How to Start With Positive Thinking

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How to start thinking positively?

You've certainly heard of the power of positive thinking. Many people try  to adopt positive attitude after they've heard of the possible benefits - who wouldn't want to become rich, thin and desirable by just "thinking"? The beginning might be trickier than you'd think, if you don't know where to start. Many can get disappointed by their own lack of willpower, or they lose motivation, o see no results and quit prematurely. It wouldn't happen if you could get results instantly, would it?

This article describes one simple mind trick that will make you see positive results in minutes (it's also free).

It will become your first easy step into the practice of positive thinking (or, the law of attraction, as they call it these days). It will also give you proof that positive thinking works, and, as a result, motivation.

No more staring at the ceiling trying to imagine lillies all day long. No more writing "I will be a pop star" or "I am rich" countless times until your hand falls off. No more mumbling under your breath "I am beautiful" while standing in line, wondering when the damn mantra is going to work, until you catch curious glances other people cast at you.

Of course, many of these things also work marvelously - but to really get it, you gotta start from small. And to really believe it, you gotta see results. In minutes. As promised.

How's your positive thinking? 

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First exercise: you can try it at once 

Look around yourself, wherever you are.
See the ugliness of the location. If there's little or none, find it. You can, can't you? There must be something ugly (unpleasant to the eye) about the place you're in. Find the ugliest part or object.

Now. Look around again. See the beauty of the place. If you can see little or no beauty at first, find it. Look for it. You can, can't you?
Now look at the ugliest part of the whole place. Find the beauty in it. There must be something beautiful about it. Ridiculous? Oh no. Look again until you see it.




There. Did it work? Now on to bigger things.

Second exercise: when you go outside 

Go out in the street. See all the ugly people you pass in the street. No, really. Nobody is really, and I mean for real, magazine-cover beautiful. Even if you meet a supermodel, there's a great chance she won't be wearing perfect makeup and standing in perfect lighting just-so.
Even if you live in Hollywood and chance upon a photo-shoot right outside your door: look at the ugly way the model is standing, or laughing, or squinting, or whatever. See?

I knew you could do it.

Second exercise part 2: go outside again 

After you've spent the whole day (or a month, or a year, or maybe your whole life; I spent no less than 10 years of my life looking at ugly people myself) looking at uglies, go outside again.
Now see the beauty in everyone. And I mean everyone. If you can't find the beauty in a fat red-faced lady, be creative about it. Find some curve or some lighting, or the smile, or maybe the shine of her hair, hell, the shine of her pants. Whatever works. See the beauty? Photograph it with your inner eye and move on.

Yeah, I know it sounds banal. "See the beauty in everyone". You've certainly heard it before, only a million times maybe. But it works - in minutes. Right after you try it, you see beautiful people wherever you look. Cool, isn't it?

It's only banal because everyone's granny been saying it for ages. What you have to discover here, is that they only keep saying it because it works. This is a legitimate starting position to controlling your awareness. Once you master this banal simplicity, you can move on to more complex or more original methods.

So that's the beginning of positive thinking.

Let's see what's next.

Third exercise: find the positive in something not-so-nice 

Now train yourself.
See the romantic in rain, the uplifting in direct sunlight, the nostalgic in dust, the mystic in pollution, the warm in overweight... You name it.

Seriously. Watch for anything you don't usually like. Notice it. Look for the good part. Savor it. Move on to look for more.

Take as much or as little time for this training, but notice this: whenever you start looking for the good part, you find it in minutes. In anything.

That's because you're so good at searching, when you set your mind on it.

The Trick 


 It's training. Not constant, or extensive, or intense. Just, when you notice yourself slipping in optimism or belief, do some exercising. Notice some small things, achieve some slight but pleasant results. Just enough to bring you back on track.

This is how you train your positive thinking muscle: look for the bright side, until you find something pretty to look at, something pleasant to enjoy in whatever you're doing, something promising in your situation that you could use to your advantage.

The best part of this exercise is that it will make you feel better. Instantly.

Looking for the bright side 

That's right. Look for the bright side, not at it.
Even if you think you've found it, keep looking. There's always more to find.

Even if there seems to be no bright side (that's why "look at the bright side" never seems to work), keep looking for it. Surely you'll find something, however small, to make you that little bit happier, more satisfied, successful or optimistic.

In comparison to big positive results the small ones do look, you know, small. But they make up for it by being plentiful. So don't turn off the radar too soon.

What do we learn from this? 

It's easier for your brain to look for one type of thing at the same time, whether you're looking for mushrooms in the woods, lost socks in your room, flaws in your neighbor's behavior, or just something nice to say about your surroundings.

When your brain is busy looking for the positive, you stop noticing everything else (that is, the negative), thus making your world become absolutely positive - even if for a few minutes.
Although practice shows that positive attitude, once gained in this way, usually lasts a while, and getting it back becomes easier with each try.

Thus you can see that any such positive touch to your world is more powerful than it at first seems.

Other ways to get positive 

More pages on thinking and positivity in general

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Reading some happy stories about positive thinking is motivating, so do that, too.
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Are you enjoying the positive thinking exercise? 

I'm still adding things to this lens, but the main trick is already there. Just keep up your training and check again for new tips!
And please let me know how it's working out for you this far.

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Use it on your partner 

Try to notice new positive things about your husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend or other significant person in your life.
Practice it every day. Make sure you notice ways and opportunities to improve your relationship.
It will make you feel better about your relationship.
Added benefit: if you mention the discovered positive traits to the person you've been watching, it will work as compliments and improve the atmosphere. Also, the compliments might even encourage your partner to emphasize on them, and improve themselves more (because everyone wants more compliments).
Another tip: if your partner starts doing the same (if you e-mail this article to them, for example), it will start working both ways. Great spirits and goodwill all around!