{"id":966,"date":"2012-03-18T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2012-03-18T14:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.barbdahlgren.com\/?p=966"},"modified":"2012-03-18T12:06:49","modified_gmt":"2012-03-18T17:06:49","slug":"staying-positive-in-a-negative-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/?p=966","title":{"rendered":"Staying Positive in a Negative World"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Negativity abounds. We live in a \u201cput-down\u201d society \u2013 one that is eager to point out our short comings. We are not thin enough, smart enough, or good enough and probably never will be in the eyes of this world. This negative input gives one a flawed perspective of how they really are. People who feel they are fat and stupid will gladly drown their sorrows in a super-sized burger meal while spending all their time watching reruns of Sponge Bob.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s face it; we are all prone to be influenced more by the negative than the positive. Ten positive comments can be quickly overshadowed by one negative. In fact we will tend to forget the ten positive comments and obsess over the one negative. So we must work all the harder to maintain a positive frame of mind. According to the Mayo Clinic those who practice positive thinking decrease stress, improve overall health, and increase coping skills.<\/p>\n

Norman Vincent Peale\u2019s book The Power of Positive Thinking<\/em> was written in 1952 and has sold over 20 million copies in 41 languages. I\u2019ve had my copy for over forty years and still read parts of it every now and then. Although a bit outdated the overall principles still ring true. Peale was convinced there was a connection between the mind and the spirit \u2013 a very biblical concept.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In fact Peale applied Christianity to everyday problems. Peale said, \u201cthrough prayer you \u2026 make use of the great factor within yourself, the deep subconscious mind \u2026 [which Jesus called] the kingdom of God within you \u2026 Positive thinking is just another term for faith.\u201d He also wrote, \u201cYour unconscious mind \u2026 [has a] power that turns wishes into realities when the wishes are strong enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure about making wishes reality, but I do think positive thinking enhances our lives. Paul gave us this advice in Philippians 4:4-8: rejoice always, be thankful, guard your mind, pray, don\u2019t be afraid, and think about what is true, noble, lovely, good, virtuous and praise worthy.<\/p>\n

How people choose to do that is up to them. Here are a few things I find helpful:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. At the end of the day I try to think about what I got done, not what I didn\u2019t get done.<\/li>\n
  2. During the day I try to focus on the good qualities of my family and co-workers instead of the things they do that\u00a0\u00a0 drive me crazy.<\/li>\n
  3. I count my blessings \u2013 not just mentally, but I actually list them on a piece of paper that fits in my wallet. Then I take them out and look at them several times a day.<\/li>\n
  4. I also write scriptures like Romans 8:28 and Philippians 4:8 on a slip of paper and carry them with me to look at, too.<\/li>\n
  5. I try to fill my prayers with more thanksgiving rather than making it a \u201cgive-me\u201d of things I want God to do for me.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n
  6. I ask God to help me recall all the wonderful things he\u2019s done for me that I\u2019ve forgotten.<\/li>\n
  7. I ask God to change my outlook so I can be a more positive person, not just for my sake, but for all those who come into contact with me for I profess to be a Christian.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now I\u2019m not saying I\u2019ve perfected this positive thinking thing, but I am a lot happier when I do these things than when I\u2019m watching reruns of Sponge Bob Square Pants.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Negativity abounds. We live in a \u201cput-down\u201d society \u2013 one that is eager to point out our short comings. We are not thin enough, smart enough, or good enough and probably never will be in the eyes of this world. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/966\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barbdahlgren.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}