BY: Amlan Roy chowdhuryPOSITIVE THINKING

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Positive Thinking, Your Key to Success

• Positive thinking is a mental attitude that admits into the mind thoughts, words and images that are conductive to growth, expansion and success. It is a mental attitude that expects good and favorable results. A positive mind anticipates happiness, joy, health and a successful outcome of every situation and action. Whatever the mind expects, it finds.

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  "Think positive!",• It is quite common to hear

people say: "Think positive!", to someone who feels down and worried. Most people do not take these words seriously, as they do not know what they really mean, or do not consider them as useful and effective. 

THE NEGATIVE THOUGHT• Many people have found that, when they tune in to their

internal dialogue, much of it is negative. Thoughts like, “I could never do that” and “What if I fail?” can seriously impact the way we behave. Stress, apparently associated with attachment to this negative internal dialogue, in turn, affects every aspect of our lives.

• When we are stressed, specific hormones circulate in the body. Released infrequently, these hormones are harmless, produced continuously, they are associated with serious damage. Cardiovascular disease is related in part to continuous bombardment of stress hormones and arterial damage caused by free radicals created in the process.

HOW DO WE? HOW CAN WE?

• Letting go of attachment to these negative thoughts and emotions is liberating. This is a process in itself that is well worth the effort. Very effective methods to help to place the mind at ease have been developed over thousands of years. Perhaps Meditation would benefit.

HOW TO THINK POSITIVE

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“ANTS”

SQUASH THE "ANTS"

                “When we direct our thoughts properly, we can control our emotions.” – W. Clement StoneIn his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life," Dr. Daniel Amen talks about "ANTs" – Automatic Negative Thoughts. These are the bad thoughts that are usually reactionary, like "Those people are laughing, they must be talking about me," or "The boss wants to see me? It must be bad!" or “my employees are whispering, they must be up to something mischievous.”When you notice these thoughts and realize that they are nothing more than ANTs; squash them

Positive thinking techniques• Take care of yourself.  As you begin to follow a healthier

lifestyle, you are giving yourself the message that you are worth taking care of.  Even if you’re not sure yet if you believe that, you’ll soon start to feel better physically, and that will help you feel more positive.  Exercise several times a week, eat healthy foods, and learn some relaxation techniques for when you need to take a stress break.

Positive Thinking Techniques• Surround yourself with positive

energy. 

Make sure that the people around you are optimistic in their outlooks.  Nothing is more contagious than negativity, so try to banish it in your environment.

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Positive thinking is contagious.

• People around you pick your

mental moods and are affected accordingly. Think about happiness, good health and success, and you will cause people to like you and desire to help you, because they enjoy the vibrations that a positive mind emits.

NEGATIVITY IS CONTAGIOUS• Nothing is more contagious

than negativity, so try to banish it in your environment.

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SPOT-CHECK YOUR ATTITUDE.    Several times a day, take a moment

to analyze what you’re thinking.  Are you being positive or negative?  If the latter, try to reframe the situation in more positive terms.  By becoming more self-conscious about your negativity, you’ll learn to curb it.

USE POSITIVE SELF-TALK.  • Encourage yourself by giving

yourself positive affirmations e.g., “I am a self-confident individual who has much to offer.”  Avoid the use of “could-a” and “should-a” messages to yourself. Change what you need to change, and try not to beat yourself up in the process.  Allow a little humor into your talk.  Laughing at yourself and at life does reduce stress.

Remind Yourself of the Things You Are Grateful For.•                 “Like success, failure is many things

to many people. With positive mental attitude, failure is a learning experience, a rung on the ladder, and a plateau at which to get your thoughts in order to prepare to try again.” – W. Clement Stone

Stresses and challenges don't seem quite as bad when you are constantly reminding yourself of the things that are right in life. Taking just 60 seconds a day to stop and appreciate the good things of life will make a huge difference. When you are down or on the verge of failure; close your eyes and remind yourself of intricate problems you have solved in the past. This action will boost your morale to face your challenges in business squarely. It’s called “drawing inspiration from your past exploits.”

FALURES ARE THE PILLARS OF SUCCESSI once failed in my 12th grade and my Father said, “ Don't worry son failures are the pillars of success” . I was immediately elevated to a positive mood and resolved to do better. But then I failed again and father said , Son will you keep building the pillars? Won't you build a house on it? I understood his frustration, but the way he reprimanded me was unique. I never looked back after that.

