When Positive Thinking Doesn’t Seem To Work

The impact of our thoughts on our actions cannot be over emphasized. Therefore the solution to controlling our actions is to stop thinking about the things we don’t like and focus on what we really want.

This is where things get a bit complicated. Drawing and maintaining a mental picture of what you want is not easy, especially when things do not seem to be going well in your life.

Unfortunately, the human mind does not think in opposites and I can illustrate this with an example.

Close your eyes and try NOT to think of a big pink hairy monster.

What just happened? It was probably the first thing that came into your mind.

Why? Because simply instructing your mind NOT to do something keeps you focused on what you should not do, creating confusion in the process.

When making affirmations, there is a big difference when you say “I am successful” as opposed to saying “I am not a failure” although they may mean the same thing.

The first sentence is positive, while the second has a negative connotation.

Strange enough, the subconscious mind will dwell more on the negative word ‘failure’ and however hard you try, it will be difficult to force your subconscious mind to translate that affirmation to create a positive frame of mind.

Whether you accept it or not, you are engaging in some form of self-talk, and you will always find yourself thinking either negative thoughts or positive thoughts.

To illustrate this, try thinking about something neutral. This is like trying to think about nothing. As you may have noticed, it is quite difficult to do.

If you are to use the power of your thoughts to get you to where you want to be, you have to engage in some form of positive thinking.

However, positive thinking that is not accompanied by some form of corresponding action will not yield much.

Think about all the good things you already have now. How long ago was it before they were things you once longed for?

Now think about how those things came into your life. You certainly had to take some form of action to turn your thoughts into reality.

You most likely found yourself doing things that helped you get what you wanted based on your positive frame of mind, even if it was at a subconscious level.

The key factor lies in whether you believe you can achieve what you set out to do. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale illustrates this in his remarkable book The Power of Positive Thinking which I strongly recommend.

Take the time today to draw a mental picture of your ideal life.  Act, feel and behave as if you have already achieved what you want out of life and then watch what happens.

One easy way to get started is to use the power of affirmations. Click here to find out more on how to use affirmations to maintain a positive frame of mind.