TOW: Positive Thinking

Today's thought is brought to you by the power of positive thinking! 

Or at least it would be, if I believed in such a thing.

I consider myself an optimist, but I wouldn't call myself a 'positive thinker.'  Indeed, I think most of my thoughts are gloomy and concerned with worst case scenarios.  Perhaps that's why, today, I feel the need to discuss the power, importance, and mythos associated with positive thinking.

Positive thinking is something probably coined by Tony Robbins, who has always been a proponent of positivity and the power that it has on the brain.   For positive thinkers, "A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health, and favorable results."

Baloney.

Positive thinking is a lot of what I have had to deal with over the last couple weeks, and I have been trying to figure out whether it could be incorporated into my life in an authentic way.   After spending some time with it, I can definitely say that it is not for me.  Here's why: 


1) Positive thinking does not solve life's problems.

Thinking something away, or even trying to put a positive spin on negative actions does not get to the root cause of a problems.  Real problems require real solutions....everything else is background noise to what you should be doing....namely facing your fears, confronting and diffusing conflicts, etc.


2) Positive thinking ignores the facts/reality

You can't wish away cancer, baldness, and other things that most people wish to avoid.  You can put a positive spin on things you detest and hate, but that doesn't make you love them.  You can't trick yourself into being someone else who likes and dislikes different things than you.  You are who you are, good and bad.  You are not a happiness robot.


3)  Positive thinking doesn't have a plan

Looking towards the future doesn't address the problems of the past, nor complete this moment we're in, which leads to the future.  Thinking well about things doesn't make us come up with good ideas.   In fact, pride, or hubris, as psychology has often proven, is a good way to fail.  We cannot become good at what we do and we certainly can't plan a strategy unless we take a problem seriously.  Positive thinking is about reducing what you feel, not facing it.

I do believe I'm an optimist...and most days, I think I'm an incredibly lucky and happy person.  But that has nothing to do with my circumstances...those are separate from a kind of inner peace that takes time to develop.  Circumstances are things which require an incredibly large amount of reality to be looked at, considered, and cared for.  And those things require a certain sense of realism, and negativity.  This negativity helps us cope, understand, and move on.  Obliquely ignoring what bothers us can work for a time, but can never help us grow.

And I have (and I hope I always will be) interested in the grow of my self and being.