Posts Tagged ‘positive thinking’

Personal Growth Looking At Life In A Different Way

The truth is that most people look at life through dark glasses and, as a result, everything appears gloomier than it should. This is normal because the subconscious mind is hard-wired to look at reality through our programming and it is more likely than not that the mind will focus on negative rather than positive programming. This mental blockage is what’s keeping your life on hold.

You have to alter the way you look at the world – this is the very essence of personal development. However, I’m not proposing that you look at the world through rose-tinted glasses – this would prevent you from noticing possible pitfalls or warning signs. Such an attitude disables people from knowing when to give up on something that is not working for them – for example, a dead relationship or a floundering business. In other words, what is widely known as positive thinking or a positive mental attitude is truly dangerous and often leads to the excuse of all: “I won’t do anything because I just know that things will get better!”

Something different, even innovative, is required. I am suggesting that you see the world for what it is – the reality of the present moment. Only in the here and now can you see the upside of opportunities that you might altogether otherwise fail to notice with those dark glasses on. Similarly, you will be acutely aware of downside of what you’re doing or thinking about doing – something that you could completely miss if you’re looking through those rose-tinted spectacles.

However, the reality and opportunity of the present moment can only be experienced, appreciated and capitalized upon if you ignore your hard-wiring – something that doesn’t come naturally to the normal adult. But it was second nature to all of us as children. In fact, it was that clear state of mind that enabled us to be programmed in the first place. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to relearn how to fully be in the here and now without adding your own personal spin or preconceived notions into the mix. You must stop making a nonsense of the present moment by relying on your conditioning.

You can do this by coming to your senses – I mean that quite literally. You’ve got five senses – you need to start noticing what they’re actually telling you. Research tells us that, as adults, we don’t pay a blind bit of attention to what our senses are really telling us. Instead, our programming has lulled us into a false sense of security that we know best. We don’t – we couldn’t, we’ve no perspective on the bigger picture of what life might be like if we let it.

To come to your senses, you need to spend some time each day, preferably early in the morning, training your mind to pay attention to what you actually see, feel, hear, smell and taste, without interpreting, without analysing, without jumping to your routine conclusions. Start working one sense at a time and see where it takes you.

Caution: Self Help

I don’t know exactly how many personal development or popular self improvement books sell each year – but I do know that it is the fastest area of growth in publishing with millions of books being sold each year. I also know that, if you tune into your evening news, look at any newspaper or go browsing the web’s chat-rooms and forums, these self help books make little or no difference.

Surveys conclude that we are more anxious, stressed and worried than ever before – even a global war didn’t give rise to such abject fear as we are witnessing in a millennium where we all swallowed the idea that humankind was finally moving to a new level. Indeed, the wartime spirit that galvanized nations into powerful forces during World War II, has vanished from a brave new world where obsession with money – or needing enough of it to feel secure – is the the way most people in the developed world now operate and it’s every man for himself. What the hell has happened – and I use the world ‘hell’ deliberately because it appears to me that everyday life for many is much nearer to hell than heaven.

Bestsellers like ‘The Secret’ and ‘The Power of Positive Thinking’ point towards a brighter, better life if you use your mind in the appropriate manner. On the other hand, Barbara Ehrenreich in her book, ‘Smile or Die’, claims that positive thinking has destroyed the US and ruined the world.

Having worked in the self improvement ‘business’ since 1996 – having started out before it was fashionable to confide in your friends or colleagues that you were ‘into it’ – I am firmly of the belief that people who read these self help books are not just fooling themselves but are a danger to themselves and those around them. They read a bit, get high on a little ‘feel-good’ after-glow, perhaps even put something of what they’ve read into practice for a bit and then convince themselves that things are either better or, even more dangerous, about to get better – this is a general excuse for doing absolutely nothing whilst ‘waiting for something to happen’.

