The Power of Positive Thinking

These past few post-Spring Break days I have found myself wishing

I was still on the beach with a piña colada in hand. The thirty-degree weather and dry air are

obviously doing nothing for my tan, which is equally depressing. I’ve been doing nothing

but moping about the dreary weather and the fact that graduation is just around the corner –

sorry, I wont mention it again! I mean come on, I even took a personal day on Tuesday because I

was so disgruntled with my current state of affairs. Let’s be real. I need an attitude adjustment.

 

But then something incredible happened: I looked out the window and the sun began to shine.

 

And this got me thinking. How much of our current mood is directly influenced by our general

disposition? So I decided to do some research on this.

 

Turns out, our moods are almost completely dictated by the way we perceive our lives. So if

you’re generally a negative person by nature, chances are you’re going to harbor a lot of negative

emotions and experience a lot of negative moods on a more regular basis. Likewise, positive and

more optimistic people tend to be happier, get along better with others, and they tend not to be

overthrown easily by setbacks.

 

This seems obvious enough, but the power of positive thinking isn’t intrinsic to a lot of us. But

the good news is we can train our minds to think this way – even if you’re a Debbie Downer by

nature. Laugh at this philosophy all you want, but I would encourage you not to knock it until

you try it.

 

The science behind positive thinking is simple. Ever heard of the self-fulfilling prophecy? It’s

a psychological phenomenon that explains that the way you view yourself is often the way

you will act, which dictates the results you will achieve. Think you won’t get that job because

you’re not qualified? With that attitude, you’re likely to go into an interview with very low self-

confidence, and things probably won’t work out the way you want them to. On the flip side, even

if you know you aren’t as well qualified as your competitors yet you tell yourself that you’re just

as good if not better, you’re far more likely to succeed and get the results you want.

 

So what am I saying, exactly? I’m saying that all you have to do to be happy is tell yourself to

be happy. Want success? Envision it. The first step to achieving any goal is to think about it, and

the more positively you think about it, the more favorable your results will be. Let your mind be

your friend, and make an effort to put a halt to those self-deprecating thoughts.

 

Positivity is contagious – once you envision happiness and success in one area of life, it’s hard to

keep this way of thinking from spreading into other areas.