Positive Thinking - A Primer

Therefore I say unto you, what things soever you desire when you pray, believe you receive them and you shall have them. Mark 11:24

Only Believe:

Two simple words, most times relegated to Peter Pan and his adventures. However, belief is the corner stone of positive thinking. We must first believe in the possibility of a thing and then the probability of a thing and finally the reality of a thing. Once we achieve this belief and hold it within our minds despite appearances or feelings then we can set about changing our circumstances. The bible verse above is about faith, but what is positive thinking but the implementation of faith. For many people the words positive thinking and affirmations conjure up visions of new age practitioners and crystal packing Wicca’s. But faith by any other name is still faith.

Internal Dialogue:

We don’t arrive at the places in our lives and with mindsets that we have by accident. The things that we internalize create the personalities that we have. Our lives are akin to a harvest. The seeds of doubt, uncertainty and inability that may have been implanted in our minds as we developed grow into weeds that choke off our happiness. To begin root out all the doubts and misgivings we harbor about ourselves, the first thing that has to change is our minds. We hold truths about our selves to be self evident based on years of internalization. But as it turns out many of the seeds that have grown into the weeds that are choking off our lives were planted by errant words or misguided individuals. When someone makes us feel dumb or inadequate or incompetent at our most vulnerable then we begin to internalize those ideas about ourselves and before long we are living our lives as if those labels fit us. Many of us grow into adult hood with those labels or feelings lurking just below the surface. No matter how much or how little outward success we achieve we are never quite living the lives that we could because our psyches have been branded. Have you ever wondered why some people with seemingly perfect lives aren’t happy? Perhaps the reason is because their inner sanctum is in turmoil. Who they believe they are bears little resemblance to what people see. The beginning to achieving internal balance is to modify our internal dialogue. Many times we condemn ourselves based on nothing more than the words of others. We don’t test the efficacy of their statements. We simply buy into them and live accordingly. So how do we break down years of faulty programming? Well I’m glad you asked. This is where affirmations come in. An affirmation is a positive key that you use to unlock the potential that lives within you.

Repetition:

For along time I knew about affirmations but I didn’t really understand how to make them benefit me. I would say them for a while but without true conviction or belief. My mindset was so ingrained that whenever I spoke something positive to myself my inner being would deny it. For instance, if I said to myself “I am a winner” and what would come back to me “no you are not”. I learned that in order for affirmations to be successful that I had to say them until I believed them. Chipping away at years of faulty programming was and is no easy task. Everything within us wants to remain at the status quo. Any upheaval to the current program is dispatched with haste. This is why perseverance and repetition is so important. For many of us we didn’t get to be the people we are overnight and we aren’t going to abracadabra and change ourselves. However, as time goes on we become more open to positive self talk. There begins the road to truly being able to embrace a life of positivity and abundance and more importantly being able to truly enjoy it.

Things You Should Know

1. You have value

2. You are strong

3. You are smart

4. You are blessed

5. You opinions are valid

6. No one defines your success but you

7. Your voice should be heard

Believe in you

Love you

Accept you

My Mom

mymama,
originally uploaded by demetria2.

This is a picture of my mom when she was about 23 years old. I think she may have been pregnant with me. She died five, almost six years ago now. I miss her tremendously. Time heals everything but just when you think you've got it licked something will happen and a mother's voice is what you need. Making a move to pick up the phone or to send an email only to realize that she's not there. Our relationship was fraught with drama but there was nobody on this earth that I loved more. I know not every parental relationship is great but really make an effort to appreciate what you have because all too quickly it's gone.

Me