Positive thinking. 10 rules
Tip 1: Many people mistakenly believe that getting enough sleep makes us feel better and gives us more energy, but this is not true. If you want to master the technique of positive thinking, try waking up early in the morning and, without getting out of bed, think about something pleasant. Imagine that the coming day will be full of unusual surprises and will be completely different from the previous one. If negative thoughts suddenly arise, try to get rid of them immediately, replacing them with good memories. To think positively, it is important to learn to control your thought process, and then your life will become much better. No matter how much you want to put on a mask of positivity, if you “scratch your soul,” self-destruct or self-deprecate, then the mask will forever remain a mask and sooner or later it will fall off. When a pipe leaks, you have many different tools at your disposal to fix it. This isn't about lying to yourself that the pipe isn't leaking or that you have a hammer and nails to fix it. A good question, given the abundance of negative factors surrounding a person. The poor political and economic situation in the country, low social standards, environmental degradation and much more do not contribute to optimism. In such conditions, a bad mood and negativism drive a person even more into depression. Positive thinking is the most important way to combat the imperfections of the world.
The essence of positive thinking and attitude towards life
You may already have an idea of what a positive attitude is, but it's always helpful to start with a definition.
So, positive thinking is a mental and emotional attitude that focuses on the bright side of life and expecting positive results.
There is another, more comprehensive definition:
Positive thinking is approaching life's challenges from a positive perspective. This doesn't mean avoiding or ignoring bad things. Positive thinking techniques involve making the most of potentially bad situations, trying to see the best in them, and viewing yourself and your abilities in a positive light.
We can describe positive thinking as the tendency to focus on the bright side of life and the expectation of positive results. Having a positive mindset means making it a habit, constantly looking for better solutions, and making the most of any situation.
Types of Positive Thinking
Trying to convey the idea of positive thinking and looking at people, I saw the following: “Yes, everything is wrong with me, but my neighbor has even worse problems, and because I feel good (better) because my problems are compared to the problems of others not so bad - you can live.” Thinking is the cognitive mental process of identifying patterns and relationships in the world around us. This is how a person perceives the world around him. What he/she sees in him: obstacles or opportunities, losses or experiences, his/her own responsibility or the machinations of those around him, or even the Universe itself.
Quotes about positive thinking
Here are some positive thoughts that help you live.
Rick Steves:
“Be fanatically positive and militantly optimistic. If you don't like something, change your taste."
Helen Keller:
“No pessimist ever revealed the secrets of the stars, sailed into an unknown land, or opened a new heaven for the human spirit.”
Noam Chomsky:
“Optimism is a strategy for creating a better future. Because if you don't believe the future can be better, you're unlikely to step forward and take responsibility for it."
Lucille Ball:
“One of the things I learned the hard way was that you don’t have to pay for being discouraged. Keeping busy and optimistic as a way of life can restore your self-confidence."
Harvey Mackay:
“An optimist understands that life may be bumpy, but at least it leads somewhere. He learns from mistakes and failures and is not afraid to fail again."
John Wooden:
“Things work out best for the people who do their best to make things work.”
Robert H. Schuller:
“Optimism refuses to believe that the road ends without continuing.”
Winston Churchill:
“A pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. An optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty."
How to learn to control your thoughts
So, positive thinking is based on “Yes, but...”. It is based on focusing on yourself, and not on external circumstances, manna from heaven or blaming other people. “I am the master of my life” is the motto of this concept. Louise Hay recommends starting and ending the day with a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord. The prayer should be consistent with the affirmations you say. This step will enhance the effect of affirmations. The text of the prayer should include life-giving gratitude for all the good you have done today and forgiveness of those who have offended you.
How to cheer yourself up?
The first step was positive thinking. It is important to always think about the good, remember only the bright, good moments in life. Write them down in a diary, re-read them, it improves your emotional state. So how do you stay positive? Adviсe:
- You need to appreciate what you are rich with. Look around, maybe everything is not so bad. Living in peace, having a job, healthy family and friends is already great happiness.
- Believe in yourself and your strength. You need to set a goal, break it down into small tasks, solve one after another, get closer to your dream, but never doubt.