THIS IS THE POSITIVE STROKES THAT WE FAIL TO GIVE OUR CHILDREN.

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.            Look for the Proof Instead of Making Assumptions

• A fear of not being liked or accepted sometimes leads us to assume that we know what others are thinking, but our fears are usually not reality. If you have a fear that a friend or family member's bad mood is due to something you did, or that your employees are secretly gossiping about you when you turn your back; speak up and ask them. Don't waste time worrying that you did something wrong unless you have proof that there is something to worry about.

Refrain from Using Absolutes• Have you ever told a partner "You're ALWAYS late!" or complained to a friend "You NEVER call me!"? Thinking and speaking in absolutes like 'always' and 'never' makes the situation seem worse than it is, and programs your brain into believing that certain people are incapable of delivering. If you want to develop a positive thinking mental attitude, then you need to radiate positivity; you need to watch your words.

Detach From Negative Thoughts• I believe this is a little bit self explanatory. Your thoughts can't hold any power over you if you don't judge them. If you notice yourself having a negative thought, detach from it, witness it and don't follow it.

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.            Practice Loving, Touching & Squeezing on your Friends and Family

• You don't have to be an expert to know the benefits of a good hug. Positive physical contact with friends, loved ones, and even pets, is an instant pick-me-up.

Increase Your Social ActivityBy increasing social activity, you

decrease loneliness. Surround yourself with healthy, happy people; and their positive energy will affect you in a positive way.

HEALTHY HAPPY PEOPLE. A GOOD LAUGHTER IS POSITIVITY ENHANCED.

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.            Volunteer for an Organization, or Help another Person• Everyone feels good after helping. You can

volunteer your time, your money, or your resources. The more positive energy you put out into the world, the more you will receive in return. Helping a person in need will lighten your spirit and give you a positive mentality that you are contributing your quota to helping the world.

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Change your friends and associates

•                 “Be careful of the environment you choose for it will shape you. Be careful the friends you choose for you will become like them.” – W. Clement Stone

• . Positive or negative attitudes are contagious habits; I am sure you don’t want to get infected with the negative ones. Severe friendship with pessimist and cynics; befriend those with the “I can do it” kind of attitude.

Change your environment• you are a product of your

environment. You environment will directly or indirectly influence your thoughts and actions.

•                 Why does United States have the highest number of billionaires in the world?

•                 Why does the United States have the highest number of successful immigrants?

• I am neither an American, nor do I reside there but I can feel their patriotism and positive attitude just by watching them on T.V. It’s this same positive mental attitude that made a Kenyan; in the person of Barrack Obama emerge president of the United States.

• So where’s all these illustrations pointing to? Well, it’s pointing to one lesson, which is; “be careful of the environment you choose.” If your environment doesn’t radiate positivity, please relocate.

Use Pattern Interrupts to Combat Rumination

• If you find yourself ruminating, a great way to stop it is to interrupt the pattern and force yourself to do something completely different. Rumination is like hyper-focusing on something negative. It's never productive, because it's not rational or solution-oriented, it's just excessive worry. Try changing your physical environment, go for a walk or sit outside. You could also call a friend, pick up a book, or turn on some music. OR LOOK UP AND GAZE AT THE SKY

LETS TAKE THE QUESTIONAIRE1 When my boss asks to speak with me, I

instinctively assume he/she wants to discuss a problem or give me negative feedback.

2 When I experience real difficulty at work/home, other aspects of my life tend to be painted with the same negative brush.

3 When I experience a setback, I tend to believe the obstacle will endure for the long-term, e.g. "The funding didn't come through, so I guess that means they hate the project. All that work for nothing."

4 When a team I am on is functioning poorly, I believe the cause is short-term and has a straightforward solution, e.g. "Boy we're not working well, if we can fix [X], we'll do much better!"

QUESTIONAIRE CON’T5 When I'm not chosen for an assignment I

really want, I tend to believe that I just don't have the specific skills they are looking for right now, as opposed to thinking I am generally unskilled.

6 When something happens that I don't like or appreciate, I can tend to conclude that the cause is widespread in nature and will continue to plague me, e.g. "My assistant didn't 'cc' me on that email she sent to my boss. Administrative assistants are all out to prove how much smarter they are than their supervisors."

