Positive thinking is a discipline that trains the human mind to change a perceived reality by repeatedly making positive mental statements. A person practices positive thinking when they derive a positive sense of well being, optimism, belonging, meaning and/or purpose from being part of and contributing back to something larger and more permanent than themselves. Positive thinking is a process of choosing positive emotions from stimuli in the environment and applying them to perceptions and beliefs.  The objective is to create an outlook that translates into a new or better chosen reality.

Positive Mental Attitudes

A positive mental attitude is the belief that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes.  A positive attitude comes from observational learning in the environment and is partially achieved when a vision of good natured change in the mind is applied toward people, circumstances, events, or behaviors (Wikipedia). Since it is difficult to quantify (measure) the effects of a positive mental attitude, it can be considered a philosophy and a way to approach life.

The Secret to Positive Thinking
  
Creating reality by how one chooses to think about life, health, relationships, and finances was the subject of the hit movie “The Secret.” Current self-help gurus discussed the Law of Attraction and other principles congruent with positive thinking.  Building a positive mindset that attracted better circumstances in one’s life involved: (1) alignment to a clear vision of what is desired, (2) an attitude of thankfulness, (3) having positive emotions associated with the desire, and (4) releasing that desire to a greater power.   

The experts in “The Secret” emphasized an individual’s responsibility to create and institute positive mental programming and present moment awareness to release emotional drivers that cloud a person’s ability to have a productive life.  Regret, shame, and blame and a negative outlook on life focused on past circumstances can also be fundamental cause of physical disease in adults. Similarly, physical healing can be obtained creating a self-made vision.  Demonstrating a healthy life with positive outcomes involves setting an intention, consciously creating a mental attitude of positive expectation, and conditioning the mind to accept navigate through grief, loss, anger with ease or choosing to eliminate those mental attitudes altogether.

Create Positive Thoughts by Using Affirmations

The technique of writing and repeating affirmations has been said to institute a positive mental attitude resulting in measurable change.  An affirmation is a positive, present day statement that assumes what one declares is real and present.  The more an affirmation is practiced, the mind has a greater the level of acceptance of that thought. Positive thinking experts, such as Louise Hay, Michael Beckwith, James Arthur Ray, Catherine Ponder, Norman Vincent Peale, Napoleon Hill, and John Randolph Price advocated the use of affirmations to both reprogram the brain by repetition and maintaining present moment centeredness. The desired result is to manifest new and positive circumstances.

Since an affirmation declares one’s state of mind and expectation, it acknowledges to the mind and body a present-day reality.  An example of an affirmation is the following: “I am filled with wonder and I now manifest prosperity and abundance in every aspect of my life. I use the creative genius of the universe in all I do. I am successful, healthy, and live life well. This day I have the power to change myself.” 

Affirmations are a spiritual idea, and non-quantitative.  They are based upon “as within, so without, as above so below” which is an idea, or universal presented in many religious works, including the Bible.  If thought attracts, or resonates, with like energies, than any individual practicing positive thinking can eventually see results externally in the form of a better job, more loving relationships, or even satisfying experiences.

For a more complete definition on positive thinking, see The Evolution of Positive Thinking: Views from Science, Spirituality, Psychology and Hollywood by Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.

Surviving a family get-together may seem insurmountable, especially when considering the complex history that goes along with relationships, marriages, divorces, births, and other family happenstance.  Making any family gathering a positive experience takes mental discipline and effort in managing our emotions until they can run smoothly on automatic. Here’s how to walk away feeling positive from holidays, weddings, and Sunday dinners:

Know your flash points

Before you agree to host, or be a guest, know the three biggest flash points that can set off an unexpected tirade of old emotional baggage and unpleasant memories.  Entertaining, and being the host, is the number one stressor that can set off unpleasant family issues.  Compounded with already full schedules, we feel obligated to be perfect hosts for our families who might not even appreciate our efforts.  Your home is your energy sphere.  When you believe your hospitality is a demonstration of who you are, you have nothing to prove or hide.  Release anxiety and worry about inviting critical family members over by knowing your presence, and contribution, are gifts to those around you.

Unrealistic expectations are another common flash point.  When we carry outdated mental and emotional baggage from the past, life events, circumstances, and old relationships from long ago, we also bring a set of expectations along for the ride.  Sometimes, no matter what family members do, they may always seem ungrateful.  Stay centered!  Even though you may not receive thanks from anyone, you are stronger for being generous.  Give with a happy heart and focus on releasing resentment from the past.  Your true thanks are manifested in other ways not readily seen. Nobody liked your gift?  Thank yourself for being the amazing person you are…and cross that grump of your list for next year!

