Putting positive thinking to work is a thinking process which takes time to develop, just like any skill. Especially if you’ve got into the habit of being negative (which most of us have, to a degree).
First off, being ‘happy’ all of the time isn’t realistic or desirable, but a stable level of inner happiness is possible to achieve by putting positive thinking to work on a continual basis.
So forget about the misconception that you should always be outwardly happy when you hear the expression Positive Thinking and instead realise it’s about an inner happiness which is independent of your exterior circumstances. You can read more about that in the article on how to stay positive in negative situations.
Positive thinking isn’t about being happy all the time.
So what is positive thinking about? Well, when we get challenged by difficult or unexpected events, sometimes we get sucked in to the negative void, so
carried away by doom & gloom we forget that we have choices.
We don’t notice or accept that we can actually choose to feel happier. Just like a blue sky and sunshine can make you feel happy, your own inner decisions can give you a deep sense of inner joy.
Remember, you can’t control everything that’s happening in the exterior of you, but you can control your interior – you can control your reactions to them.
How to Start Putting Positive Thinking to Work
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- Look for the best option available to you in any given situation. Instead of dwelling on how terrible so-so-so was to do such-and-such to you, think about what your options are from here on in. Go Forwards not Backwards.
- Trust to take a step, even when there are no guarantees of its outcome.
You’ll need to develop a sense of trust your gut instinct and your feelings. Life doesn’t come with guarantees so spend more time relying on your intuition and go with it. Know that you can do it.
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- Be aware of your reactions to negative influences. Just be more reflective of your own behaviour so that you can learn to change it.
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- Once you’ve noticed some of your negative reactions, work to change them into creative reactions. Almost every situation can have a creative reaction, no matter how bad the circumstance. This can also help to reassure you that you’re working towards changing the negative reality.
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- Ask yourself; what can I do about this?
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- Accept that you won’t always have the answers. Trust that they will come to
you with time. Know that everything is as it should be for this moment – but don’t give up or be complacent. Keep working on your future present and trusting your way forward. Remember that you are travelling a path of perfect moments. Perfect for who you were in that moment.
- Accept that you won’t always have the answers. Trust that they will come to
- Focus on what you’re gaining, not what you’re losing. This is so important. Often you may gain something while losing something else, and most people focus on the thing they’re losing or their ‘bad luck’. Shift it around and actively seek out the gain, even if it’s tenacious.
‘The secret is, there are ALWAYS choices, no matter how small, they are there, waiting for you to see them.’
So start putting positive thinking to work by being more aware of what you focus on and more aware of how you choose to navigate your life.
Be more aware of what your mind, body and emotions are getting up to.
‘By putting positive thinking to work on a daily basis, you change the way you see the world and your situation at that moment, which changes your reaction, which changes the outcome and creates a different future for you.’
One little step in the right direction can have a knock on effect to change your life.
Goodbye to My Negativity (almost! ;-))
Just yesterday I had a test and I confess, I failed. I was working on my website, 
with precious little time to spare – I was dug in for the day. Some serious progress was going to happen!
Then my husband asked me to pop to the shop with him to keep him company and as it was just a quick pop-in-pop-back job, I went, though really I went against my inner wish. I went to please my husband instead of wanting to go.
So – standing in the supermarket – 1.45 p.m. and a message beeped into my phone: clients were delayed by rain not going to arrive until 4 p.m.. Instead of 2 p.m.
What? Hang on a minute! 2 hours late and only text 15 minutes before expected arrival time? I phoned my great meeter-and-greeter to let her know, but she’d been planning her day around the 2 o’clock arrival and was about to leave for Malaga.
‘Ok, I’ll do it, don’t worry,’ I said with a smile.
I shouldn’t have come into town, I thought. Then it wouldn’t matter, I’d be able to work on my website until 4 p.m. It wasn’t worth going home just to have to turn around and come back again.
I turned to my husband. ‘I’ll have to stay here and wait for the clients.’
‘Can you ask the shop assistant if he has more washing up liquid?’ he asked, ignoring my comment.
The clients were late and my husband was only thinking about the shopping? Why didn’t he share my moment of disappointment or the responsibility of meeting the clients?
And suddenly whooooom I jumped into a negative pool and I felt the irritation bubble in my chest. I should be at home working.
I guess it lasted about 15 minutes. My bad mood. Then I realised how stupid it 
was. Why spend any time irritated when I could choose to enjoy my time. So, if I wasn’t building my website I’d have a wonderful time instead!
We went to visit my mum and spent the Saturday afternoon from 2-4 p.m. having some lovely quality time together over a glass of wine in the garden. At 4 p.m. I went and met the guests who were really friendly, lovely people.
And I realised how I had completely missed the point in the beginning. I had gone against my own beliefs.
‘There’s always an up side to a change in plans, always something to be gained from any impromptu situation. You just have to be open to it.’
We aren’t perfect, any of us. But when you start putting positive thinking to work you’ll soon see that it really does work to change your reality. You won’t always get it right, but when you feel yourself with that knot of anger or irritation in your chest, ask yourself; is it really worth giving away this moment of happiness because of this situation?
Normally the answer will be ‘no’ because there aren’t many things that deserve the gift of your happiness.
You’ll be surprised at the power you gain over your whole life, in so many areas including work, health, social life, confidence and many more – when you start putting positive thinking to work.
Like to read more? Read on about how to be more happy and please don’t forget to share this post or leave a comment!
You may also like to read about how to get what you want in life.