Positive thinking is usually regarded as a good thing, but in reality it can be either a good or a bad thing. It is a good thing when it is accompanied by a truthful assessment of how we really feel and then used to introduce new, more hopeful possibilities. It is a bad thing when used to override or deny our true feelings. One approach uses positive thinking as a tool to uplift you after reality has been faced and the other uses it as a tool to contradict reality.
The manner in which we use positive thinking depends on how aware we are and how courageous we are in our ability to face uncomfortable or painful feelings. It takes great strength to let ourselves know what is present emotionally, and it is tempting to whitewash this reality with positive thinking. However, if we take the easy way out, eventually these whitewashed feelings will make themselves known through physical, emotional, or behavioral problems. If we can sustain it, it is better to take the courageous route and use positive thinking as a helpful, secondary tool rather than as our only tool.
When we choose to use positive thinking to override our true feelings, the emotional self feels as though we are trying to disregard it or that we are telling it lies. When upset, it usually cannot get behind too much positivity because it simply does not believe these things to be true. To the unacknowledged emotional self, positive thoughts are dissonant and misaligned with whatever it is experiencing. In fact, it perceives this action to be a blatant lack of attunement and a failure to listen. Unacknowledged emotion rarely responds to intellect, even if it is positive intellect. This is why it is better to acknowledge our emotional dynamics first and then introduce positive thoughts as an honest attempt to move our feelings to a better place.
As long as they are not used as an exclusive coping mechanism, positive thoughts can be very powerful in that they help us to shift our mental focus. They may be spiritual or philosophical thoughts that enlighten and uplift. They may be down-to-earth thoughts that introduce a practical new pathway. They may be reinforcing thoughts that remind us of our strengths. All of these positive thoughts can serve as affirmations and tend to be deeply sustaining. A particularly helpful positive thought is that there was never a winter that was not followed by a spring. Things will eventually get better simply by virtue of the movement of life’s cycles. Also, holding the positive thought that we are safe and secure can be very beneficial. Another way to introduce positive thought is to count our blessings rather than our troubles. It helps to refocus us when we have lapsed into victim consciousness.
Positive thinking is somewhat related to correcting errors in our thought processes. This is because the process of identifying and correcting those errors is a mental pursuit that introduces a better way of thinking about things, but it is only tangentially related to feelings. Correcting errors in our thought processes can alter our feelings, but it does not directly attend to them. Consequently, we have to be careful how we use positive thinking. If implemented correctly, being on the lookout for inaccuracies in the way we think does not have to constitute blind positive thinking. When we use positive thinking as a secondary tool, it can allow us to observe our feelings, view them with compassion, assess the thoughts that underlie them, and then introduce a more realistic way of viewing a situation. In contrast, positive thinking used as our only coping mechanism does not involve observation, emotional attunement, or assessment, and solely attempts to shift the focus by introducing a new storyline.
Now let’s shift gears and take a look at the role of positive thinking in creating our life circumstances. Whereas positive thinking is not always helpful as an exclusive method of dealing with uncomfortable feeling states, it can be consistently helpful in creating a better life for us. This is the case because thought is the cornerstone of creation, i.e., it initiates the creative process, and positive thoughts tend to result in positive creations. Of course, these positive thoughts need to be backed by our emotional support, the presence of clear intention, and then action in the physical world, but they provide the initiating principle that establishes the creative direction in which we are going.
When we think an initiating thought over and over, it takes root, it flourishes, it deepens, and it becomes hardy. This is much like a scratch on a wall that when scraped repeatedly with an object, creates a groove in that wall. Over time and with repetition, a single scratch turns into a created channel. Sustained thoughts are like this created channel. The more we think a thought over and over, the more we bring it forward into creation.
Since sustained thoughts lead to creative channels, it is important that we consciously choose our initiating thoughts. We have to be proactive with this, for it is definitely something we cannot leave to chance. Unfortunately, we have many repetitive, unconscious thoughts running through our minds that can also take creative form or, at the very least, create a negative focus for our lives. This is unfortunate and supports the idea that conscious awareness is necessary in order to create positive pathways in our lives.
It has been said repeatedly by those in the metaphysical world that thoughts are things, that they are the basis of creation, and that due to this, they should be carefully monitored. This is certainly true, and if we do not monitor them, we may end up creating things for ourselves that we do not want. It has also been said that the universe takes note of what we are interested in.1 This means that if we are obsessed with thoughts of doubt, fear, lack, failure, and helplessness, we are eventually going to manifest these things in the physical world as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Fortunately or unfortunately, our sustained thoughts act as prayers that are answered.
Do we have to be afraid of every little thought that goes by in terms of its creative ability? No, because it takes a lot of concentrated, repeated thought to turn a scratch into a channel; otherwise we would all be genie’s who could simply make a wish that would immediately come true. We would all have our heart’s desire all of the time. So no, let’s not be frightened of our thoughts or get obsessed with never uttering one negative thing. That gets old, not to mention that it makes us look ridiculously superstitious.
Besides, there is something called magical thinking that we all engaged in as children and certainly do not want to revisit now. This is the childish idea that if we think something, it will magically come true. If we are mad at mommy and wish she were dead, we believe that she will certainly die. We can store up a lot of guilt that way all because of an immature belief that was never true to begin with. Magical thinking has no relationship to the focused, creative process that we are discussing here.
Once the creative process has been initiated, it requires teamwork to push it through into manifestation. First is our initiating thought; we have to be able to conceive of something before we can start to create it. Then we have to have the intention to follow through on this thought. This means that we have to have a sense of purpose to reach our objective. This needs to be supported by our emotions so that we have the energy and desire to follow through; otherwise we will end up with conflicting intentions and our original creative thought will not get pushed through into the physical world. Finally, we have to do the work in the physical world to make our thought a reality. We have to put in effort. Nothing is going to happen otherwise, no matter how much or how positively we think about things.
The element of emotional support for our initiating thoughts is of particular importance in the creative process. Our ideas and our feelings need to be in agreement. If not, it will be difficult to keep the creative process going. The emotional self can be either an amazing support in the creative process or a terrible hindrance if it is not on board. This is why it is important not to go forward solely based on our positive thoughts, but on our positive feelings as well.
To this end, we have to consult ourselves quite honestly and see if we actually feel like doing this or that. If we do not feel at peace with it or if there is any sort of a drag on it, there is most likely a better path. We can always find a new, positive thought to create around, one that we can get behind, support, and sustain. Alternatively, we can modify or fine-tune our original thought or hold off on it for a while until the timing seems better or our circumstances have changed. Anything is better than trying to force ourselves to do something that we do not feel good about. As the old saying goes, “You can’t fool Mother Nature.” 2
Finally, a last word about the feelings that accompany an initiating thought is in order. When we want to move toward a goal, it is very effective to allow ourselves the actual feeling of what it would be like to reach that goal. We need to feel the gloriousness, feel the relief, feel the power, feel the capability. That way thought and feeling can work in tandem toward manifestation. This is more than simply having emotional support for our goals. It is an active use of emotion that makes our goals more tangible and helps us bring them to fruition. We should not just think where we want to be. We must feel it as well.
Actively using our emotions to manifest our goals is somewhat related to being appreciative. If we are trying to create more of the things we want, we need to hold a feeling of gratitude and appreciation for all that we have. This is true even if, as yet, we have too little of what we want. We need to be grateful for our health, food, shelter, family, and friends. We need to be grateful for our job, our means of transportation, our freedom, our mobility, our senses, our talents, and the very air we breathe. The more that we feel appreciative, the more we will draw our intended goals to us. If we want the good life, we should consider keeping a gratitude list going at all times.