Being the maverick of the family, or the one who has always walked off the beaten path, can make you overly sensitive at family get-togethers.  When we choose a different life than our parents, are not liked by other established family members, or are the new kid on the block that doesn’t fit the mold, we feel ostracized and go through the motions, often with a bad attitude.  Remember, others perceive you the way you perceive yourself.  Love your unique space and stop making apologies.  Be kind to everyone. Know you fit beautifully in this world and are valuable to everyone on the planet – including your family! When you believe you fit perfectly into a space that has been designed exclusively for you, you’ll no longer accept any stigma or negative labels others may place upon you.

Check your state of mind

Each day we have an opportunity to choose our attitude and focus our intentions on the present moment.  Because of this choice, our own personal lives, and all we observe in the world, originate within the mind.  Living without stress first originates within the mind! As within, so without.  As above, so below.  It’s easy.  Begin by being consciously aware of what you want to create, even if grouchy Grandpa seems to set the tone for the gathering or Cousin Martha comes for dinner… and complains about everything!

Focus on today

Our families provide some of the most challenging circumstances we will ever experience.  Since family dynamics make us intimate with a situation, it is difficult to separate the past from the present.  Find joy in what others bring to the table, even if Aunt Edna doesn’t like the menu.  Take a deep breath, stay centered, and keep moving forward!

See the big picture often

Use affirmations to get your positive thinking on course.  Affirm: “In the universal perspective, today is but a blink in time.  Therefore, I move gracefully through these moments with ease.  I offer others my heart without depleting my energy reserves.” Other people’s unhappiness is not all about you!

When in doubt, tune out

For difficult in-laws, I have found these two affirmations to be particularly helpful:

“From this day forward, I focus on what is important and not what others expect me to do.  I am capable of using my tune-out button when a negative situation arises.  I am centered, whole, and happy, and I celebrate life well!”

“From this day forward, I choose to never compromise my beautiful soul for the sake of fitting into a program.  I ask for divine assistance in bringing my light in positive ways to this family.  I am a whole and complete individual and am comfortable in my uniqueness.  I love myself and lovingly express who I am, knowing my presence is a gift to everyone in this family.”

Check your old family baggage at the door, stay in the present moment, and never compromise yourself.  Positive thinking means “being centered” in who you are!  And ride the bumps with good humor. Use your time well, rely upon your Source, and have patience!

© The Goddess Network, Inc. and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.  2007.  All Rights Reserved.  See http://www.thegoddessnetwork.com/connect.php?page=eshow for more empowering thoughts on life-balance! Register for The E-Show, a series of enlightening lectures!

Everyone is born with a basic desire to illuminate the world with a unique capability. Our true occupation is to remember our spirit, and to re-embrace who we are at the deepest level possible and bring it on, regularly refueling as we go. The challenge on the horizon is to fuse spirit into organizational life as an expression of our divine essence, and allow work to become a more complete expression of who we are.

What’s Real Success?
 
Real success today translates into work that is an articulation of our true gifts and a deeply held value set that respects humanity.  Calling the shots as our own spiritual entrepreneurs in self-employed scenarios and home-based businesses means reciting the new management mantra: look inside to your Source for your success.  Rely upon what you already know.  Make more intuitive decisions. Lead with love.  And when we get in tune with those thoughts, and allow them to become the foundation for business, we’ll become more than a channel for everyone’s abundance.  We’ll be come icons of personal growth, serve the world a huge helping of Spirit, and encourage others to do the same. 

Women already own this everyday spirituality, which is a philosophy and a distinctly feminine set of values developed through the art of living and common sense and not necessarily as a function of dogma. As more women-owned businesses propel the nation’s economy, we’ve got to embrace what make women great at the work they do. As female swiftly coaxes in millions in revenue, there something our flipside gender needs to recognize about our success formula:  we are running things like we run the home front, embracing female values of nurturing, compassion, and rotating leadership. We’re putting aside our warrior spirit once in awhile in favor of channeling the goddess within. And it’s quickly pushing us way ahead of the curve, in terms of profitability.  Yes, women are empowering the economy and becoming a force to be reckoned with in the boardroom, whether in a corporate corner office or in the direct sales corner of home.  What have we learned lately that might be uniquely feminine about abundance and opportunity?

