POSITIVE THINKING

BY: Amlan Roy chowdhury

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Positive Thinking, Your Key to Success

Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds.

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"Think positive!",
It is quite common to hear people say: "Think positive!", to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effective.

THE NEGATIVE THOUGHT

Many people have found that, when they tune in to their internal dialogue, much of it is negative. Thoughts like, I could never do that and What if I fail? can seriously impact the way we behave. Stress, apparently associated with attachment to this negative internal dialogue, in turn, affects every aspect of our lives.

When we are stressed, specific hormones circulate in the body. Released infrequently, these hormones are harmless, produced continuously, they are associated with serious damage. Cardiovascular disease is related in part to continuous bombardment of stress hormones and arterial damage caused by free radicals created in the process.

HOW DO WE? HOW CAN WE?

Letting go of attachment to these negative thoughts and emotions is liberating. This is a process in itself that is well worth the effort. Very effective methods to help to place the mind at ease have been developed over thousands of years. Perhaps Meditation would benefit.

HOW TO THINK POSITIVE

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ANTS

When we direct our thoughts properly, we can control our emotions. W. Clement Stone In his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," Dr. Daniel Amen talks about "ANTs" Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like "Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me," or "The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!" or my employees are whispering, they must be up to something mischievous.When you notice these thoughts and realize that they are nothing more than ANTs; squash them

SQUASH THE "ANTS"

Positive thinking techniques

Take care of yourself. As you begin to follow a healthier lifestyle, you are giving yourself the message that you are worth taking care of. Even if youre not sure yet if you believe that, youll soon start to feel better physically, and that will help you feel more positive. Exercise several times a week, eat healthy foods, and learn some relaxation techniques for when you need to take a stress break.

Positive Thinking Techniques

Surround yourself with positive energy. Make sure that the people around you are optimistic in their outlooks. Nothing is more contagious than negativity, so try to banish it in your environment.

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Positive thinking is contagious.

People around you pick your mental moods and are affected accordingly. Think about happiness, good health and success, and you will cause people to like you and desire to help you, because they enjoy the vibrations that a positive mind emits.

NEGATIVITY IS CONTAGIOUS
Nothing is more contagious than negativity, so try to banish it in your environment.

SPOT-CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE.

Several times a day, take a moment to analyze what youre thinking. Are you being positive or negative? If the latter, try to reframe the situation in more positive terms. By becoming more selfconscious about your negativity, youll learn to curb it.

USE POSITIVE SELF-TALK.

Encourage yourself by giving yourself positive affirmations e.g., I am a self-confident individual who has much to offer. Avoid the use of coulda and should-a messages to yourself. Change what you need to change, and try not to beat yourself up in the process. Allow a little humor into your talk. Laughing at yourself and at life does reduce stress.

Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For.

Like success, failure is many things to many

people. With positive mental attitude, failure is a learning experience, a rung on the ladder, and a plateau at which to get your thoughts in order to prepare to try again. W.
Clement Stone Stresses and challenges don't seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things of life will make a huge difference. When you are down or on the verge of failure; close your eyes and remind yourself of intricate problems you have solved in the past. This action will boost your morale to face your challenges in business squarely. Its called drawing inspiration from your past exploits.

FALURES ARE THE PILLARS OF SUCCESS

I once failed in my 12th grade and my Father said, Don't worry son failures are the pillars of success . I was immediately elevated to a positive mood and resolved to do better. But then I failed again and father said , Son will you keep building the pillars? Won't you build a house on it? I understood his frustration, but the way he reprimanded me was unique. I never looked back after that. THIS IS THE POSITIVE STROKES THAT WE FAIL TO GIVE OUR CHILDREN.

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. Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions

A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member's bad mood is due to something you did, or that your employees are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back; speak up and ask them. Don't waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.

Refrain from Using Absolutes

Have you ever told a partner "You're ALWAYS late!" or complained to a friend "You NEVER call me!"? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like 'always' and 'never' makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering. If you want to develop a positive thinking mental attitude, then you need to radiate positivity; you need to watch your words.

