Listen to a conversation in your office today. I’ll bet if you listen to two people talk about any subject over a period of five minutes, the dominating theme of the conversation will have a negative topic. Perhaps it’s negative talk about the boss, a negative political view, a negative speech about the company, or maybe it’s a person talking negatively about himself.
The National Science Foundation estimates that, on average, humans have approximately 50,000 thoughts per day. They also estimate that 70-80 percent of those thoughts are negative. That is up to 40,000 units of negative energy each and every day!!!
Negativity is easily THE NUMBER ONE ENEMY to the potential that each one of us has inside. Negative thoughts are parasites that infect all of us, and negativity’s bastard children: doubt, depression, lack of confidence, complacency, worry and fear are the silent killers of our dreams. Negativity, either from within ourselves or from outside influences, like our friends and family, can have a dramatic effect on our lives. The offspring of negativity are the reasons many of us don’t take the chance to make our lives better. They are the reasons we aren’t living the dreams we had in our childhood.
So how can we battle this enemy?
A little over two years ago I began to notice the effects that negativity has had on my life. I was always told to “Expect the worst, but hope for the best.” Sayings and mottos like these have created an environment where pessimism and negativity have thrived. Once I recognized the impact that negative thinking in my life has had, I had to make a change. I was now going to "Expect the best."
To stop thinking negatively we need to first do just that…stop. I know that this may sound silly but that is the ultimate goal. At first we need to make this a conscious thing. Take notice of your thoughts, don’t let negativity enter and leave your head without notice. Once you are able to notice your thoughts, when a negative thought crosses your mind, stop it and replace it with a positive thought about the same subject.
This first must be done consciously but after practicing this multiple times a day it becomes more and more automatic. I equate this type of process of learning to learning techniques in sports or martial arts. For those of you who are grapplers, remember the first time you did an arm bar. It felt awkward, hard, and maybe it even felt impossible. Now fast forward to where you are a couple years later: after practicing the arm bar an uncountable number of times, the ability to complete it is almost instinctual. Through repetition, you have moved the conscious movements you had when you first started to the unconscious. Using this method of battling negativity will eventually travel the same path.
The Challenge
Negative thoughts will never completely leave our lives, but reducing their frequency can have a dramatic impact on our lives. I challenge you to consciously stop the negative thoughts and replace them with positive and confident thoughts every day, for the next 30 days. Then enjoy the effects that more positive thinking can have in your life.
Let me know how it goes.
Jerome
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