How to Guard Your Positive Mindset

by Michael Corthell

In order for the transformation of ideas into things, a certain amount of belief is required – a certain mindset that lets you know in your heart that you can, and will, achieve what you set out to do. There is a difference between wishing for something, and actually being ready to receive it. No one is ready for anything, until he believes he can acquire it.

When creating a mindset capable of accomplishing anything, keeping it clear of negativity is the number one task; where negativity exists, fear causes doubt, which will eventually kill all grand ideas as well as any chances of prosperity or happiness. An effective tool to keep fear at bay is to bathe in positive thoughts.

Positive thinking doesn't mean that you hide your head in the sand and ignore life's negative situations. Positive thinking means that you approach negative situations in a more positive and productive way. You simply think the best is going to happen, not the worst.

Criticism by family, friends and associates will plant fear in your heart,
 and foster resentment, but it will not build love, trust or affection.

Positive (and negative) thinking often starts with self-talk. Self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information or past experiences.
Even if you develop a positive mindset and cheerful expectant attitude not all people will want to see you succeed. Maybe because they feel insecure, or perhaps because they just do not like you. However, even if they do want to see you succeed, achieving beyond what’s normal is frightening to most people – for many reasons. Therefore, the 'help' of others may come in the shape of them trying to convince you to stop dreaming, to stop achieving and to stop aiming for the stars. They may even be 'helping' you by focusing on the risk, and not the reward. They may very well be thinking that they are saving you from yourself, but in reality they are just giving in to their own fears. If you are swayed by the opinions of other people, you will have no positive desire that you can call your own.

Finally, too many people, because of the negative influence of family and friends, simply will not set high enough goals for themselves, or they may not even choose a career, because they fear that 'friendly' criticism.  In fact, this thought may be descriptive of their negative mindset, ''I can't set my goal that high, people will think I'm insane.''

You are not insane...Go for it!

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A Simple Trick to Improve Positive Thinking - Alison Ledgerwood

Why does a failure seem to stick in our minds so much longer than a success? According to social psychologist Alison Ledgerwood, our perception of the world tends to lean negative, and reframing how we communicate could be the key to unlocking a more positive outlook. In this sharp talk, Ledgerwood shares a simple trick for kicking negative thinking to the curb so we can start focusing on the upside. Alison Ledgerwood is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Davis. Her research focuses on the psychological tools that allow humans to reach beyond their current experiences.