Positive Thoughts, Positive Feelings


Positive Thoughts, Positive Feelings


Thoughts cause feelings, and the wrong kinds of thoughts can cause stressful
feelings.


We can look at the same event different ways. One is in the optimistic way and
the other is pessimistically. It is the age old debate of whether to look at
the glass as half full or as half empty.


It helps if you can learn to look at the good things in life rather than the
ugly. For example, if you got into a car accident and totaled your car, you can
sit there and feel sorry for yourself, or angry for losing the car. These are
all self-defeating. On the other hand, you can thank god that you were not
killed or, worse yet, maimed in the car accidents. When you look at life's
events like that you will have something to smile at every event and that is
the power of positive living.


Robert Schuller, the author of "Tough times never last. Tough people do!" gives
the following guidelines in looking at problems in the proper perspective:


  1. Every Living Human Being Has Problems.

    Perhaps you are unhappy with your work. Isn't it good that you have a job rather
    than being unemployed? Many people have the mistaken notion that successful
    people do not have any problems. It is not true. Success tends to breed its own
    set of problems.


    Everyone has problems. A problem-free life is an illusion - a mirage in the
    desert. Accept the fact that everyone has problems. This will help you to move
    on with your life rather than sitting and feeling pity for yourself.




  2. Every Problem Has A Limited Life Span

    Every mountain has a peak and every valley has a low point. Similarly, life has
    its ups and downs. No one is up all the time or down all the time. Problems do
    get resolved in the long term. They don't last forever. History teaches that
    every problem has a limited life span. Your problems will not live forever; but
    you will! Storms are followed by sunshine. Winter is followed by spring. Your
    problems will get resolved given enough time.




  3. Every Problem Holds Positive Possibilities

    There are two sides to every coin. What may be a problem for one could be
    interesting opportunity to someone else. Hospitals are there because people get
    sick; garages are there because cars do break down; lawyers are there because
    people get in trouble with the law occasionally. Every cloud has a silver
    lining.




  4. Every Problem Will Change You

    When me meet problems head on in life, they leave their indelible mark on us.
    The experience could make you better or worse. It is up to you. What is certain
    is that problems never leave us the same way they found us. We will change.


    For example, let us say that you lost your job. You can sit and feel sorry for
    yourself. Or you can be aggressive and decide to do something about it. You are
    better than them. You want to show them what a mistake they did in firing you.
    You have to be fired before you can be fired up. That may be wake-up call you
    needed before embarking on a successful mission. Again, for every problem,
    there is a positive and negative side. Look for the positive side and work on
    it.




  5. You Can Choose What Your Problem Will Do To You

    You may not be able to control the problems, but you certainly can control your
    reaction or response to the problem. You can turn your pain into profanity or
    into poetry. The choice is up to you. You can control the reaction even if you
    cannot control the problem. You control the effect of the problem by
    controlling the reaction. It can make you tough or tender. It can make you
    better or bitter. It all depends on you.




  6. There Is A Negative And A Positive Reaction To Every
    Problem




Tough people, according to Schuller, have learned to choose the most positive reaction in managing problems. The key is that they manage their problems. Remember, we have little control on problems, we have control on how we react and manage the problem. Positive people chose to react positively to their predicaments.

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