Books don’t change your life. Action is what changes your life – real action every day – action that you have to take yourself. And I’ve seen precious little evidence of action. Sure, I see plenty of reaction – but everybody reacts, we’re experts at is and it makes the world we live in worse rather than better.

So, put away your self help books and ask yourself this probing question? What action could you take today that will improve your lot if life? Not knowing your life, I’ve no idea whether major change is called for or, maybe it’s just something small. But I do know this – I am regularly questioning myself, challenging myself making certain that I keep taking the little and large actions that need to be done to push – yes, you’ve got to push yourself – my life towards more and more happiness and excitement. And I regularly see the results.

Everyone Loves Spiritual Ecards With Just Right Inspirational Spiritual Quotes

Normally, people will send out cards to friends and family. Sending spiritual ecards with inspirational spiritual quotes is a way of reminding loved ones to share the moments of a special occasion or as a way to say thank you. The traditional way that your parents would send cards was to go to the dime store to pick out a card. In the modern days of the internet, it’s now all the fashion to send out spiritual ecards through email. Today, the cost savings and convenience of sending ecards with inspirational spiritual quotes through email is quite popular. Now if you want a way to send a more heart felt, inspirational way of sending greeting cards, you can send spiritual cards with inspirational spiritual quotes, sayings or affirmations. Spiritual ecards are a terriffic choice for anyone looking for an inspiring way to sharing special moments.

Look no further than the internet to find may options and ideas for sending ecards with inspirational spiritual quotes. If you are in the mood, you can also find wall papers and calenders with inspirational spiritual quotes, messages and affirmations. What’s important is for you to have the options to choose the right card, with the right spiritual quotes. You want the card that sends the right heartfelt sense of appreciation. Your friends, family and all your loved ones are sure to have a brighter happier special occasion because of the time you took to send them inspirational spiritual quotes.

It seems like everyday there is another occasion for you to send a message of appreciation. It has never been easier than with browsing through your favorite bookmarks of spiritual ecards that each has just the perfect inspirational spiritual quotes. The occasion could be anything for the expression of appreciation for a coworker to an ordinary invitation to something spectacular. Whatever the moment, whether it be joyous or sorrowful, spiritual ecards with the exact inspirational spiritual quotes is always the best choice to send.

When sending out the spiritual ecard you email, the one with just the perfect inspirational spiritual quotes, timing is everything. Remember to email your spiritual ecards within as sort a time after you feel motivated as possible. That’s one of th best parts of spiritual ecards, the ease of finding one and sending it out. Spiritual ecards help you to do that because there is no mess over going to a local speciality shop to pick out the cards, envelope or stamps. As mentioned, inspirational spiritual ecards come in wonderful varieties. For any thoughts you have in mind, for any heart felt sense of gratitude you wish to share, you can find a spiritual ecard with the right inspirational spiritual quotes to send your perfect spiritual joy.

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Self Improvement: Cut Out Negative Gossip

A client asked me last week “What would you have left to talk about if you took gossip out of the conversation?” A very good question, because we all spend a large part of our time gossiping. It might be about little “harmless” things, like the neighbours’ behaviour, how someone down the road was caught with someone else’s wife, how the guy next door was caught drink-driving, or how one of our children’s friends got drunk. Most of us, to some extent, delight in gossip – particularly if it involves someone else messing up.

Of course, if you stop to think about it for a moment, none of this stuff is harmless. In fact, it’s harmful. Firstly, it directs our energy towards the negative. More importantly, it deprives us of the energy that we need to do what we’re supposed to be doing – right here, right now. It messes up your own personal effectiveness.

I think everyone knows the saying that what goes around comes around – step onto that particular “sorry-go-round” at your peril! We also have a fair understand that you reap what you sow – same thing. These are eternal truths proved correct by modern science – quantum physics. You get out what you put in. Invest your energy in nonsense – and your life will be little more than a nonsense itself. Take delight in other’s misfortune and you’re setting the scene for misfortune yourself. Buddhists might call it the wheel of karma – a scientist might simply describe it as energy responding to energy.