Detach From Negative Thoughts

I believe this is a little bit self explanatory. Your thoughts can't hold any power over you if you don't judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it and don't follow it.

. Practice Loving, Touching & Squeezing on your Friends and Family

You don't have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up.

Increase Your Social Activity

By increasing social activity, you decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people; and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way.

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HEALTHY HAPPY PEOPLE. A GOOD LAUGHTER IS POSITIVITY ENHANCED.

. Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person

Everyone feels good after helping. You can volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return. Helping a person in need will lighten your spirit and give you a positive mentality that you are contributing your quota to helping the world.

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Change your friends and associates

Be careful of the environment

you choose for it will shape you. Be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them. W. Clement Stone
. Positive or negative attitudes are contagious habits; I am sure you dont want to get infected with the negative ones. Severe friendship with pessimist and cynics; befriend those with the I can do it kind of attitude.

Change your environment

you are a product of your environment. You environment will directly or indirectly influence your thoughts and actions.

Why does United States have the highest number of billionaires in the world?

Why does the United States have the highest number of successful immigrants?

 I am neither an American, nor do I reside there but I can feel their patriotism and positive attitude just by watching them on T.V. Its this same positive mental attitude that made a Kenyan; in the person of Barrack Obama emerge president of the United States. So wheres all these illustrations pointing to? Well, its pointing to one lesson, which is; be careful of the environment you choose. If your environment doesnt radiate positivity, please relocate.

Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination

If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focusing on something negative. It's never productive, because it's not rational or solutionoriented, it's just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment, go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music. OR LOOK UP AND GAZE AT THE SKY

LETS TAKE THE QUESTIONAIRE

1 When my boss asks to speak with me, I
instinctively assume he/she wants to discuss a problem or give me negative feedback.

2 When I experience real difficulty at

work/home, other aspects of my life tend to be painted with the same negative brush.

3 When I experience a setback, I tend to believe

the obstacle will endure for the long-term, e.g. "The funding didn't come through, so I guess that means they hate the project. All that work for nothing."

4 When a team I am on is functioning poorly, I

believe the cause is short-term and has a straightforward solution, e.g. "Boy we're not working well, if we can fix [X], we'll do much better!"

QUESTIONAIRE
5 When I'm not chosen for an assignment I
really want, I tend to believe that I just don't have the specific skills they are looking for right now, as opposed to thinking I am generally unskilled.

CONT

6 When something happens that I don't like or

appreciate, I can tend to conclude that the cause is widespread in nature and will continue to plague me, e.g. "My assistant didn't 'cc' me on that email she sent to my boss. Administrative assistants are all out to prove how much smarter they are than their supervisors."

7 When I perform very well on an assignment, I

believe that it's because I'm generally talented and smart, as opposed to thinking I am good in that one very specific area.

8 When I receive a reward or recognition, I can

tend to figure that luck or fate played more of a role than my actual work or skill, e.g. "They asked me to be the key note speaker at the conference next year. I guess the other guys were all busy."

9 When I come up with a really good idea, I am

surprised by my creativity. I figure it is my lucky day, and caution myself not to get used to the feeling.

QUESTIONAIRE
10 When something bad happens at work, I see
the contributions that everyone made to the mistake, as opposed to thinking that I am incompetent and to blame.

CONT

11 After winning an award/recognition/

contract, I believe it's because the competition is not as good as I am, e.g. "We won that large contract against two strong competitors. We're simply better than they are."

12 As the leader, when my team completes a

project, I tend to attribute the success to the hard work and dedication of the team members, as opposed to my skilled leadership.

13 When I make a decision that proves to be

successful, it's because I have expertise on the subject and analyzed that particular problem really well, as opposed to being generally a strong decision maker.

14 When I achieve a long term and personally

challenging goal, I congratulate myself, and think about all the skills I used to be successful.

