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What Positive Thinking Really Means
When you ask a negative person about ‘positive thinking,’ they often tell you how “unrealistic” those smiling, happy people who are bouncing off the walls are. They sometimes describe positive thinkers as Pollyanna-like.
But the interesting thing about positive thinking is that it’s not just the opposite of negative thinking, as negative thinkers often believe it to be.
If you want to bring some more positive thinking into your life, you don’t have to start becoming a Pollyanna, smiling, and being happy all the time. You simply have to allow yourself to look at both sides of your thoughts.
Here’s an example of what I mean; people’s default thinking is often negative. It’s focused on what is going wrong, what might go wrong, or what (based on the story you’re telling yourself in your head) you can worry about.
By doing this, you don’t move forward very often. This type of thinking keeps you feeling stuck. When you are looking for roadblocks, real or perceived, you will find them.
If all you’re doing is looking at the side that scares you, or that you are convinced will not work, you’re missing the opportunity to see the things that might and will work.
Both may be true.