- Use affirmation exercises. These are short installation phrases. We write thoughts expressed in a positive way, in a maximum of two sentences, in simple and understandable words. Only in first person. We say it all the time. For example, “I am always happy!” Negative particles are not recommended for use. With positive attitudes we program ourselves for success.
- Let's forget about the past. You cannot live with the failures that have occurred; they and envy must be left behind. We've learned our lesson and moved on.
- Visualize. Another effective exercise. Draw your dream. You can make a wish map using pictures or create a personal horoscope. Schedule your life for a certain period, what you want to achieve. Thoughts are material, dreams come true.
- Music will help you get into a positive mood. If bad thoughts creep into your head, turn on a rhythmic, cheerful song, and they will immediately disappear.
- Surround yourself with positive people. Don't communicate with pessimists. Take criticism appropriately.
- Always praise yourself for your successes. Celebrate every small victory with a gift.
These tips will help you stay positive. These are general tips, now let’s look at the issue in more detail. Agree, everyone knows an evil morning when everything irritates you. I just want to scream. Let's talk about how to create a positive morning mood.
Positive thinking
Such a person does not accumulate negativity because he simply views every negative emotion as material for working on himself and improving the quality of life. With all due respect, the optimist's entire picture of the world remains bright and cheerful. I will watch my diet, eat less junk food, drink more water, exercise, take long walks. I will try to devote more time to rest. After all, it is difficult to be in a good mood and think positively if your energy reserves are running low and you are in a state of irritability.
Positive Thinking Theory - Slave Ideology
Movement, agility, synchrony: we understand how music affects the brain, how the brain of musicians differs from the normal one, and what can playing musical instruments give us?
Oliver Sachs
In his essay “Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain” (2008), the famous neurologist and psychiatrist Oliver Sacks noted:
The universal ability to respond to music distinguishes humans as a species. They say about birds that they “sing,” but music in all its complexity, with rhythms, harmony, tones, timbre, not to mention melody, belongs only to us. Some animals can be taught to beat a rhythm, but we never see them suddenly spontaneously start dancing to music, as children do. Like language, music is a human feature.
However, in a sense, music anticipated the emergence of language, because sounds were the primary form of communication. We are able to express emotions, tell stories, inspire, evoke sympathy, trust and compassion with the help of the sounds we make, but music itself invariably makes us experience different states - from calmness or immersion in deep sadness to stimulation of incredible activity and the birth of genuine joy. And perhaps for this reason music is one of the most instinctive and communicative of the arts. At the same time, music, as the most sensual and intuitive art, still remains a mysterious phenomenon, especially from the point of view of its impact on the brain, on our neurophysiology.
How does music affect the brain? How are musicians' brains different from the average brain? What can playing musical instruments give us? As numerous studies around the world show, quite a lot. Thus, recently scientists from Stanford found that listening to music helps the brain anticipate events and improves concentration. Additionally, ]]>research]]> on the therapeutic effects of rhythmic music has shown that it stimulates the brain and causes brain waves to resonate in time with the rhythm of the music, which in turn “facilitates movement when the ability to move is impaired or not developed at all.”
And a recent study conducted by Finnish scientists from the University of Jyväskylä helped to find out that regularly playing any musical instrument can “change” the circuitry of our brain and even improve its functioning in general.
The study is based on data obtained back in 2009, which then showed that long periods of musical practice help to increase the size of the brain centers responsible for hearing and physical dexterity. Musicians are more likely to be able to filter out sound interference and understand speech in noisy environments, and some can even boast of distinguishing emotional cues in conversations (in the same noisy environment). Previous studies have also shown that the corpus callosum, the tissue that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain, is larger in musicians than in ordinary people. Finnish scientists led by Iballa Burunat decided to once again double-check the old data and find out whether this circumstance improves the connection between the hemispheres of the brain.
Two groups were formed for the study. The first included professional musicians (keyboardists, cellists, violinists, bassoon and trombone players), and the second included people who had never played musical instruments professionally.
