The Dark Side Of Positive Thinking

Thursday, September 16, 2010 8:49 AM

The other day I came across a post on positive thinking and it really made me think. Today I'd like to share my thoughts on the subject. I'm a big fan of positive thinking, really I am. Those who think positively tend to have a much greater quality of life than those who let negative thoughts continually command their lives. But the fact of the matter is, positive thinking can only get you so far, by no means is it the answer to all your problems.

Being an active member in the personal development community, I see countless of individuals claiming their lives are a mess, many modeling the complaint,"I sit at home all day thinking about all the things I want, but nothing good ever comes out of it."
Really? Do you really think just sitting at home all day thinking "positive thoughts" will manifest the life that you desire? Unfortunately many do. That's the problem with movies like the Secret and similar belief models; they falsely market the idea of "think it and it will occur." Hundreds of thousands of individuals believe that by just thinking positively their life is going to magically transform. They then fall victim to the delusion of their own reality, causing a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. Does that render visualization and uplifting affirmations useless? - Absolutely not. I'd be crazy if I were to say positive thinking is worthless, because it really can make a huge impact on the life you live. Yet the act of wishful thinking remains deficient, it can't stand alone without quickly collapsing. Positive thinking without action is like a beautiful car without wheels . It doesn't matter how good it looks, without wheels your car isn't going to go very far (if anywhere at all.) This same principle applies to your life journey. You can think all the wonderful thoughts you want, but without Effort and Execution the life you long for won't ever truly appear.

Because a great majority of our society is so habitually negative to begin with, positive thinking often represents a tremendous upgrade to the quality of one's life. A positive thought is Always better than a negative one. But in the end reality always trumps your thoughts regardless of its intention. I'm not going to lie; I tend to be an overly optimistic person, with an occasional flash of pessimistic pride. I like to believe that I am going to create massive change in this world. I like to believe that one day I'm going to touch millions of people's lives. I like to believe that through my writing and passion for growth that I will have an impact on all those who encounter me. Some pretty lofty goals. And for me to make my goals and aspirations a reality, I'm going to have to think big and take constant action. That is the only way.

It takes a truly aware individual to acknowledge when his or her reality isn't congruent with their thoughts. Yet examining your reality from an objective lens is essential. No doubt doing so takes a great deal of courage but it is required to really grow. Flooding your head with positive intentions is a great step up from a mind filled with negative muck, but even then you still have room to evolve. Do you substitute action with thoughts of fluff? Or do you supplement positive thinking with consistent hustle? All the thinking in the world doesn't change the truth.

(Written by: Bud Hennekes)