Positive thinking sounds useful on the surface. (Most of us would prefer to be positive rather than negative.) But “positive thinking” is also a term that is easy to dismiss. Research is beginning to reveal that positive thinking is about much more than just being happy or displaying an upbeat attitude. Positive thoughts can actually create real value in your life and help you build skills that last much longer than a smile.
Positive thinking is not about trying to “force” an outcome for how we would like something to turn out. Genuine positive thinking requires that we open up to doing our best regardless of the outcome will be. It requires us to believe in ourselves, to promise ourselves that we will do our best. If things do not turn out as we had planned, or hoped & wished for, we will not berate or abandon our efforts or ourselves. It’s about developing what meditation teacher Pema Chodron calls “unconditional confidence.” One important quality of mindfulness is the quality of equanimity. Equanimities key teaching tells us to cultivate an equal mind with praise and criticism, with “success” and with “failure”. This way we create balance, we keep a steady mind AND a steady heart. I think it’s safe to say: we can’t go wrong by doing our best.