We all have heard that positive thinking will result in a positive and more fulfilling life.  Positive people are happy people.  They manage stress better, they have better relationships, they are healthier, and they are happier and often more successful in their careers.  This isn’t to say that the only way you’re going to be healthy, happy, and successful is to put a smile on your face.

Everyone experiences bad days every now and then.  No matter how positive you’re as a person, you will have struggles and days where it is difficult to smile and look on the bright side.  The difference between the eternal optimist and the rest of us is that they have developed the ability to refocus their thoughts.  This is known as the art of positive thinking and they have practiced this life skill well.

The Science of Positive Thinking.

You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect.  It is what often happens to people who think that they’re getting medicine that will make them better or make their pain go away when they’re really getting nothing more than a sugar pill.  Scientists have long since attributed this effect to the ability of our mind to deceive us.

However, what scientists have found is actually quite different.  They have found that when a person receives a placebo, the body actually produces chemicals that simulate the same healing as the medicine would have if the person had received the medicine.

What does this mean?  When we convince ourselves that we’re going to get better, that things are going to get better, our bodies respond and actually make us better.  Think of the implications for yourself when you’re ill.  Maybe that’s why people that are always professing their good health are always healthy.

There’s even more good news for optimists too.  Scientists have found that optimists live longer.  Optimists have a 55 percent lower risk of death from all causes and 23 percent lower risk of death from heart failure.

Mastering the skill of positive thinking takes time, practice and patience.  One of the most effective tool you can use to master and refocus your thinking is Affirmation.

Affirmations are positive statements.  You can choose an affirmation to say each morning.  You can choose a statement to repeat to yourself throughout your day or you can post declarations in places where you’re likely to read them frequently.

Potential affirmations include:

• Every day in every way I’m getting better, better and better.
• Everything is coming to me easily and effortlessly.
• Everything I need is already within me.
• I love and appreciate myself just as I am.
• I accept all my feelings as part of myself.
• I love doing my work, and I am richly rewarded creatively and financially.
• I always communicate clearly and effectively.
• I now have enough time, energy, wisdom and money to accomplish all my desires.
• It’s okay for me to have everything I want.

Use the above as a guide to design your own affirmation and practice it everyday.  Practice will make Improvement!

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Before you read this article, first of all, close your eyes and LISTEN to your thoughts right now. Now tell me, what thoughts fill your head? Would you label them as positive or negative?

Now let’s say you are walking down the street with these thoughts. Do you think anyone who meet you would be able to tell you what’s on your mind?

The answer to number one is up to you. But, the answer to number two can be very generic. Although people will not be able to tell you exactly what you think, they will more or less have an idea of how you are feeling.

Here’s another question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if they’re waiting for something exciting to happen?

You know what? The answer to all these depends on your frame of mind.

Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too – unless, of course, you are a great actor.

And it doesn’t end there. Your attitude can also affect people around you.

The type of attitude you carry depends on you. It can be either positive or negative.

Positive thoughts have a filling effect. They are admittedly invigorating. Plus, the people around the person carrying positive thoughts are usually energized by this type of attitude.

Negative thoughts on the other hand have a sapping or weakening effect on other people. Aside from making you look gloomy and sad, negative thoughts can turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake.

A positive attitude attracts people, while a negative attitude repels them. People tend to shy away from those who carry a negative attitude.

We can also define attitude as the way of looking at the world. If you choose to focus on the negative things in the world, more or less you have a negative attitude brewing up. However, if you choose to focus on the positive things, you are more likely carry a positive attitude.

You have much to gain from a very positive attitude. For one, studies have shown that a positive attitude promotes better health. Those with this kind of attitude also have more friends. projecting a positive attitude also helps one to handle stress and problems better than those who have a negative attitude.

A positive attitude begins with a healthy self-image. If you will love the way you are and are satisfied, confident, and self-assured, you also make others to feel the same way.

A negative attitude, on the other hand, has an opposite effect. So, carrying a negative attitude has a twofold drawback. You feel bad about yourself, and you make others feel the same way.

If you want to have a positive attitude, you have to feature healthy thoughts. This is probably very hard to do nowadays since most of the scenes we see feed us nothing but negative thoughts. A study shows that for every 14 things a parent says to his or her child, only one is positive. This is truly a saddening thought.

If you want a healthier outlook in life, you need to think happy thoughts, and you have to hear positive things as well. So, what can you do? Well, for starters, you could go and see a funny movie, you could play with children, spend some time telling jokes with friends. All these activities fill you with positive stimuli, which in turn promotes positive attitude.

Although it is impossible to keep ourselves from the negative things around us, you can still carry a positive attitude by focusing on the good things, the positive things in life.

And this positive attitude you now carry can be of benefit to other people. Sometimes when other people feel down, the thing people mostly do is try to give them advice. But sometimes, all they need is to have someone pay attention and listen to them. If you have a positive attitude you may be able to cheer them up without even having to say anything.

If positive attitude is really great, why do people choose to adopt a negative attitude instead? One who carries a negative attitude may be actually sending a signal for attention. Before you get me wrong, feeling sad, angry, or gloomy is not wrong itself. But dwelling on these thoughts for far too long is not healthy either. There is a time to mourn and there is a time to move on with life.

If you are beset by troubles, even in your darkest hour, focus on the good things in life and always fill your thoughts with hope. If you’ve this attitude, your problems will become something that you can overcome.

You do not have much to lose by adopting a healthy and positive attitude. Studies show that such an attitude actually retards aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop a better stress management mechanism, and has a very positive effect on all the people around you. So, what’s not to like about a positive attitude? Adopt and cultivate one today!

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