To find out how listening to music - not just playing it - affects the hemispheres of the brain, scientists used MRI scanners. While the subjects were in the scanners, three pieces of music were played for each of them: the song Stream of Consciousness by Dream Theater (progressive rock), the Argentine tango “Adios Nonino” by Astor Piazzolla and three excerpts from the classic “The Rite of Spring” by Igor Stravinsky. The researchers recorded each participant's brain response to music and used software to compare activity in the left and right hemispheres.
As it turned out, the part of the corpus callosum that connects the two hemispheres is indeed larger in musicians. The researchers also found that left and right hemisphere activity was much more symmetrical in the brains of musicians than in non-musicians. At the same time, keyboard players showed the most symmetrical balance, and the researchers attribute this to the fact that playing keyboards requires more synchronous use of both hands. Burunat emphasizes:
Keyboardists use both hands and fingers in a more mirror-like manner when playing. Even though playing the strings also requires the use of fine motor skills and hand coordination, there is still asynchrony between the movements of the fingers of their hands.
Musicians in professional ensembles showed rapid response to multiple sensory stimuli, an important skill for successful musical collaboration. The researchers believe that this skill—which requires speed and efficiency—may also require more symmetrical use of both hemispheres.
But, as scientists note, the most surprising thing about this is that all the effects that playing instruments have on the brain are activated in musicians by simply listening to music - which means that not only the brain changes with musical education, but also the perception of music. Musicians' brains seem to "rewire themselves" by creating alternative neural pathways.
We also observed symmetrical brain responses in the frontoparietal regions of musicians, which are responsible for the functioning of mirror neurons. Therefore, listening to music likely activates neurons that also regulate the movement that produces those sounds.
According to Finnish scientists, the results of their research convincingly indicate that the brain of musicians is different from the brain of an ordinary person: its hemispheres interact better with each other. Their brains are able to work more synchronously, but scientists are not yet ready to say what benefits this increased connection gives musicians in other hand-related skills. These questions will certainly form the basis of new research. In the meantime, one thing is clear: playing a musical instrument for a long time directly affects the development of the brain, and the fruits of this influence turn out to be constant and independent of the playing situation itself. Isn't this a reason to take up music?
Positivity attracts
The theory of positive thinking refers to the direction of psychology of success, motivation and general personal development. This is not about blind optimism, which, by the way, is life-threatening. Rather, positive thinking is a positive attitude towards reality. And it can be either joyful or not very happy. There are two types of positive thinking. You can be optimistic about what you think, or you can be positive about how you think. One is useful, the other is dangerous! And, unfortunately, the difference between them is barely noticeable.
Consciously think positive
Nowadays, more than half of all crimes occur precisely because of minor reasons. Harsh words, domestic quarrels, sarcastic remarks, showing off - these are the little things that lead to murders and attacks. A very important point in positive thinking is not to paint yourself vivid pictures about how good you are, how wonderful you are, how wonderful everyone around you is and how you love everyone, and they love you. To think in pictures is to leave your energy and parts of yourself to the imagination. In fact, when our attention gets stuck in what is not there (past), what is not yet (future) or simply in the non-existent present (imagination), the energy simply goes out and there is no benefit from it, only harm. It doesn't matter to our mind whether you are happy in the present or in an imaginary reality, it is happy when it fantasizes about anything! And when you return to reality (forgive the tautology), it will be painful because of the awareness of the discrepancy between the imaginary and the real, sad because of the useless waste of time and mental energy. Approach visualization mindfully and meditate. For life to really begin to change, raise your consciousness to a qualitatively new level, stop running away from reality, accept it for what it is, and start acting! Any action begins in your head, allow yourself to think positively. The world won't collapse if you become a little happier! Set a goal, make a plan to achieve it, and start thinking positively while achieving it! Start small and work your way up to big things. Feel small positive feelings within yourself, and then big positive thoughts will appear. Then you will understand how to think positively while overcoming all difficulties. In this practice of positive thinking, as in many other activities, experience and practice are important. After all, if you want to pump up your abs, you will do exercises to strengthen them and put a lot of effort into achieving your goal, so in this particular case, learning to think positively and do it well requires persistent practice.
Books on positive thinking
Just a few decades ago in our country they started talking about what positive thinking is as a concept of life. Therefore, on book shelves you can mainly find works by American specialists. Here are the most popular books on how to start thinking positively, achieve success and happiness.
