It's no longer restricted to immortal yogis in white threads walking on hot coals and evil stepmothers having to reaffirm their beauty with a talking "mirror mirror on the wall". Everyone knows about positive thinking and its power to see the invisible, touch the intangible and achieve the impossible, but is it just an over-hyped approach to life?
Think positive, as many would say. Think positive especially when faced with an obstacle and hopefully, it'll banish itself away. What makes positive thinking so effective? Positive thinking is good because it generates a positive action, creative thinking and the right heart, claims Pam Thomas, author of The Power of Positive Thinking - Benefit or Bunk?. All three are ingredients to success and satisfaction in life, she claims.
Lydia Chua, human resources manager for Toyota Motor Asia Pacific says, "Positive thinking is an effective tool for personal development and a good starting point. But sometimes, no matter how much optimism is pouring out of you, you should realise that complete satisfaction is unachievable. You need to acknowledge potential and existing negative circumstances."
It is especially emotionally draining when one chooses to veil pessimism with a rosier surface whilst still harbouring negative thoughts. This will only frustrate you when things do not turn out favorably.
Sum Nee, the human resource manager for agriculture-healthcare company Zagro Singapore also argues that, "You should always look forward for improvements in the organisation, but whether positive thinking generates results is wholly dependant on the characteristics of the individual - different people have different ways of thinking."
By knowing what works for you will allow you to shift perspectives, and realise the full potential of your thoughts. As a psychologist from Work and Health Psychologists, Elizabeth Nair, believes, even a pessimist may have higher chances of success than an optimist. "People who have pessimistic orientations also have a tendency to work even harder because of their fear of failure and constant belief that things will screw up all the time. Pessimists might work harder than their upbeat counterparts and have higher chances of success," she says.
Making it even worse, is when you force yourself to think positively because it might look right but does not feel right. And if one keeps facing continual failure, he or she will be easily discouraged and eventually stop or refuse to think positively. The true power of thought will never be achieved as one learns from past experiences that positive thinking seems to be pointless.
Positive thinking may be unknowingly destructive to oneself, but you will not succeed on thought power alone. Pranee Vidyameth, human resource manager for he Gillette Group South East Asia stresses that, "One also needs strategic plan plus follow through to reach the goals," she says. Positive thinking can go both ways, to the benefit or detriment of oneself, but most importantly, one has to align thoughts with actions before he or she can see any results.
How to be an effective positive thinker:
- 1. Don't put sugar on reality and fail to acknowledge the way things are
- 2. Be realistic with your goals - use your common sense and do not attempt impossible and suicidal feats
- 3. Recognise you problems and obstacles then engineer a plan to overcome them
- 4. Do not be discouraged when things do not work out your way
- 5. Be optimistic yet pragmatic
Source: William Bodri, Positive Thinking, Spiritual Cultivation and Meditation, http://www.meditationexpert.com/