Harnessing Female Capabilities: Spirit Power

Since Henry Mintzberg’s observations in his 1973 diary studies of executives, management styles have drastically changed. Old ways, as well as the old boys’ network, have steadily been dismantled in favor of organizational structures that encompass more female-friendly policies and ideas, with the idea of empowering the female through equal opportunity and culture change. Throughout this process, women stumbled on the rocky road to empowerment, adapting to public and private realms still encumbered by unspoken, old-fashioned and traditionally bureaucratic parameters. Women slid into the workforce in a fairly male-dominated environment and believed they needed to adapt. They thought that by managing exactly like men, they would attract power.

But now, as a body of research is developing, we’re learning that we were barking up the wrong tree. Our own woman culture, our entire system of shared meaning and knowledge, is intact. After thirty years we have learned that self-power or empowerment does not happen by riding on the top of the hierarchical heap as a pseudo-man. It doesn’t even come from manpower disguised as womanpower. It comes from a sense of appreciating and knowing at the deepest level possible that we are truly worthy because we are an image of the highest power that exists.

We are beginning to realize that what constitutes our beingness is as divine as what constitutes a man’s, because we are the same soul substance. Although we love God, and we are God, we are also the Goddess. And we’re beginning to love ourselves for who we are, which includes both aspects of a divine equation, because self-love is about demonstrating that which is within, our spiritual power. Female qualities and values that are precipitated from this spiritual composite will someday be demonstrated at the highest levels of organizations with great success. However, for now it seems we must first be more comfortable in our own skin and acknowledge at last that what we contribute has tremendous significance, to society as well as to the bottom line. 

The New (and Old) Female Work Style

The changing workplace is experienced by everyone, and we see a distinctly different female work style emerging. Women focus more energy on strengthening relationships, are concerned about the wider needs of their community, don’t care as much as men about the workings of a hierarchy, and certainly see themselves as the center of the web. Is it any wonder? When I first read the research on female-led organizations, describing how women managers are redefining their workplaces with these values in dramatically successful ways, it occurred to me that we are simply rediscovering what we already know: women are beginning to honor their own spiritual composite by no longer needing to see themselves within the corset of old male management structures and philosophies that held them captive for so long. They are transferring what they do well into tangible results, in the form of high profits and customer satisfaction. They are beginning to harness their own capabilities, finding a voice that is true to their calling, and defining a multitude of home-based business that fills a societal need. And here’s the exciting part: today’s women have the capacity to transform the world by making wider changes because they are assuming roles of substantial authority.

As researchers are tackling the subject of women in the workforce, some interesting results are taking shape: feminine leadership styles and values as well as the ancient women’s way of knowing (our intuitive side) are positive features finally being revived in a new management equation: a woman’s way of doing things equals profitable organizations with happier employees. Women believe that people are more productive when they feel good about themselves. Among our inventory of assets: a focus on unity, relatedness, earth, compassion, and intuition. A celebration is in order – our emotional side is finally recognized as a good thing.

Our contemporary common sense tells us that women are not meant to be silent, obedient models of a passive principle; they are pure energy in the flesh, a symbol of the cycle of life, empowered by individual purpose. Women facilitate the web of life through many channels of power and wisdom. They are among the most authoritative and powerful vehicles of transformation through which community happens. They are capable of transferring this power to others to do the same, with great passion, as spiritual or business leaders in any organizational setting, including the family. Our proven track record needs to be told again when we lose sight of the big picture.

Empowered Female

Women have always viewed themselves as the center of the web, as they are the conduits for life and generally have a deep, spiritual connection to it, not just through children and families but in all organic matter, because we know what it feels like to generate and facilitate the life-giving principle. We are life-givers because there is female in everything. And when life itself is abused in our business practices, the environment, relationships, children, or even pets, we feel it down to the depths of our soul. We are committed to keeping it going in all venues because that’s been our job since the beginning. Yes, there’s a reason we blubber at movies. We’re the sensitive, self-appointed caretakers of the universe and the new community glue for organizations.

As men and women revisit the feminine side of our spiritual composite, we will re-embrace the masculine principle in a more balanced fashion. The result will be the institution of a set of values that correspond to who we are and what we do well. If we allow it, our feminine side will begin to reconceptualize leadership roles, in any business venue, that include affirming, dynamic views of our self-development process. Work will be viewed as a unique service to the larger community. This will be done through new policies we set, reflected in our decision styles, and by outlining the long-term objectives of what our organizations need to accomplish in order to make sense from the act of working.

