Cultivating a positive mindset can be tough. Our brains are hardwired to focus on negatives in order to keep us safe from threats, and retraining our mind to focus on the positives in life can be difficult. But it’s worth the effort. There are many positive thinking benefits, and few things in life will help you to succeed as much as a positive mindset.
What is positive thinking?
Let’s start with what positive thinking is not:
- Believing that you’re perfect and don’t have to improve
- Believing that things will always work out for the best without any effort on your part
- Putting your head in the sand and ignoring problems
- Refusing to allow any negative thoughts or negative emotions
Here’s what positive thinking is:
- Cultivating a default assumption that the best will happen, rather than the worst (essentially: optimism)
- When problems come up, you believe that you will persevere
- When good things happen, you believe that they will continue to happen
- Cutting down on negative self-talk
For example, if you’re given a new responsibility at work, a positive mindset says, “I may need to learn some new skills (or not), but I can kick butt at this!”
So what are the benefits of cultivating a positive mindset?
Positive thinking benefit #1: it’s a vibrational universe
InThe Science of Getting Rich (which serves as source material for most books and documentaries about the Law of Attraction, including The Secret), Wallace Wattles explains that we’re living in a fundamentally vibrational universe. What you appreciate, appreciates. The Science of Getting Rich teaches that if you focus on the good in life, you’ll attract more good things to you.
Similarly, Wattles explains that you attract people and opportunities in line with your outlook. If you expect great things to happen to you, then that expectation is an order to the universe that the universe must deliver–via loving relationships, amazing job opportunities, and exciting options that fall into your lap.
By contrast, if you expect terrible things to happen, then The Science of Getting Rich explains that that too is an order to the universe that the universe must deliver.
Positive thinking benefit #2: a positive mindset makes overcoming challenges easier
A study by the National Institute of Health tested the impact of a positive mindset on people’s lives. The researchers studied 139 adults, half of whom began cultivating a more positive mindset. Those that did so saw an increase in what’s called “pathways thinking.” Pathways thinking is essentially the belief that, “There are lots of ways around this problem.”
One benefit of a positive mindset is that it shrinks problems down to size. If you know that you can overcome a certain obstacle, then it’s much easier for your brain to identify how to overcome it.
Positive thinking benefit #3: it makes identifying opportunities easier
Pathway thinking improves your ability to identify opportunities because you’re more likely to be looking for, and open to, their emergence.
In a quote mis-attributed to Thomas Edison, “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” Most opportunities, from starting a new business to landing a big client, require up-front work. Given this, it’s easier to see and take advantage of a given opportunity if you can see past the attendant work to the possibility of the work paying off.
If a big prospective client asks you to fly to New York to meet her, then that’s an opportunity. It also requires up-front work. You’re more likely to see the request for what it is–an opportunity to impress a big prospective client with your commitment–if you cultivate a positive mindset. If you cultivate a negative mindset, you’re more likely to see the request as an unreasonable demand from someone who’s not going to sign up with you anyway. The negative mindset could cost you a huge opportunity.
Positive thinking benefit #4: it increases the power of your network
According to Understanding the Entrepreneurial Mind, if you’re trying to sell a prospective client, you’re more likely to close the deal if you bring a positive mindset into the meeting. This is a clear benefit of positive thinking.
In the same vein, you’re more likely to be able to recruit (‘close’) top employees and possible business partners if you’re positive.
This is because of what’s called “emotional contagion”–we subconsciously pick up on the emotions of those around us. All of us like feeling happy and positive, so we tend to gravitate towards people who exude those traits because they can rub off on us.
Positive thinking benefit #5: it improves your ability to lead
Victor Lipman, author of The Type B Manager, says that, “a consistently positive mindset is one of the most indispensable long-term assets a manager will ever have.”
Why? A positive mindset makes other people want to follow you, which makes recruitment and retention easier.
It also makes people want to work harder for you, because your positivity is contagious. As a leader, getting the best out of those who work for you is critical to your success, and it’s a lot easier when you’re positive.
Positive thinking benefit #6: it reduces stress
According to the Mayo Clinic, “The positive thinking that usually comes with optimism is a key part of effective stress management.” Researchers also found that positive thinking can even improve your immune system and blood pressure; and it’s almost tautologically good for your mental health.
When you approach problems by thinking positively, you’re more likely to see them as temporary setbacks or identify the silver lining, and less likely to perceive the problem as crippling or dangerous to your future.
For example, if you don’t get a job, a positive mindset suggests, “There are plenty of opportunities out there, I just need to keep applying and maybe sharpen my skills.” A negative mindset suggests, “I’ll never get a job, it’s hopeless.” The latter is far more stressful, because in this framework your body perceives the problem (rejection for a job offer) as more of a threat and reacts accordingly.
Positive thinking benefit #7: mental health benefits
Positive psychology research shows that optimism can even help to combat depression and anxiety by helping people suffering from these disorders to combat the negative scripts in their heads. For example, research shows that a daily gratitude practice can shift your thinking to help you see the positives in life.
Conclusion
Being optimistic can help you cultivate health, success, and happiness. Being optimistic Are you convinced of the benefits of a positive mindset, but not sure how to start retraining your brain? Try these 7 steps.
