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How to have Positive Thoughts in 6 Steps

By Operation Meditation

The matter of how to have positive thoughts should not have been a very difficult thing if we have been trained to think in the right way since childhood. But short of blaming our parents, it may be a matter of environmental influences whose complexity leaves us to do nothing but the proactive solution: to valiantly choose to be optimists now, regardless of how we had been in the immediate past. The following steps are keys to accomplishment.

1. Start choosing the words you use

The words we use in our everyday conversations somehow define us. If you’re interested in how to have positive thoughts, then you must start using positive words more. Upon meeting new challenges, many people are accustomed to mentally state (sometimes without being fully conscious about it): “I can’t do this.” The result is a lifetime of failure and regret. So the easiest workaround this ingrained habit is to replace these negative words with affirmations: I can, I will, yes!

2. Redirect your mental pipeline toward fruitfulness

Similar to choosing positive words over negative ones, instantly redirecting your thoughts from negative to positive can lead to a better, happier life. For example, you’re about to take an important exam. Instead of expecting it to end badly (and with accompanying negative imagery to worsen it), create a positive mental image: visualize yourself already enjoying your success. Give yourself some positive feedback, and all else follows.

3. Recognize the importance of self-forgiveness

Often, moving forward is impossible because we are emotionally and spiritually saddled with regret over past mistakes and failures. If you committed a mistake in the past, then why are you perpetuating that mistake’s ill effects in the present? It doesn’t make sense when you truly think about it. So instead of letting the past haunt you, accept it, forgive yourself, and use the lessons you’re learned.

4. Use meditation to strengthen your resolve

As far as the matter of how to have positive thoughts is concerned, performing regular meditation can enhance your mental focus and power and thereby enable you to do things easier. For example, if you’re having trouble in choosing the words you use, replacing the negative ones with positive, then regular meditation can allow you to directly program your subconscious mind to make things easier for you. Setting aside a few minutes each day to sit in a quiet spot, to breathe deeply and slowly, while mentally stating your positive affirmations (such as “I am choosing the words I use, replacing negative ones to positive”) can go a long way, mentally and emotionally speaking.

5. Negative things are not always the enemy

Quite often, you will belatedly realize that the challenges you’ve encountered were actually opportunities in disguise. If you did not encounter a trial, you would not have realized how strong you really are. If you did not lose your job, you would not have become a writer or a business person. But given this, you must still call the shots: it is up to you to turn these negative events into opportunities.

6. Get some proper perspective

For every little bad thing that happens in our lives, know that it could have been worse. Your house might have been robbed, but at least it did not burn down. So goes with every other bad experience: you’re not at the bottom of the rung or the unluckiest person on earth. F you’re sad because you’re shoes are splitting at the sole, then imagine how life might be for a person without legs. Perspective—it’s a matter of looking at it from a distance and seeing you’re actually in a better place.

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