The Essential Requirement of Consistent, Positive Thinking

There’s little doubt you’ve heard it said before that positive thinking is an important approach to life.  But many people may not fully understand who critical this is.  Depending on who said, what your opinion of that person was, how they said, or the circumstances, one could be excused for chalking it up to a new-age claim, hollow in actual substance or meaning.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Positive thinking, when properly understood, is the most important function you can possibly do in terms of making a desirable difference with respect to how your life will unfold in the future.

We don’t want to espouse being shallow or lying to yourself.  If you repel everyone in your workplace or social life, and nobody wants anything to do with you, there’s little point in declaring “people love me and are attracted to me”.  Such dishonesty with oneself will hardly help.  We need to be honest with ourselves, yet have the right interpretation about  who you are, what your relationship to the world is, and what you expect to unfold in your future.  This is the point of focus where positive thinking is critical.

I heard a story from a great man once.  A traveller on a long journey decided to rest in the shade under a tree.  He didn’t realize it at first, but this was no ordinary tree, but rather a magical wish-fulfilling tree.  It granted desires to anyone who sat under it.

The man was resting, about ready to doze off, when he thought to himself: I feel thirsty from the heat.  I wish I had some water.  Then, poof!   A beautiful glass of clean water appeared before him.  He drank it and felt instantly better.

Next he said to himself, I’m hungry.  I wish I had some food.  Poof, a beautiful banquet of fruit, cheese, rice and other delicious foods appeared before him.

“I wish I had a wife so I wouldn’t feel so lonely”.  Poof – a beautiful and enchanting woman appeared, totally in love with him.

Next he wished for a house, a car, a cottage on the lake.  Nothing was off limits.  It all appeared before him magically.

Feeling amazed and fantastic, he leaned back against the trunk of the tree and marvelled at his new life.  A moment passed, and then suddenly he thought “I hope a tiger doesn’t come and eat me up.”

Poof – a tiger suddenly appeared, and ate him up. 

You can see the moral of the story:  What you think has creative power, be it desirable or undesirable.   Hence the critical important of thinking positively, or more accurately, envisioning the unfolding of your life they way you want it to happen, and correctly interpreting the meaning, or non-meaning of what you see and what you experience in your life.

You have to remember that everything – every single thing – is part of the universe’s plan, neatly fitting into its unfailable intention for you and your life.  So how should you react if  something “bad” happens to you?  Let’s say you miss the bus, and realize you’re going to be late for work.  You’ve already been late twice this week and it’s not going to look very good in the eyes of your boss.  The interpretation of the event should not be doom and gloom, or fear.  Nor do you want to lie to yourself and say “I’m glad I missed this bus”.

Rather, understand it is part of the plan.  This is the way it had to happen.  There is some good in this that you may not understand.  You need not understand why it is good, but you should understand that it is good.  Perhaps you are learning a necessary lesson that will help you later in life.  A learning experience is a very positive event .  “Next time and every day forward, I will leave the house 10 minutes earlier.”  Your life just improved.

Or perhaps there is some other reason.  There might have been a bully or a thief on that bus who would have targeted you.  Again, you don’t have to know – but you should absolutely trust and believe that the universe is looking after you, and in its infinite wisdom and power that is connected to all worldly events, it made the event happen this way, because it was best for you.

Now some people might see this as a gullible, self-deceptive or foolish approach.  But those people will not benefit from the event, nor will their life improve from it.  Those who correctly view the event in the context of the universe’s interconnectedness and its desired well-being for you, will benefit from the event, in ways that may not be understood at the time by the subject of the event.

What does the universe intend for you?  It intends to produce a result that reflects your inner belief and inner intention.  And it will succeed.  As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.  This is the eternal truth of human life.

Yes, your thoughts create your world.  If you calmly and closely examine your life today, you can see that it is the result of your past thinking.  Your daily routine, the place you live, and the experiences you have, were on some level, envisioned by you in the past.  That envisioning then, has caused you to be where you are now.

Once this connection between thinking and your physical world existence is realized, it becomes clear what an immensely important responsibility it is to envision your life the way you want it.  As you see it today, it will become tomorrow. 

Therefore take great care with your thoughts.  If a negative thought arises, calmly correct it to yourself.  Don’t wrestle with it – just correct it, and let the negative or fear-based thinking dissipate in its own time.  The chatter of the mind may not cooperate, but that’s okay.  In the core of your being, take the desired position, and understand.  That’s all you need to do.