Setting An Intention Of Positivity
Nothing impacts us more than our own thoughts. Bad things seem to follow when we are stuck in negativity. This is why an attitude of positivity is so important.
School Your Thoughts to an Intention Of Positivity
By Monica Berg
The power of intention comes down to understanding the power of our thoughts. Our thoughts become things. And they affect us and only us. The angry, hateful thoughts you harbor toward someone else hurt you. The resentment you carry only harms you. The negative beliefs you call “practical” are anything but, and the more time you spend thinking about things that make you sad, mad, depressed, or stressed is the time you could be living. And, as science suggests, living longer. This is why setting an intention of positivity is essential.
An accident on the highway that causes a traffic jam. Spilling coffee on your shirt as you walk into the office. A long line at the grocery store. A surprise bill in the mail.
Most would look at these events and write off the whole day as bad. Nothing went our way, everything went wrong. In this state of mind, we miss all of the things that did go right. And realistically, even statistically, the things that did go right vastly outweigh a couple of things that didn’t.
Our external world impacts us so much. A handful of events occur that we label as “bad,” and suddenly, everything is bad. We see our life as the amalgamation of all the things we’ve done wrong instead of what it actually is: a projection of our current negative thoughts.
Nothing impacts us more than our own thoughts. The biggest challenge isn’t what happens but rather how we feel and respond to what happens. For instance, getting into a minor accident is an unfortunate event but can be viewed and experienced in vastly different ways based on how we think about it. Will we think of everything we did wrong, how much money it will cost, and what headache dealing with insurance will be? Or will we think about how lucky we are to be safe, that no one was hurt, and that we have the resources to be able to deal with this kind of mistake? Our thoughts alone completely determine how we experience something. The quality of our thoughts, negative or positive, have measurable impacts on our thinking, health, and emotional state.
Therefore, if you want your life to look different, you have to think different. It’s very simple; when we are thinking positive thoughts, we feel good. And when we feel good, we do good. That traffic jam becomes an opportunity to listen to one more chapter of that audiobook. Sing along loudly to the radio. That coffee spill results in sharing a laugh with a co-worker. That long line at the grocery store leads to a chat with someone who just so happens to be listening to the same audiobook.
Like attracts like. Positivity attracts positivity, negativity creates more negativity. And a bad day can turn into a bad week, which can turn into a bad month. Without consciousness, our habitual negative thinking creates a pattern. Suddenly we start to feel stuck, depressed, and resentful. With consciousness, however, we choose our thoughts. When we set an intention to see the good in everything that happens to us, everything that happens to us is good.
While this sounds simple, it isn’t. It’s good to have a few tools on hand for when we get caught in a tangle of negative thoughts.
The first is to call them out. If we catch thoughts like, “I always forget everything,” “Nothing ever works out for me,” or “I always make a mess of things,” we can shift them. It’s so easy to hyperbolize, catastrophize, and overgeneralize when we’re feeling down. Objectively, it’s not possible for any of those statements to be true. Noticing the thought for what it is—negative self-talk—helps us turn it around. Instead of identifying with these limiting thoughts, label them for what they are, ridiculous and false. Then replace the thought with one of gratitude or identify an opposite thought, such as, “I always do my best, and my projects turn out to be purposeful.”
Next, we can fake it until we make it. Pretending to be positive until we actually feel positive can help us get over the initial hump of negative thinking. Many of life’s difficulties come down to mind over matter. Our brains are powerful organs, but they can be easily duped. When we act positively, our brains follow suit and start to think positively. We don’t have to pretend for long until we are actually thinking positive thoughts.
And lastly, stay present. Bringing attention back to the here and now can keep our thoughts from roaming into negative territory. The moment a negative thought arises, or fear begins to pull our focus away, we can notice where we are. Focusing on the negative almost always puts our attention on the past or the future. Instead, we can bring ourselves back into our bodies, notice the beauty around us, play an uplifting song, or just take a few deep breaths.
It’s entirely natural to have emotional ups and downs in life and setting an intention of positivity doesn’t mean we ignore what’s happening around us. We are human, after all. It’s more about realizing that “the downs” are opportunities to learn and grow. Where we focus our consciousness is what we expand. While sadness, anger, frustration, and fear are all a part of life, they don’t need to dictate our lives. Shifting our consciousness to one of positivity means creating a happier, healthier, and more joyful life moment by moment.
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About the Author
Monica Berg is a teacher and writer who specializes in assisting people in living their most fulfilled lives through the wisdom of Kabbalah. She is the author of Fear Is Not an Option and serves as Chief Communications Officer for Kabbalah Centre International. Follow her weekly blog at rethinklife.today and stay in touch via Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
