I first encountered the importance of positive thoughts playing sports as a teenager. With an unhealthy identity associated with performance, I was prone to think about the worst possible outcomes. Those outcomes could be striking out in a key at-bat, turning the ball over on a key possession, or as odd as it may sound, fumbling the snap in a football game. Of all the things that could go wrong in a football play, I was often consumed by the fear of simply fumbling the snap from center.
I am not one promoting the manifestation of visualization, but I can attest to the fact that what you think about, what you dwell on, or what you allow your mind to focus on does have an impact on results. For instance, when I focused on those worst possible outcomes, I would find myself tensing up, tightening up, and no longer being free to play at my best level. I can recall the outcomes sometimes matching my fears.
Conversely, when I later learned to focus on positive outcomes and view key moments as opportunities to do great things and not chances to fail, the resulting performance, while not always perfect, was much more aligned to my potential.
Those same concepts apply to other facets of our lives as well. If we allow our minds to dwell on negative thoughts, worst possible outcomes, or unhealthy views of ourselves, we will likely drive ourselves toward negative outcomes. We will become overly sensitive to what others say. We will perceive things negatively when that may not be the case at all. We will lose confidence in ourselves and begin living as if we are “losing in life” when in fact, we are generating most of the “losses” in our minds.
I have been reading two verses regularly for the last few months. Whether you are a Bible reader or not, I think there is great wisdom and value in these concepts.
Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of the mind.”
Philippians 4:8: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
It appears that the writer perceived that it was human nature to inherently focus on negativity, however with focused attention toward positivity one’s life could be noticeably different!
One way to approach this transformation is to engage in thankful walks at the beginning of each day. Just spend a few moments expressing (out loud) what you are thankful for in life. If you are a praying person, it’s how you start your prayers. Regardless, just articulate the things in life that you are thankful for at the beginning of your day. It is a fact that thankfulness and anxiety cannot coexist in your mind. Thankfulness will drive out anxious thoughts.
Other things to consider are reading positive centered books, listening to positive centered podcasts, being around positive people (avoiding excessive time with negative based people if you aren’t the influencer), and engaging in activities that provide you a high state of mind.
How would you describe yourself? Do you find yourself inherently focused on negative or positive thoughts? Does your perception of the world around you lean negative or positive? When you are around others, are you bringing them down or lifting them up?
What’s your next step toward changing the way you think to change the direction of your life?