- “Kiss the frog! Learn to turn problems into opportunities." Brian Tracy. Like all books by the famous psychologist and motivational speaker Brian Tracy, it contains practical advice. This book presents the rules of positive thinking. It gives answers to questions: how to find positivity in the environment, change your attitude towards negative situations, learn to forgive. Why does the work have such an unusual name? The author draws an analogy with a prince who does not want to kiss a frog so that it turns into a princess. So many people dwell on the negative, missing out on the opportunities that life gives them. Other bestsellers by Brian Tracy: “Change your thinking and you will change your life”, “Achieving the maximum”, “Leadership Personality”, “The Power of Charisma”, “Achieving the goal”.
- "The Path to Success: 101 Lessons for a Happy Life" by Robin Sharma. The motto of this book is to think positively. The author talks about how a kind word, attention, smile, care can radically change the world. Robin Sharma points out that a leader will try to improve not only his life, but also the lives of the people around him. He believes that if you improve the self-esteem of 5 people every day, then in a year 2,000 people will become more confident and happier. Other bestsellers by Robin Sharma: Find Your Destiny, Mega Life, Everyday Inspiration, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari, The Path to Greatness.
- Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. Louise Hay pioneered the concept of self-help and published over 30 books. By reading them, we learn to think positively and believe in the power of affirmations. L. Hay's philosophy is as follows: by tuning into the negative, we can acquire not only psychological, but also physical ailments. Positive thoughts have the power to heal us. Almost all of this author’s works are devoted to this topic: “I can become happy”, “Live positively. Affirmations. Exercises”, “Woman’s wisdom”, “Heal your life”, “I can do this!”, “Healing powers are within us”.
- "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. Developing positive thinking is the main theme of Napoleon Hill's book. The author tells how to achieve success, wealth, and career growth with the help of the right thinking. This work is recognized as a classic in the field of mental positivism. The advantage of the book is that it contains practical techniques that can be used every day. Later, a continuation of the bestseller was published - “Think and Grow Rich-2. Success through positive thinking."
- “The subconscious mind can do anything,” John Kehoe. Everyone who has read this book is unanimous in their opinion: it is very easy to read. All tips are simple and accessible, and most importantly, effective. John Kehoe himself describes his goal as follows: to provide techniques that will create a new reality. Before publishing the book, the author taught many people using his method, and it proved effective. He later created his famous work, which was read by millions of people around the world.
- "The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne. In total, over 3 million copies of this book have been sold worldwide. She teaches you to tune in to a positive mood, raise your head and see the amazing world around you. The author argues that most people are focused on the bad, and therefore attract failures into their lives. Rhonda Byrne encourages you to find harmony with the world and yourself through positive thoughts.
There is also harm to positive thinking. This happens when a person breaks away from reality and is immersed exclusively in his positive thoughts. Therefore, the techniques of correct thinking can only be considered as an additional tool to real affairs.
Good attracts good
In conclusion, I recommend reading the article “Habits of Rich People: How to Become Strong and Successful.” Just keep in mind that he equates optimism with positivity. But there are many tips for positive thinking. Also, do not ignore the work “How to love yourself and increase self-esteem.” It gives you tools for accepting the things you can't change and tips for changing the things that are up to you. And how to distinguish between these categories. Whatever you strive for, look everywhere for more and more evidence of your positive thoughts, train your mind to focus on the good, and you will attract the best into your life. Thinking positively every day is the key to a happy and joyful future. Explaining everything in detail
Another way to achieve peace of mind is an analytical and evaluative approach to a given situation, sincere belief in the best and awareness of the law of karma. I know that when negative things happen to me, it's just negative karma. This process can be accelerated or slowed down, but the karma must still be exhausted. And when positive events happen in my life, I understand that this is a reward for my good deeds and deeds. This helps you let go of all your worries and move on, working on yourself. In addition to these general exercises, there are deeper practices that require special concentration and imagination. For example, effective techniques from Christopher Hansard’s book “The Tibetan Art of Positive Thinking” have become very popular.
How to think positively?
