TARoPT - Does Positive Thinking always work?
I started reading this book to see how I could find new ways to motivate myself. I picked it up from the library after I liked the reviews. But when I started reading it, I realized it’s sort of a sequel to “The Power of Positive Thinking”. It has quite a few short incidents and stories one can read and motive self.
Does Positive Thinking always work?
According to the author. Yes it always works. Many examples are presented. Positive thinking doesn’t mean nothing bad will happen to you. It just means you realize that good and bad, both kind of things will happen, and the bad things will even out.
Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish philosopher - he lived near the border of Scotland. He always found inspiring things in his life. When he was asked by the Queen what place he found most beautiful. He said the road between the two towns where he spent most of his life. When asked, ‘and after that’ - he replied, the road going back.
Carlyle has mentioned their are two types of people: tough-minded and tender-minded. Tough-minded are those who don’t get stressed easily when troubles arise. They face them strongly.
A cancer patient found out he was dying in 6 weeks - he was a positive thinker - he still died. But he lived his last few weeks with same happiness that he was living with before. Same cheerfulness.
Another person who was living a dream life ; everything perfect - family, job, money, church and respect. But his mind wasn’t at ease. He said he was cheating on his wife. Author said if you have guilt, it blocks out positive thinking. Therefore, you have to get rid of your faults in order to become a positive thinker.
A golf player plays his shots without thinking and plays the same shot over and over with no difference. That’s his muscle memory. Sometimes one gets so good at it and thinks its perfect now, but then he fails. Same is case with Positive Thinking - we need to condition our minds in a way that when trouble comes, we naturally think positively. We don’t let ourselves become worried or negative. We may be doing it well and start thinking we have mastered positive thinking - it can still go wrong. Thus, great preconditioning is needed for our brains.
Author said my mom taught me believe, and dad said think. Another person, his mother said ‘pray’ and father said ‘work’ - these four elements combined serve us great - pray, work, think, believe!
Joshua 1: 9 - Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Matthew 17:20 - if you have faith as little as mustard seed, you can move mountains
Psalms 103:12 - As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us