Positive and Negative Thought - The Affirmation Spot for Thursday March 4, 2010

Today's Thought:Positive thinkers don't see the world through rose-colored glasses. They see rose-colored opportunities in the real world.Today I wanted to share a brief video I found on YouTube describing the way positive and negative thoughts work in our lives. I thought it was particularly well-written and the music a nice escape too. The author is Harold W. Becker and the video is posted to the thelovefoundation channel on YouTube.They have a number of outstanding videos on various aspects of love.[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKSTw9S7Vsw]Handling Negative ThoughtsOne of the keys to transforming and transcending our negative thoughts is to recognize them. CALL is a technique I have used for years and have spoken about before on this blog.CALL Your Negative Thoughts

If your thoughts are very destructive and involve hurting yourself or others, get professional help.

Here are four things you can do to handle and live more harmoniously with common negative thoughts. They form the word CALL.

1. Counter – counter your negative thoughts with tools like affirmations. Persistent negative thoughts can be countered and changed by offering a positive alternatives.
2. Accept – accept that you will have negative thoughts and it’s OK. You’re human after all. No beating yourself up.
3. Listen – listen to your negative thoughts. They may provide insight into where you need to focus your self-improvement efforts.
4. Laugh – some of your negative thoughts really are pretty funny when you get enough perspective. Lighten up and see the humor in the way your mind works.

I’m not saying don’t try to transform your negative thoughts into something positive. I’m just saying that when they want to come out and play, CALL allows you to say, “Bring it on!”Expanding Positive ThoughtsDeveloping a positive outlook on life has many of the same characteristics as a diet or an exercise program.

• Motivated to change – until you see negative or demotivated thinking as a problem in your life, you are not going to commit to change. You must commit yourself to chaning the way you think and react to things.
• Stay on the program - if you begin an exercise program, you will reap the benefits of it only as long as you continue exercising. If you stop, your muscles will atrophy and your fitness level will drop to previous levels. Replacing negative thinking with a positive outlook works in much the same way. It requires an ongoing commitment and you will see the benefits only for as long as you work at it. If you don’t provide constant positive fuel and apply techniques that work for you, the negative thoughts can return. Face it, we live in society where there is a lot of negativity and fear perpetuated for a number of reasons. If you don’t take charge of your own thinking, it is easy to fall into the societal malaise.
• Keep the end in mind - when someone goes on a diet they are going to be successful as long as they continue to visualize their life at the goal weight. What happens along the way, often, is the demons of the present take control and steer the person off course. The dieter falls back into old habits and the diet fails. A positive thinking program has the same pitfall. Especially when you are using positive thinking to improve a certain area of your life, it is critical to keep the end result in mind. Your old negative thought patterns are going to rise up and try to get you off course. In fact, the closer you get to your goal, the more intense they may become. The only way through this gauntlet is to keep moving step by step in your new, positive direction.
• Believe - you have to believe that change is possible. You have to believe that by using affirmations or other positive thinking approaches you can change your life and your mind. Without the belief, the commitment to reach your goal is not going to be there.
• Accept incremental success – change of any kind in life is a process not an event. Know that you are going to have negative thoughts and doubts. Know that a certain amount of it is just incurable human nature. Commit yourself to keep moving forward and replace those negative thoughts with something positive.
• Claim your victory – reward your successes along the way and the big win that is your destination. Through hard work and a commitment to see the you and the world that are possible, you can change your outlook from negative to positive.

Stay focused! Stay positive!Ray2010 Affirmation"2010 is MY year! This is the year I break free! This is the year I break through! This is the year I break out!"Thank you for sharing this page with a friend.