A good question, given the abundance of negative factors surrounding a person. The poor political and economic situation in the country, low social standards, environmental degradation and much more do not contribute to optimism. In such conditions, bad mood and negativity drive a person even more into depression. Positive thinking is the most important way to combat the imperfections of the world.
To develop this skill, the following techniques are suitable:
- Motivational books and videos;
- Communication with positive people;
- Success Diary;
- Clearing speech from negative words;
- The ability to give thanks;
- Affirmations and affirmations;
- Proactive life position.
All this develops positive thinking and optimism. It is advisable to apply these methods together, combining and complementing them.
Motivational books and videos.
Just like knowledge that comes to us from external sources, certain personality traits begin to develop when a person learns about such an opportunity. For example, someone grows up in a family where pessimism dominates. He doesn't even know that there is another way of looking at the world. Family friends adhere to the corresponding attitude in life, only reinforcing this type of thinking. By chance, this person finds a motivating book that promotes positive thinking. This new opportunity resonates in his soul, turning his worldview upside down and radically changing his future life. By drawing inspiration and ideas from the stories of people who have achieved success, you can learn a lot from them, thereby attracting good events into your own life.
Communication with positive people.
It is equally important to surround yourself with those who are optimistic about the future. The phrase “Whoever you hang out with, you’ll gain from” is always relevant. It’s good when there are people who set positive example by their example. It's always pleasant and comfortable with them. Communication brings pleasure and attracts positive thoughts. Such people never pull down or “clamp their wings.” On the contrary, they move confidently through life, inspiring others to experiment and be creative. People do not choose their family, classmates and classmates, but with whom to be friends, build relationships or work is everyone’s conscious decision. So, in situations where there is a choice, it is better to make it in favor of those who give confidence in their abilities.
Take the brain hemisphere test
Success Diary.
In order to maintain positive thinking every day, it is advisable to regularly remind yourself of your, albeit minor, victories. For these purposes, it is recommended to keep a Success Diary. You should record all your achievements in it, starting from your school years, and possibly even earlier. By rereading this diary, a person strengthens faith in himself and his capabilities, and creates a certain positive emotional aura. It works on the principle of logical inference. If it worked before, it will continue to work accordingly. Such a diary is most important during periods of failure, when a person begins to become disillusioned with himself. Literally a five-minute boost of positivity restores self-confidence and fuels the desire to achieve your goals.
Clearing your speech of negative words.
Words are identifiers of human thoughts and worldviews. In addition to the fact that they tell others about the peculiarities of our inner world, they also “brainwash” us ourselves. The more often a person says certain words, the more they influence his subconscious. How to think positively when everything sounds negative? And it comes from his own mouth. It is necessary to remove all pessimism and uncertainty, as well as obscene words, from your vocabulary once and for all. This way, others will begin to perceive the person positively, and he himself will further isolate himself from the negative.
The ability to give thanks.
Gratitude is one of the most important things in the world. By the way, even animals can experience it. To be grateful means to appreciate the good things in life. According to the principle of feedback, since good deeds evoke a feeling of gratitude, then a person’s gratitude in return attracts goodness to him.
They are more willing to help someone who appreciates it and knows how to say thank you. Moreover, at the moment of gratitude, a person additionally emphasizes to himself that he has something to be grateful for. Positive thinking is strengthened by positive words. And saying “thank you” to a person is the best wish in his direction, meaning the phrase “God bless.”
Gratitude sows the seed of joy and happiness in the soul of the person to whom it is addressed. Thus, goodness is returned to those who bring it into the world. If you follow this principle, then there will be less room in life for negativity.
Affirmations and affirmations.
Psychological tricks to help you practice self-hypnosis. Affirmations are the regular repetition of life-affirming phrases, and affirmations are questions asked positively to oneself. For example, “Employees value and respect me” (af (afformation). There are several options for developing positive thinking: video, audio, or on your own. There are many videos and audio recordings with affirmations for every day posted on the Internet. But the most effective are those which a person pronounces himself, putting his own energy into them.
The effect of affirmations is to “reflash” one’s subconscious, when a person, through volitional efforts, forces himself to believe in what he wants. Afformations are aimed at logical confirmation of their goals. A person finds answers that satisfy his needs, thereby further strengthening his self-confidence.