How You Can Think More Positive Thoughts - written by Marilyn Gordon

Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live used to think negative thoughts. Then he'd shift to something more positive, say he didn't need to do "stinkin' thinkin'" anymore. He'd stop himself and say, "No, I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me!" He was able to shift his low self esteem and personal defeat into feeling okay and even loved. If you ever feel that you or your life are no good, you can shift your thoughts into higher levels.

Thought Shifting

So if like Stuart you do a litany of stinkin' thinkin', you can shift your thinking upwards. First you take note of what you're doing. Here's what Stuart once said to himself: "I said something I shouldn't have said.". I'm going to have dire consequences and nothing will ever be any good." That's Stuart's negative spin and is not quite the truth. Choose your own negative spin if you have one. You first pay attention to it and look at it from a distance. Move back and see this from a larger perspective, just the way you'd stand back to see how you're hanging a picture on the wall. No judgment, just observation. "What am I attempting to say here?" you might ask yourself. You may be doing something that's self-defeating. (You can blame it on the devil or the negative thought forces of the world.) "No that's just stinkin' thinkin' - or something like this to yourself." "I don't need to do this anymore. I'm a being of the universe."Or, I'm really okay."." Or "Maybe I didn't do so well that last time, but I can transform this, and I will." And you can always remember this: "It is what it is!"

Seeing the Advantage of Everything

If you lose something or regret something else, you can look for the advantage, the other side to all things. Perhaps your arm was hurt, and you found that you didn't have to life some things you didn't really want to lift. Maybe you lost something, but you're learning to be non-attached. Or maybe you're being opened up to a new life. Perhaps you're being prepared for something higher or more expansive. Maybe you're learning the importance of spiritual values. Maybe you're ready to move on from something in your life and this is a perfect opportunity. Learning to see the advantage of everything is a major life transforming habit of mind.

Connecting with Your Wisdom

Your Wise Mind has a fresh perspective on life. When you ask it what it would like to tell you about something, it will tell you the truth. A young eleven year old girl was afraid to go to sleep because she could only think of bad people who might try to harm her. She allowed herself to feel her fear, and then she asked her Wise Mind to tell her more:" It's okay. When you were younger you thought this way, but you're bigger now, and you can think safe thoughts." Anyone can do this, young and old - connect with the Wise Mind, for fresh perspective and for truth.