Does the Power of Positive Thinking Really Work?

Are you a pessimist or an optimist? Is the glass half empty or half full? These are questions that psychologist’s have pondered for decades. Even the definition of the word “positive” is hotly debated by many people.

I think most of us feel that, although certain aspects of our lives could be better, we are pretty lucky to live in the United States of America, and in the best place possible to take advantage of opportunities that are presented to us. So using that benchmark most of us would probably consider ourselves positive in our outlook.

Positively Un-Positive

We’ve all met people who seem to have a negative attitude about everything. Most of these people usually have an “in-law” somewhere in their title. I am pretty sure that not all mother’s were entirely happy to see me stroll into the living room on the arm of their daughters.

About 3 percent of the total population is never going to be happy, or satisfied, no matter what you do or how hard you try to improve that condition for them. As strange as it may sound these folks are only happy when they are unhappy.

How Does Positive Thinking Work?

Two of my favorite business books are, “The Magic of Thinking Big,” by David J. Schwartz and “You'll See It When You Believe It: The Way to Your Personal Transformation,” by Wayne W. Dyer. Both of these books ask you to see your business, life, marriage, or relationships, not as they are now, but as you would like them to be in the future.

They believe that until you clearly define, in your mind, what you want in vivid terms, you have little hope of ever reaching your dreams. Knowing what you want will keep you directed at the things you want to achieve in life. It’s like a map to a distant destination.

An airline pilot flying from New York to London can’t see his or her destination for 99.9 percent of the trip, yet somehow, the plane is able to land in London. Because the pilot knows all the things that have to be done to make a successful trip.

Some Final Thoughts

When I was in college, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. But I was pretty sure that I would wind up in some kind of business. So, I concentrated my efforts on business related classes.

Success in life is having a map to an unknown future. If you allow life to decide where you are going it’s probably going to be a very bumpy road. But if you build the road as you go it’s much smoother.

Is your glass half full or half empty? Only you can fill it to the top or empty it all out. Which sounds better?