On a recent run, I listened to a fascinating book by Jon Gordon. That book was The Positive Dog.
Gordon shared the story a young dog who had been unadoptable at the pound. And he thought that he was going to be there the rest of his life.
Then, one day, an old, wise dog named Bubba stepped into his life. He shared with him the wisdom of thinking positive and how it could change lives.
The book was a fun, short story about the power of positive thinking. It also got me thinking about my thoughts and whether I was thinking positively.
The truth is that I haven’t been thinking positive thoughts lately. I’d been pretty negative.
That needs to change. So, I’m remembering what happens when you begin to have positive thoughts.
Ways Positive Thinking Changes Your Life
Thinking positively has a lot of impact on the way we live our lives. From the timid actions we take when we’re scared, to the confident steps we take when we believe there’s good out there, we are impacted by the way we think.
Here are 4 ways positive thinking will change your life.
1. You become happier: Maybe this one should be last but I want to put it first because it’s so important.
Negative thinking kills our happiness. When we have negative thoughts, we are focusing on what’s going wrong (or what could go wrong).
This makes us overly cautious in what we do. We’re always scared. And we’re always watching out for ourselves.
Positive thinking changes the way we react to situations. We begin to look on the bright side.
We no longer think the world is out to get us. Instead, we believe there is happiness and joy in the world.
Positive thinking changes our lives by making us happier.
2. You see new opportunities: Having a cynical outlook on life clouds our minds from seeing the exciting possibilities the world offers us.
From new jobs to meaningful relationships to entrepreneurial endeavors, having a positive outlook on life allows us to more easily step into these opportunities.
You see good. You see possibilities. You see the chance to do something great.
Positive thinking allows us to see opportunities we may have overlooked when you were negative.
3. You have a better attitude: One of the things I enjoyed in The Positive Dog was how much the attitude of the once-negative dog changed.
He went from being a yappy, rude pup to an outstanding example of what a dog should be.
With the changes to his attitude, he saw his life change for the better.
Other dogs wanted to be around him, potential adopters were no longer frightened by him, and he felt better.
Who wouldn’t want to have a better attitude? I know I do.
Remember, positive thinking changes our attitude for the better.
4. You have less stress: Last, but not least, positive thinking changes your stress levels.
This is even backed up by research. In 2008, Andrews and Colleagues conducted scientific research that revealed lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol when they had positive thoughts.
Can you believe that? Your life can be less stressful if you change how you think!
Positive thinking will help you live a less stressful life.
When we change our thinking, we can change our lives.
There are a lot of benefits from thinking positively. You will be happier, see new opportunities, have a better attitude, and have a less stressful life.
Who wouldn’t want that?
Question: How are you thinking more positively? Can you share one or two tips with other readers in the comment section below?
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.