7 When I perform very well on an assignment, I believe that it's because I'm generally talented and smart, as opposed to thinking I am good in that one very specific area.

8 When I receive a reward or recognition, I can tend to figure that luck or fate played more of a role than my actual work or skill, e.g. "They asked me to be the key note speaker at the conference next year. I guess the other guys were all busy."

9 When I come up with a really good idea, I am surprised by my creativity. I figure it is my lucky day, and caution myself not to get used to the feeling.

QUESTIONAIRE CON’T10 When something bad happens at work, I see

the contributions that everyone made to the mistake, as opposed to thinking that I am incompetent and to blame.

11 After winning an award/recognition/ contract, I believe it's because the competition is not as good as I am, e.g. "We won that large contract against two strong competitors. We're simply better than they are."

12 As the leader, when my team completes a project, I tend to attribute the success to the hard work and dedication of the team members, as opposed to my skilled leadership.

13 When I make a decision that proves to be successful, it's because I have expertise on the subject and analyzed that particular problem really well, as opposed to being generally a strong decision maker.

14 When I achieve a long term and personally challenging goal, I congratulate myself, and think about all the skills I used to be successful.

Source: Mindtools.com

SCORE INTERPRETATION14-31

Yikes! It must feel like there is a rain cloud that hangs overhead all day. You have gotten yourself into the habit of seeing things as your fault and you’ve learned to give up your control in many situations. Taking this quiz is the first step toward turning your pessimism around. Read the rest of this article carefully, and use the exercises daily. (Read below to start.)

32-50

You try to be optimistic and positive however some situations get the better of you. Identify your triggers for negative thinking and use rational thinking exercises to become naturally more optimistic. (Read below to start.)

51-70

Great job! You have a generally positive and optimistic outlook on life. You don’t take things personally and you are able to see that setbacks won’t ruin the rest of your life. (Read below for more.)

SCORE INTERPRETATION• Permanence• (Questions 3, 4, 9, 11)Believing that something we are

experiencing is either permanent or temporary. A low score implies that you think bad times will carry on forever. A high score shows confidence that you'll be able to get things back on course quickly.

SCORE INTERPRETATION• Pervasiveness• (Questions 2, 5, 6, 7 and 13)Believing that situational factors

cause an effect or that the effect is evidence of more universal factors at work. A low score shows that you tend to think that if you've experienced a problem in one place, you'll experience that problem wherever you go.

SCORE INTERPRETATION• Personalization• (Questions 1, 8, 10, 12 and 14)• Believing that something about

you influenced the outcome or that something external to you caused it. A low score indicates that you tend to blame yourself for bad things, rather than attributing the cause to more general factors.

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Training your subconscious mind!

• Think of it like learning to drive. At first it takes all of your conscious effort to watch all the cars around you, control the steering wheel, peddles, and turn signals, all while trying to figure out what lane to go in and where to turn. But as you keep at it day after day, your subconscious brain learns from all that repetition and eventually takes over. If you've been driving for a while now, consider how much you do without really paying attention. That's your subconscious mind doing the work for you!

THE BULLETS OF POSITIVE THINKING• Always use only positive words while thinking

and while talking. Use words such as, 'I can', 'I am able', 'it is possible', 'it can be done', etc.

Allow into your awareness only feelings of happiness, strength and success.

Try to disregard and ignore negative thoughts. Refuse to think such thoughts, and substitute them with constructive happy thoughts.

In your conversation use words that evoke feelings and mental images of strength, happiness and success

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• Before starting with any plan or action, visualize clearly in your mind its successful outcome. If you visualize with concentration and faith, you will be amazed at the results.

Read at least one page of inspiring book every day.

Watch movies that make you feel happy.

Minimize the time you listen to the news and read the papers.

Associate yourself with people who think positively.

Always sit and walk with your back straight. This will strengthen your confidence and inner strength.

• Walk, swim or engage in some other physical activity. This helps to develop a more positive attitude.

• Think positive and expect only favorable results and situations, even if your current circumstances are not as you wish them to be. In time, your mental attitude will affect your life and circumstances and change them accordingly.

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MEDITATION

THE MOST TRUSTED, AGE OLD METHOD TO TRAIN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND AND TO ACHIEVE PEACE TRANQUILITY, AND POSITIVITY

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BY AMLAN ROYCHOWDHURY

PRESENTATION FROM THE POWER WITHIN YOU