At a very deep level, the glorious aspects that make up the yin side of us are our core competency – and we’re seeing evidence that harnessing those energies in ways that assist one another in our spiritual evolution can make us better in our work. In the future, knowing how we co-create with spirit, and align with such values, will become the mission and vision for organizations that will finally permit everyone, not just women, to fabricate meaning from doing.

© The Goddess Network, Inc. and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.  2007.  All Rights Reserved.  See http://www.thegoddessnetwork.com/connect.php?page=eshow for more empowering thoughts on the workplace! Register for The E-Show, a series of enlightening lectures!

Living in a continual state of thankfulness allows us to manage life with ease.  True thankfulness is holding a state of gratitude for life’s learning opportunities and for Spirit being present to get them to sink in.  How can we build more gratitude into our spiritual skill set, in ways that help us navigate through daily complexity?

Yes, You Can Cope.  Affirm it!

First, learn to affirm your innate ability to cope.  For example:

• I can do anything I set my mind to
• I am strong enough to withstand any criticism that comes my way
• I navigate through this course with ease
• I have the ability to see this situation through because I believe in myself
• I live through this day effortlessly
• I help people wherever I go by being an example of strength and wisdom
• I feel on top of the world with spirit, who knows no boundary
• I’m smart, competent, and wise

Remember You are Unlimited, Divine Spirit

Affirm that Spirit is a part of each day and every circumstance, and invite it to become part of your skill set, in whatever manner that feels right to you:

• I rely upon Mother/Father God to help mange this situation
• I feel content knowing spirit helps to choose what is best for me
• God can tackle this situation and work through me
• I channel divine love to aid in this situation
• With each breath I take, I am blessed and supported by a higher power
• The Goddess gives me healing power for this situation
• I am expressing the light of Christ consciousness with every word I speak
• I am supported by the universe

Widen Your Perspective on Deep Appreciation

The third and most certain way to manage complexity is to live in a state of deep appreciation for all you have.   But how can we be thankful for traffic jams, lousy weather, lost dogs, and missing luggage?  The answer is: widen your perspective.  Being thankful extends beyond the thanking we do for material possessions, job security, or life accomplishments, which is easy.  A thankful state of mind and heart pertains to the continual acknowledgment that, in each and every instance you experience something far less than ideal, the experience is for your greater good. In doing so, you are relying on your higher power, and strengthening your connection to the Divine.  For example:

• I am grateful for this opportunity to learn more about my capabilities
• I thank the universe for showing me this situation so I can be more compassionate toward others
• I appreciate all the beautiful parts of my body because I am a wondrous creation
• I welcome this challenge in my life and am thankful I can inspire others
• Because of the family I have chosen, I am thankful to be even stronger than yesterday
• I receive all my good with a thankful heart and rejoice in my blessings
• My difficulties today allow me to cultivate wisdom.  I am a wise soul!

Adopting this type of thankfulness puts you in the Superbowl of big picture thinking. You are not thanking the universe for giving you a bad circumstance, which will only generate more bad happenings. Instead, you are flourishing in a state of complete appreciation for what life has to offer.

Use the Law of Attraction

Don’t you always feel more inclined to give more to someone when they are enthusiastic and appreciative?  Consider the times you have helped someone and have been overwhelmed with thanks.  Didn’t it make you want to give more?  Like does attract like, unlike what you’ve been told in the past. Although at a sub-atomic level, positively and negatively charged particles are attracted to particles with the opposite sign, and repelled by particles with the same sign, it’s not a good model for our own behavior and attitudes. This theory of the electromagnetic force does not account for the state of the heart.   The truth is that Like Attracts Like which is the Law of Attraction.  So put it to work!

If you want to be a person that is appreciated then continue to give unselfishly, thanking others for all they do.  The same is true with the universe.  Life provides exactly what we continue to acknowledge. You’ve got to learn to love life, be in love with life, at an intimate level.  Anytime we acknowledge life is good, we are entering a state of gratitude.  Be thankful you have an opportunity to challenge yourself.

