I never considered used positive thinking. Instead, I always considered myself a realist. But that eventually changed for me when I joined a MLM [multi-level marketing] company. I won’t name which one, because they’re all similar in relation to mindset, but joining one truly changed me.
When I joined, I learned what personal development even meant. Yes, I had never heard the term before. I started reading books and listening to podcasts. They all kind of said he same thing but in different ways – “Believe in yourself!”, “Start taking care of YOU!” and “You’ve got this!”. I eventually found a few favorites…
Beneficial Books
- You are a Badass by Jen Sincerohttps://a.co/d/eEHP7Ik
- The Universe Has Your Back by Gabby Bernstein [More on this in a second!]
Positive Thinking Podcasts
- The Mel Robbins podcast
- The Rachel Hollis podcast
- We Can Do Hard Things
These weren’t my only favorites but they were game changers for me. Mainly because the authors or speakers kept it real! There was no BS, there was no sugar coating… They told it like it was. In The Universe Has Your Back, Gabby Bernstein talked about this thing she practiced. She called it The Holy Instant. I’ve mentioned it before, but basically it’s when you have a negative thought come into your head, you flip it to a positive one. I started practicing this and man, did I see results quick! I started to see the positivity and really did believe the Universe did have my back. Whether it’s a guardian angel or just dumb luck, it didn’t matter.
Reading these books and listening to these podcasts showed me what negative thinking did to us. It seeps in like a germ and takes over everything. Negative thinking is insidious. When we’re stick and believe we’re sick, we stay ill for much longer. The same happens when we believe we can’t do something because we just don’t even try. These resources did more than just help me see what negativity does to us. It helped me realize how positive thinking can propel us forward too.
Where to Start with Positive Thinking
Easy. As with anything, start small. Chose one thing to change every day and make it a habit. The Holy Instant would be a great thing to start with. It’s simple, you don’t need any tools and you can do it without anyone else knowing. This is how I started and saying it was a game changer would be an understatement.
The other thing to do is start to journal. No, I’m not a journaler myself, but I do have two that I use regularly.
- Blue Book – This is the journal I use every time I need to spew negative thoughts. Think of it like venting to your best friend. I write all those negative thoughts on paper and get them out of my head so I can continue thinking positively.
- You Can Do It Journal – This is the opposite. It’s a book where I write down everything I’ve ever done that I never thought I could do. Some of the things in there are about giving a talk on inflammation at the library, starting a business and playing soccer in my 30s. This is the type of journal you’ll refer back to over and over.
Regardless of you choose to start with, just start. Your brain and your body will thank you later.