The power of positive thinking is not just a cliché

Sharing information is powerful. Free market of ideas. The power of the spirit. I like to define it personally like this- I can choose to be a part of it (open spirit, open mind), or I can choose to go about things solely on my own (closed spirit, closed mind).

Isolation and trying to come up with my own answers didn’t work out so well. Because of childhood trust issues that I allowed to carry over into my adulthood, I was closed off. I always thought I needed to come up with all of the answers on my own.

Trust issues! I had a very distrustful and negative view of the world… Very pessimistic. Now that I have done the work to get past the resentments I was harboring, and the negative impact that had on me, I have a much more positive outlook.

What we think, the ideals that drive us- our core motivations are powerful forces. We are, to a major degree, what we think. Thoughts can and do become words. Words can and do become actions. Actions definitely become our character. The power of our thoughts can’t be overstated.

I read a story about an experiment that was done where three identical glasses of water were given three different post-it notes stuck on the outside of their respective glasses. Mind you, this was a controlled, scientific experiment done in a closed environment.

On the first post-it note, the words “I love you and you are beautiful (something to that effect), were written. On the second post-it note, the words “I hate you and you are ugly (or something to that effect), were written. The third post-it note was left blank.

After 24 hours, the water in each glass was studied/observed under a high-powered microscope. The first sample had a beautiful, repeating crystalline structure with a hint of deep red coloring in the sample. The second sample had a very fragmented, non-repeating crystalline structure with a hint of green color. The third sample, with the blank post-it, had no change from the previous observation.

The experiment implies that water has the potential to be intelligent. Sounds hard to believe almost. But what if it’s true? Think about the experiments where plants grow better when they “hear” music. Plants are mostly water. Like us.
Stressful thoughts are proven to affect our physical health. Doesn’t seem so far-fetched now does it? Attached is a description about the self-help book The Power of Positive Thinking.

“The Power of Positive Thinking will help you overcome negative attitudes, such as fear and lack of confidence, and replace them with the traits of a positive thinker-optimism, determination, patience and focus. Simple techniques of elevating low moods and energy levels by positive thinking also improve one’s overall mental and physical health. This book will show you how you can deal more effectively with tough situations and difficult people, and dramatically improve your performance and confidence. You must learn that the easiest way to an easy mind is to create an easy mind. This is done by practice, by the application of some such simple principles as outlined here.

You'll learn how to:

• Believe in yourself and in everything you do
• Build new power and determination
• Develop the power to reach your goals
• Break the worry habit and achieve a relaxed life
• Improve your personal and professional relationships
• Assume control over your circumstances
• Be kind to yourself” (Amazon)

Thoughts happen so rapidly, involuntarily it seems, and so often that we aren’t even really mindful most of the time. My own goal is to be as mindful as I can about what I think so as to build and engrain new habits stemming from my new-found thought patterns. Thoughts become actions, that can lead to habits and behaviors. Thinking positively is far more important than we may give it credit for.