We hear a lot of talk about the power of positive thinking, benefits of thinking positive, and the quest toward having a positive attitude. But what does it really mean in practice?
"Positive thinking" can be defined as making a choice to focus on the bright side of a given situation ... or, put another way, to see the cup as half full rather than half empty. Positive-thinking people dwell on the agreeable aspects of any situation. They minimize the unfavorable aspects and maximize the favorable components. Positive-thinking people often say things like, "At least we can be thankful that ..." or "We can deal with that by ..." In contrast, negative-thinking people tend to dwell on the unfavorable aspects of a situation. They may have trouble moving on from a setback and identifying and pursuing solutions.
We may have the attitude that challenges are simply unfortunate circumstances to overcome. But that attitude robs us of the opportunity to learn and grow from the experience of overcoming obstacles. For every conflict and challenge, consider how you can learn something useful from the situation.
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