Source: Mindtools.com

SCORE INTERPRETATION
Yikes! It must feel like there is a rain cloud that hangs overhead all day. You have gotten yourself into the habit of seeing things as your fault and youve learned to give up 14your control in many situations. Taking this quiz is the first step toward turning your 31 pessimism around. Read the rest of this article carefully, and use the exercises daily. (Read below to start.) You try to be optimistic and positive however some situations get the better of you. 32Identify your triggers for negative thinking and use rational thinking exercises to 50 become naturally more optimistic. (Read below to start.) Great job! You have a generally positive and optimistic outlook on life. You dont take 51things personally and you are able to see that setbacks wont ruin the rest of your life. 70 (Read below for more.)

SCORE INTERPRETATION
Permanence (Questions 3, 4, 9, 11)

Believing that something we are experiencing is either permanent or temporary. A low score implies that you think bad times will carry on forever. A high score shows confidence that you'll be able to get things back on course quickly.

SCORE INTERPRETATION
Pervasiveness (Questions 2, 5, 6, 7 and 13)

Believing that situational factors cause an effect or that the effect is evidence of more universal factors at work. A low score shows that you tend to think that if you've experienced a problem in one place, you'll experience that problem wherever you go.

SCORE INTERPRETATION
Personalization (Questions 1, 8, 10, 12 and 14) Believing that something about you

influenced the outcome or that something external to you caused it. A low score indicates that you tend to blame yourself for bad things, rather than attributing the cause to more general factors.

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Training your subconscious mind!

Think of it like learning to drive. At first it takes all of your conscious effort to watch all the cars around you, control the steering wheel, peddles, and turn signals, all while trying to figure out what lane to go in and where to turn. But as you keep at it day after day, your subconscious brain learns from all that repetition and eventually takes over. If you've been driving for a while now, consider how much you do without really paying attention. That's your subconscious mind doing the work for you!

THE BULLETS OF POSITIVE THINKING

Always use only positive words while thinking and while talking. Use words such as, 'I can', 'I am able', 'it is possible', 'it can be done', etc. Allow into your awareness only feelings of happiness, strength and success.

Try to disregard and ignore negative thoughts. Refuse to think such thoughts, and substitute them with constructive happy thoughts. In your conversation use words that evoke feelings and mental images of strength, happiness and success
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 Before starting with any plan or action, visualize clearly in your mind its successful outcome. If you visualize with concentration and faith, you will be amazed at the results.
Read at least one page of inspiring book every day. Watch movies that make you feel happy. Minimize the time you listen to the news and read the papers. Associate yourself with people who think positively. Always sit and walk with your back straight. This will strengthen your confidence and inner strength.

 Walk, swim or engage in some other physical activity. This helps to develop a more positive attitude. Think positive and expect only favorable results and situations, even if your current circumstances are not as you wish them to be. In time, your mental attitude will affect your life and circumstances and change them accordingly.

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THE MOST TRUSTED, AGE OLD METHOD TO TRAIN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND TO ACHIEVE PEACE TRANQUILITY, AND POSITIVITY

MEDITATION

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VERY IMPORTANT: SLEEP

Sleep more soundly! Sleep appears essential to improve and maintain energy levels, immune system effectiveness, mental and emotional clarity and overall wellbeing. When you feel good, you function better.

 Minimize attaching to mental activity in the evening. Make appropriate preparations for the next day. Take a hot bath before bedtime to promote ease. Soothing fragrances, lights, and music may help as well. Limit activities in bed to sleep and intimate encounters only - avoid TV.

 Try listening to repetitive soothing natural sounds (waves, wind, waterfall, stream, etc.) from a selected high quality sound device. Natural homeopathic, nutritional and herbal support may prove useful (e.g. calcium, melatonin, passionflower or valerian before bed). Turn off all the lights.

PRESENTATION FROM

THE POWER WITHIN YOU

BY AMLAN ROYCHOWDHURY