Practice to Get the Energy to Return to You
 
Practice!  Write thanks to yourself, and to others, on a regular basis.  Wherever you go, show up with a compliment.  When you visit someone, bring something positive in the form of affection or caring.  Tell your friends how much you appreciate their sense of humor or their graciousness and never assume they don’t need to be thanked.  Write thank you notes for dinners, gifts, and prospects you receive from all people in your life – your family, your partner, your children, and your business colleagues. When people receive your thanks, especially in written form, they take a little bit of your spirit throughout the day.  Quit procrastinating and learn to get the words out of yourself.  Once you learn how to do that, you will be amazed how that energy comes back to you.

Living in a continual state of thanks for being alive and well, and having a chance to improve the lives of others through your words and actions, turns negative situations around very quickly.  By allowing life to happen through you, you offer your own unique thumbprint of the Divine.  That is called living with joy.  Thankfulness of the present is an element of almost every affirmation.  Live in a continual state of thankfulness, express it in your words and actions, and you will be among the most endeared people on this planet. Without a thankful mind set, we do not nearly have as great an opportunity to explore the limits of our patience and our capabilities as loving individuals.

© The Goddess Network, Inc. and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.  2007.  All Rights Reserved.  See http://www.thegoddessnetwork.com/connect.php?page=eshow for more empowering thoughts on Gratitude! Register for The E-Show, a series of enlightening lectures!
 

Living in a continual state of thankfulness is so important when managing life’s complexity. Isn’t it easy to get lost in the details of everyday living?  In-between thanking our Source for all the perks in life, remember that true thankfulness is gratitude for life’s learning opportunities and for Spirit being present to get the lesson to sink in. But sometimes it’s tough to rise knowing that each circumstance we encounter is meant to keep us learning on our soul journey.  What can we do to increase our level of thankfulness, even when we are shaking off the last disappointment and want to move forward quickly?

Get Back to Basics

Everyone needs to widen their perspective on what to be thankful for.  Being thankful extends beyond the thanking we do at holiday dinners or for material possessions, job security or life accomplishments, which is easy.  A thankful state of heart and mind pertains to the continual acknowledgement that, in each and every instance when you experience something much less than ideal, the experience is for your greater good.  In doing so, you are relying upon your higher power, and strengthening your connection to Divine love. 

Change Your Energy Around Quickly

Let’s practice!  If you get temporarily down, let the universe know you acknowledge goodness because life provides us with exactly with what we continue to acknowledge. Say: 

I am grateful for this opportunity to learn more about my capabilities

I thank the universe for showing me this situation, so I can be more compassionate toward others

My difficulties today allow me to cultivate wisdom.  I am a wise soul!

I love being and not just doing.  My life is filled with gratitude and grace for this path I walk.

I am so happy and grateful that I have _____________ (come on, you fill in the blank!)

I am thankful for who I am because _________________ (name one thing you do well)

Slow Down and Have Perspective

In today’s world, we’ve taken “multi-tasking to new heights by attempting to be all things to all people.  We are living in a bullet-pointed society – we don’t have time for depth, long novels, and 25 page documents.  We need it in 3 minute sound bites. The next time you are consciously aware of operating in a “hyper-speed moment,” stop and breathe. If you’ve experienced a challenge less than optimal, remind yourself that all is well.  All is not lost.  The truth is nothing is lost in the mind of God.  And move your dial immediately to the gratitude channel.  When you are resonating with things you are thankful for, you are producing a vibrational quality where like attracts like.  The universe, in all its infinite wisdom will simply respond by giving you more of what you are thankful for.

Affirm Regularly

It’s important to recognize that you are capable and strong enough to handle your challenges. You are unlimited, Divine substance with the genius of the universe as your parent.  Remind yourself of that power often.  Let’s affirm together:

“I become stronger because of the challenges I face.  I am thankful for the opportunity to show others how to rise above everyday problems.  Each moment I am focused by spirit to do the work I was meant to do.  My heart is full of love and support of others who help me overcome.  I AM infinite wisdom.  I am capable, intelligent, strong and am thankful for what I can offer the world!”

Learn to love life.  Be in love with life at an intimate level.  Be a lover of life.  Anytime we acknowledge that life is good, we are entering a state of gratitude. Today, begin to live in a state of thanks for being alive and having the chance to improve the lives of others through your words and actions!

© The Goddess Network, Inc. and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.  2007.  All Rights Reserved.  See http://www.thegoddessnetwork.com/connect.php?page=eshow for more empowering thoughts on gratitude! Register for The E-Show, a series of enlightening lectures!