{"id":54048,"date":"2021-11-06T11:12:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T15:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=54048"},"modified":"2021-11-15T11:49:10","modified_gmt":"2021-11-15T15:49:10","slug":"how-to-develop-a-positive-mindset","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-develop-a-positive-mindset\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Develop a Positive Mindset: Think & Be Happy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do you believe that your thoughts can shape your reality<\/a>? How do thoughts influence one\u2019s life outcomes?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Positive thoughts create positive outcomes, and negative thoughts lead to negative outcomes. Thoughts can even contribute to illness or health. If you\u2019re unhappy with your current circumstances, you can remake your life by getting rid of your old, negative thoughts and filling your mind with new thoughts that reflect faith, creativity, love, and goodness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn how to develop a positive mindset<\/a> and think your way to success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Think Your Way to Success and Happiness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Your thoughts are powerful; they dictate the type of life you lead, the kind of person you are, and the experiences you have. Your thoughts can create or change the conditions around you. You can think yourself into or out of a situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether or not you believe that your thoughts can literally change the world<\/a> around you, there\u2019s no denying that your thought patterns<\/a> have a major impact on your happiness and mental well-being. <\/strong>

A major lesson of Stoicism, which Aurelius teaches in Meditations<\/em>, is that outside forces cannot harm you.<\/a> Aurelius insists that you don\u2019t get hurt or upset by what happens to you; you get hurt or upset by how you respond to it. <\/strong>For a Stoic like Aurelius, controlling your thoughts<\/a> isn\u2019t about removing hardships from your path<\/a>, but rather making yourself immune to those hardships. 

Aurelius also believed that physical pain was meaningless, and the only thing that could truly hurt you was something that hurt your character or your sense of self. He\u2019s not claiming that you can make yourself immune to injury or disease, just that you can toughen yourself mentally so that physical pain doesn\u2019t stop you.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Imagine and Succeed<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To start thinking differently, form a positive mental picture of how things should be\u2014don\u2019t just accept the way things are<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hold that mental picture and believe it deeply; pray about it, and do what you can to make it a reality. This process will unleash creative thinking, helping you realize the outcome you want. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tony Robbins\u2019s book Awaken the Giant Within <\/em>suggests another way in which imagining the outcomes we want can be a powerful tool for reaching our goals. Robbins believes that we often limit ourselves by using experience<\/em>, rather than imagination<\/em>,<\/a> as our reference point for making decisions. While using past experience to predict what might happen sounds reasonable, the problem is that we apply our past experiences far too broadly.<\/strong> 

For example, someone who does poorly on a math test might conclude that he\u2019s a bad student, rather than recognizing that he was just struggling with one subject. Instead of applying his experience <\/em>with that test to all schooling, Robbins would suggest that he imagine <\/em>what other subjects he might do well in and how exciting it could be to learn new things. <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Techniques for Changing Your Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here are some practical techniques to help you change your mental attitude from negative to positive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n