One of the ways I've been working on myself in the pursuit of Being Happy is to change negative thoughts into positive thoughts. I'm sure this is not an issue for most people, but for me it is a difficult thing to do. I can't tell you why I have a tendency to focus on the negative. Or, why the glass is usually half empty for me, but it is. I haven't always seen this trait of mine as a negative. I used to think this trait helped me find all the mistakes or flaws in a person, situation, or myself and gave me the opportunity to fix them. Over the years I've found this tendency of mine to find the flaws or to be suspicious of the intentions people have is hurting me and reinforcing a negative view of the world. This negative view of the world and the people in it makes Being Happy harder than it needs to be. I want to change this about myself. I want to see the positive in people. I want to see the positive in situations. I want to Be A More Positive Person.
How is this accomplished?
After much conversation with professionals in the mental health biz I have learned that positive thinking is a choice. This is so surprising to me. I did not realize we can choose our thoughts. I just thought thoughts happened. I have learned to notice when I have a negative thought, I can take that thought and turn it into a positive thought.
Now, this is not going to be as easy as it sounds. In my pursuit of Happy Thoughts I decided to jot down the positive thought that is the opposite of any negative thought I may have while I was working on my blog. Hey, it's a start. This, I hope, will help you understand the randomness of the Happy Thoughts.
This is a brand new concept for me, so you will have to cut me some slack in this area. I've been Debbie Downer for 53 years. Change isn't going to happen overnight. But, let me tell you something that happened to me the other day. I had a brief chat with a woman that works in my building about a conversation I had just had with a new VP in my building. My take on the convo was to be suspicious. This VP had just asked me what I did over my Christmas break. Did I have family come to visit? Where did my family live? Am I close with them? My brain was spinning. What did that person want from me? What was she trying to get from me? what what what? When I spoke to my friend, she said the
Most Amazing Thing.
She said the convo about my personal life was most likely an opportunity to get to know me better. Most likely because we had gotten off on the wrong foot when she first started working in our building. I was shocked. This thought had not and would not in a million years have occurred to me. This woman was just trying to be friendly. What a concept.Being friendly...Seeing the positive in a situation...Turning my negative thoughts about people and situations into positive thoughts. I Can Do This.
I hope this explains the Happy Thoughts tab.
Hi, I blog hopped from Farmgirl Paints. I saw your comment and liked your blog title! I think your idea to write down a positive thought for every negative one is a great idea!! And YES, you can do it!! We are in control of how and what we think so we can learn (in time) to change (for the better) and to even make the changes habitual. God bless you in this!
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