Do a quick Twitter search for “positive thinking” and you’ll find new tweets being shared every minute about people trying to stay more positive in their lives. It’s a buzzy catchphrase that a lot of people use very often, but without really answering the question, “What does it really mean?”
Everyone has their own definition, and I find some better than others. But instead of attacking a bunch of potential strawmen, I’ll just share my own thoughts about what “positive thinking” means to me and how it fits into my worldview.
I define positive thinking as any type of thinking that inspires us to accomplish something constructive with our lives. It’s a type of thinking meant not merely to make us feel good about ourselves, but to motivate us to take action and make a physical change.
My approach to positive thinking has to be both realistic and practical:
- Realistic: Positive thinking should be based on facts, evidence, and logic. You have to be honest with yourself, even if a situation isn’t perfect or ideal.
- Practical: Positive thinking should make a difference in your choices and actions. If a belief or thought doesn’t change the way you act, then it’s probably not worth giving too much thought to begin with.
By taking this approach, I avoid letting my positive thinking turn into blind optimism. I’m still optimistic about life, but it’s optimism with a leash, so that it doesn’t turn into delusion.
I recognize that sometimes there are real limitations in my life. I don’t know everything in the universe and I don’t have infinite power over my surroundings.
While this may not sound like “positive thinking” on the surface, recognizing the areas of life that you don’t have control over actually allows you to switch your focus to the things you do have control over – and that makes you a more powerful individual at the end of the day.
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