Listen to others. I mean, really, listen to what they are saying. You will begin to notice who is more positive and who is more likely to be negative. If you notice that your sister is mostly always negative, talk to her about the benefits of thinking positively. This will help you to think in positive terms, and think about the benefits of such.
None of these ideas are complex or difficult, they just require practice. They are simple exercises that you can uses anytime, anywhere. You may think that retraining your brain is complicated, but that is just your negativity convincing you not to try!
So, now we have a basis on which to start 2015: positivity. Positive thinking should help you to make constructive changes to your life, and be a happier person. Now repeat after me- ‘I will start thinking positively.