3 Reasons Why You Should Be a Positive Thinker

In the book “The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking, Oliver Burkeman says “Ceaseless optimism about the future only makes for a greater shock when things go wrong; by fighting to maintain only positive beliefs about the future, the positive thinker ends up being less prepared, and more acutely distressed, when things eventually happen that he can’t persuade himself to believe are good.”

If I’m allowed to speak freely, I think this is complete and utter bullshit. I don’t believe that thinking positively makes you less prepared for catastrophic events or failure. Instead, positive thinking encourages you to recognize that failure/distress/chaos is temporary.

By looking on the bright side of a terrible situation, or simply encouraging yourself to think positively during a rough period, you’re simply telling yourself things will get better. There will always be a rainbow after the storm, so to speak.

It’d be crazy to think that you can be positive all the time. Everyone is going to have days where they feel down because negativity has creeped in. The important thing is to try to think positive on days like this. Don’t let the negative thoughts consume you and you’ll be just fine.

So, what exactly does positive thinking do for you? WELL, I’m delighted that you asked [cause you did. I know you did. RIGHT?].

3 Reasons Why You Should Be a Positive Thinker:

1. You’ll feel better. When your thoughts are positive, that positivity affects your mind, body and soul.

I know i’ve talked about the dreaded “spiraling” a couple of times.. That strange thing that happens when you start thinking something negative and that negative thought brings to mind another and another and another. 

When this happens, you oftentimes end up in a really dark frame of mind that can affect your sleep schedule, your concentration, your happiness, etc.

To avoid the dreaded spiraling and to keep yourself sleeping like a baby, try to keep the thoughts positive. Even if you’ve made a mistake or you are feeling really down on yourself, don’t give in to the negative thoughts.

If your friend came to you and told you about a mistake she made, would you say to her “Yeah, wow, you really are an idiot. I’d hate to have your life right now, suckahhh!” OF COURSE YOU WOULDN’T. [If you would say that, I think you should make an appointment to visit the doctor. I’m pretty sure they make pills for that.]

So why would you say those things to yourself?

If you make a mistake or screw up, talk yourself up and keep the thoughts positive. You’ll feel better, you’ll sleep fine, and your smile will be as genuine and beautiful as it has always been.

2. People will be attracted to you. Not just in a romantic way, but also professionally and socially.

Think about someone in your life that is consistently negative. Maybe they constantly complain about their spouse, job, lack of ice cream in the freezer, etc.

If you haven’t noticed, people who are always negative are total black holes when it comes to energy. They literally suck your good vibes and energy away. Oftentimes when you leave them you feel down or unhappy. You might also feel negative emotions and dread by simply thinking of them.

Most likely, you try to avoid this negative person as much as possible and find yourself complaining about their negativity whenever they are mentioned.

Unfortunately, they become such energy suckers by allowing negative thoughts to create negative feelings, moods, and behavior. They allow these black feelings to consume them and those black feelings leak out and affect people around them.

NOBODY wants to be around a black hole vibe-sucker. Trust me.

When you encourage positive thoughts, these thoughts affect your attitude and behavior. When your actions and attitude are positive, people will naturally gravitate towards you. Why? Because you’ll make them feel good! BOOM.

3. You’ll feel motivated to accomplish your goals.

There is a reason coaches give their players a pep talk before a big game. Motivational words and encouragement make the players feel like they can do anything – like beat their opponents!

So think of positive thinking like giving yourself a pep talk. If you think positively and encourage yourself to reach further and dream bigger, you’ll be more likely to! Tasks will be easier to fulfill and goals will be easier to accomplish. Why? Because you’re pumping yourself up and setting yourself up for success!

WOOHOO here’s to being a positive thinker!

Readers: Do you have your own reasons for being a positive thinker? How do you banish negativity? Isn’t the weather just SO DANG HOT today?!