Developing a Positive Mental Attitude
Your vision of your world is created by your attitude. In other words your outlook on life is determined by how you approach things mentally. By programming your mind to think positive thoughts you can change the picture in your mind and increase your control over the outcome of your actions.
How can you program your mind to think positive thoughts? Over the years I have personally experimented with a multitude of ways to control my attitude, and some work better than others. You’ve no doubt experienced the uplifting feeling of being in a room full of people who are all chanting, yelling or singing; perhaps church or a pep rally. On the other hand you’ve probably been surrounded by negative people, complaining or arguing, leaving you feeling mentally drained.
Unfortunately, our minds are bombarded constantly with negative information. The television is just one example of this, but probably the best. Today’s programming is filled with news stations that run 24/7 broadcasts of the latest travesties. And, we eat it up even though we know that we shouldn’t. It’s like a drug that we can’t get enough of.
Curiosity can work for us in different ways, but often it encourages us to drag ourselves down. The rush of adrenalin you feel when you suddenly find yourself in a pressure situation is similar to the rush of endorphins that flood the mind when you think positive thoughts. Our decision to fill our minds and thoughts with positive, truthful information is a hard one. Partly because of peer pressure and partly because of the curiosity we have.
How many times have you been seduced today? It would be hard to know the answer because it is the job of advertisers to arouse you without your knowing. Today and every day that you turned on the TV and watched a commercial, picked up a magazine and saw a print ad or simply opened your email inbox, you have been assaulted by mind altering advertisements that your mind may not detect.
As adults we train ourselves to avoid these ads and to simply turn the channel, but they are becoming much more sophisticated. Advertisers purchase your demographics from sources that you thought were protected to send you targeted messages. Spammers use complex algorithms to fill your email box with sex and trash. Avoiding this negativity is becoming much harder to avoid.
We will delve deeper into ways to avoid the rubbish later, but for now let’s focus on the positive. Obviously not all advertising is bad, sometimes it’s just hard to interpret. For instance, you’ve probably been touched by ads from charitable organizations that urge you to donate, or insurance companies that encourage you to protect your family. Perhaps these types of ads will leave you with a feeling of hope or accomplishment, because they have touched you in a way that inspires you to do what you feel is good.
Throughout every day we have to decipher the good from the bad. In order to focus on the good it is important to avoid the clutter and pay close attention to our surroundings. Just as our parents warned us to watch who we were friends with, the same applies as adults. We as humans are likely to read, watch and use the same materials as our peers. So, what are the people you spend your time with doing? Is that congruent to what you want for yourself? If not, then you have some important decisions to make.
It’s easy to get caught up in every day life and avoid the things we know can improve our lives. You may want to ask yourself, what was the last book I read? Perhaps you already read motivational or inspirational books. Books and quotes are my favorite way to clear my mind and replenish it with positive thoughts. You may even listen to positive or educational tapes or cd’s in your car, if so you are on your way to a better life.
The Bible is a great source of inspiration and one that can provide hope and instill faith. Attending Church will allow you to surround yourself with others that also have a desire to improve their lives. Inspirational music can fill your heart with love and open your mind to hope. And prayer can provide you with strength in any situation. (NKJ) Psalm 28:1, “To You I will cry, O Lord my Rock: Do not be silent to me, Lest, if You are silent to me, I become like those who go down to the pit.”
Keep reading and keep learning. Inspire hope and faith by surrounding yourself with positive and uplifting people. You have what it takes to be successful in whatever you choose. And until next time, whatever your dreams are,
Go For It!
Barry Page
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Written by Barry Page – President, PMA 101, LLC
© copyright 2005 www.pma101.com
Ocean Springs, MS
