What is Positive Thinking?

Q: How would you define positive thinking? 

A: Thinking positively is really our natural way of thinking and arises out of our natural state of being, which is loving, joyous and non-judgmental. When one looks at adults, this statement, on first consideration, seems completely ludicrous, as the vast majority of adults do not think very positively most of the time. It is only when we look at very young children who are still uncorrupted by the pervasive negativity we are constantly exposed to, especially in a society such as South Africa's where crime is so prevalent, that we can clearly see our natural state is truly positive. 

Young children are naturally spontaneous, curious, creative and above all, loving, human beings. This is why Jesus said that to enter the Kingdom of heaven, we must become as little children. If this divine potential in children is nurtured and they somehow manage to remain unaffected by the stultifying opinions and judgments laid on them by other people through their formative years, they can become exceptionally creative, loving and gifted individuals who shine their light so brightly in the world that those who prefer the darkness of negativity inevitably feel threatened and try to pull them down to their level of negative thinking and state of being. This is why Einstein said, “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds”.

Another genius in a different age and field of endeavour from Einstein, Mozart, is a very good example of a child who, given the right nurturing and support from an early age, matured into a true genius, possibly the greatest musical genius the world has ever seen. Mozart is quoted as saying, “Neither a lofty degree of intelligence, nor imagination, nor both together go to the making of genius. Love, love, love, that is the soul of genius.” Most of us have had our natural love, which is really just unconditional acceptance of everyone and everything, conditioned out of us, often by well meaning but misguided people (parents, teachers, etc.) who are just trying to ‘protect’ us in what they perceive as a dangerous and hostile world. Parents project their perceptions onto their children, so ensuring that their worldview lives on in their children, or, if one wants to state it in Biblical terms, the sins of the fathers are continually visited on the sons. 

Q: Is a positive mindset enhanced by gratitude, for instance, by being grateful for what we have instead of focusing on the negative? Please explain. 

A: True gratitude is loving and accepting what is happening in every moment of our lives, as has been explained above, and is the primary cause of a truly positive mindset, so it would be more correct to say that gratitude is the key to a positive mindset than that a positive mindset is ‘enhanced by gratitude’, as you put it. 


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How Can We Start Thinking More Positively? 

Q: What daily tasks can we perform so that we start building positive attitudes? 

The only way to become truly ‘positive’ all the time is to surrender all our judgments, opinions and misconceptions and abide in our natural state of love, which is a feeling of oneness and connectedness with everything and everyone else. What we resist persists, so forcing yourself to think positively in the face of negative thoughts in an attempt to overwhelm them or drown them out is futile and will only lead to the negative thoughts becoming stronger, especially if you submerge them into your subconscious, where they will wreak even greater havoc on your life than if you express them and so discharge some of the emotional charge they carry. This is called ‘suppression’ by psychologists and is the cause of much disease and dysfunctional behaviour in society today. 

So, if the ‘think positively’ mantra of most so-called ‘motivational’ speakers, life coaches and various other modern self-styled self-help gurus does not work, what does? What can we do to have a positive attitude all of the time, no matter what happens in our lives? As I have already said, we need to surrender or let go of all our negative, as well as our seemingly positive, thoughts. To do this is not easy when you have been thinking compulsively all your life, and have been taught that thinking is the very reason you exist and is what sets you apart from an animal (a view succinctly stated by Descartes when he said, “I think, therefore I am.”) 

However, there are many ancient and more modern ways to quiet the thinking mind. Some of the ancient ones practised by mystics and spiritual seekers through the ages include meditation, prayer and yoga. I personally practise all 3 techniques daily or every second day (in the case of yoga) There are also many other less esoteric ways of calming the mind: breathing deeply, just sitting quietly on your own, a relaxing stroll in nature; even vigorous exercise can work if done right. Any technique that helps us to stop thinking and free ourselves of the compulsive thoughts that flow through the mind almost continuously will work to raise our self-awareness, a state of being where we are always aware of our thoughts and emotions and never take them too seriously because we realise that the true ‘I’, the consciousness that is this awareness, is far greater than any thoughts or emotions produced by the mind alone. 

Once a person reaches an ‘enlightened’ state through continuous practice of techniques to build self-awareness, a person can live in this state of true awareness and love all the time, no matter what happens in the exterior of their life, because they have realised that none of the external stuff matters very much when compared with the eternal internal awareness they have discovered. But this state can only be experienced personally, otherwise these are mere words that have little or no meaning, so please don’t just believe what I say: go and put what I have said here to the test – there are many sources of more information on the topics I have mentioned available - and see what happens!

The answers to the questions in this Lifebuilder were written by Jonathan Quail, an inspirational speaker and coach. Click here to find out more about him and his work. We hope you enjoyed this edition of Lifebuilder and it has given you some useful information and practical suggestions you can use to improve your life by living and working in love. If you didn't enjoy it and would rather unsubscribe, click the unsubscribe link below. If you did and would like to give us your feedback on it, click here and send the email that pops up. Until next time, think positively!

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