Actually, that’s the most important aspect of just how badly negative gossip can affect the gossiper. If you’re wasting your energy in talking crap, you have immediately reduced the time and energy available to you to do the really important things that you have to do today. You don’t need to be a mathematician to calculate that time wasted on gossip reduces the amount of time for the things you have to do. And, yet, many people complain that they just don’t have enough hours in the day to do all the things on their “To Do” list!

Cut out the nonsense – stop wasting your time delighting in bad news. Stop reading the bed news in newspapers (don’t get me wrong, we all have to keep up with what’s happening in the world – but we don’t have to wallow in the “news” about rape, assault, murder and so-called normal people generally behaving badly). Stop channel-hopping – wasting time on so-called “reality TV” that brings road accidents, car chases, and real crime into your living room. That’s got nothing to do with reality – reality is to be found in the wonder of the present moment. Focus your mind – why not start talking about all the good stuff, talking about how good people are, swapping nice stories instead of competing with each other at the water-cooler for who can tell the most depressing story – about someone being mugged, cars being stolen, people with serious illness. Seriously, all you have to do is earwig the conversations that are going on around you all the time to get a feel for what I’m talking about. Negative energy creates a negative world – stress, worry, anxiety, violence and war. Every drop of “negative” deepens the sea of negativity.

Stop it. Grow up. Focus on the good in all our lives. You’ll not only feel better – not only will a few people around you feel better for it too – you’ll be more upbeat and focused to do your very best at what really needs to be done today. You might just change your life.

The Dangers Of Positive Thinking

I am amused by the number of people who swear by the benefits of Positive Thinking but have very little to show for it. Obviously, positive thinking is far better than negative thinking, but it is still just thinking – and most of the thinking that we do exercises our conscious mind, that small part of our mind that plays little or no part in the creation of our everyday lives. Rather, it is our programmed subconscious mind that creates our automatic behaviour as a result of which our version of reality unfolds before our very eyes. It is our subconscious that creates stress, anxiety and the fear of taking the brave and courageous decisions that we need to often take if we are, indeed, to follow up on our positive thinking. Of course, the kind of decisions that I’m talking about are only “brave” or “courageous” to normal, crazy people.

Even though positive thinking is better than the negative alternative, thinking stops doing. Or worse, recent work in the US indicates that positive thinking has blinded otherwise well-informed business people from the obvious pitfalls of pursuing a certain course of action – senior figures in the banking world get a particular mention! That aside, at very best, too much thinking is a dangerous thing.

If you really wanted to pursue the route of Self-Improvement, you would be far better of indulging in a little positive doing! So, having prioritized the things that are truly important to your success and happiness, actually doing just the important things that need to be done to achieve your goals, to Change Your Life or, indeed, to play the perfect game of golf – if that is what turns you on! If you have financial worries or your business is suffering as a result of the economy, if you feel inadequate in certain business or social situations, if your relationship is on the rocks or if your health is going downhill, if you hate your job or hate your life – you’re the one who has to take action. By action I mean real action, not the normal automatic reaction that makes things worse rather than better and, indeed, not more of the same. If you want something different in your business, career or life, you’ve got to do something different – thinking about it will not only get you nowhere, it may actually convince you to do nothing.

However, how will you know what positive action needs to be taken, what doing needs to be done? Well, you can’t do anything without a clear and present mind. Too often we are paralysed for want of stepping back from the perceived mess in which we find ourselves, too often the normal mind is too muddled – and positive thinking may actually muddle it more. To take the correct positive action, you need to take one step back from all your cares, worries and frustrations. You’re going to have to take or make a few minutes each day to experience the reality of the here and now. You need to come to your senses – you have five of them, it’s time that you used them. In doing so, you will be more present which, in turn, means that you will have presence – the hallmark of all great positive doers.