In recent years, a lot of attention has been given to positive thinking as a means to manifest our dreams. The idea of positive thinking for creating an abundant life has been promoted throughout history by the likes of Buddha, Napoleon Hill, Joseph Murphy, Norman Vincent Peale, Wallace D. Wattles and many others. In 2006, “The Secret,” a best-selling book by Rhonda Byrne was published. In her book, Byrne claims that a person can achieve life-changing goals with positive thinking due to a natural mystical law: The Law of Attraction.
To put it simply, the Law of Attraction states that whatever we think about, we bring about. For example, if we spend a lot of time thinking about the negative aspects of life, those negative thoughts are likely to take over and translate into negative experiences. If we entertain positive thoughts however, the opposite will be true.
Ever since this New Age Thought has been presented, people from all over the world have tried to manifest their goals through positive thinking. Many have been successful, others have experienced growing frustrations. A wide range of scientists and practical thinkers have criticized the metaphysical law for its suggestions and lack of scientific evidence. Despite this, there have been a large number of attempts to bridge the Law of Attraction and science through quantum mysticism, and concepts in neuroscience. However, some believe that these are just traits of modern pseudoscience.
This article will take you through some theories, including a more developed notion of the Law of Attraction, which should help to give you a better understanding of how positive thinking works and how it can be used to your advantage.
Empowering Beliefs
Essentially, positive thinking is the act of choosing empowering beliefs over limiting ones. Human beings are simply just belief systems. A belief is a feeling of certainty about a particular thing. Our beliefs form our perception of the world and therefore, they are our individual truths that define our subjective realities.
Everyone believes different things and has alternative perspectives; we all view the world differently. So, positive thinking suggests that we pick beliefs that support us rather than hinder us. These beliefs should bring us closer to our goals. Ideas are just ideas; truth is defined by perception. Therefore, any thought can be true to the person who believes in it. When you choose an empowering belief, you pick a thought that supports what you wish to experience or attain.
For example, a cricket player needs six runs to win a game from the last ball. If he's fearful and believes that he cannot hit a six to win the game, he probably won't attempt it, and therefore, he won't make it. However, if he picks an empowered thought such as, "I can hit this six," he will at least attempt it. Both situations are the same, and either way, the batsman can be bowled out. However, the mindset is different. The empowering one creates possibility, while the limiting one hinders his chances.
The Subconscious Mind And Reticular Activating System (RAS)
All that you perceive is a result of what you accept as "true" in your subconscious mind. As mentioned above, these are your beliefs and they form your reality.
The conscious mind thinks, the subconscious accepts. Your mind is your garden and your subconscious mind is like deep fertile soil. Seeds of both success and failure can be planted within this soil without being discriminated or judged. Your conscious mind plays the role of the gardener, choosing what reaches your soil. However, as most of us don't understand this role well, we are constantly allowing both good and bad seeds to enter and reap within this soil.
The subconscious mind is not self-thinking; it only reacts to instructions from your Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS makes up a part of the brain that acts like a filter between your conscious and subconscious mind, bringing only relevant information to your attention. It will try to search for evidence to confirm thoughts and feelings about almost everything. It does this by looking at everything around you and trying to find patterns to confirm what it is that you believe, or are thinking about. What you look for or focus on, you will find.
This system is most influential when you encounter something new that you are unfamiliar with. For example, if you decide to research into a new model of a BMW, you are likely to suddenly start noticing that particular car everywhere, despite the fact that you may never have noticed anybody with it before. Spiritual enthusiasts may relate this to synchronicity.
Many people try to use this school of thought to influence their own success in life, as it is believed that if we regularly place images of success in our minds, we are much more likely to be able to find ways to make that success a reality. We begin to see opportunities that will help us attain our goals. Although, it is more than likely that what you’re seeing now has always been there, your brain will not have focused on it because it was not its main focus at the time.
Law Of Attraction And Energy
A deeper explanation for the Law of Attraction is very much based in quantum mysticism – which many find a little more difficult to understand. This theory is based around the fact that everything, whether it is living or an inanimate object, is made from exactly the same energy as everything else. When you see a solid object, what you’re actually seeing is a lot of energy vibrating quickly – and every single object in the world will have a different rate of vibration. The main idea here is that reality occurs through matching vibrations.
We are all transmitters and receivers of vibrational frequencies. The vibrations we put out are always pulling in stuff that’s vibrating at a similar frequency to us. Negative emotions vibrate at a lower pitch, while positive feelings such as joy and appreciation vibrate at the highest pitch of all. Whatever frequency we emit, the same or similar frequency is drawn to us. If you send out good vibes to the Universe – say for example, feelings of joy, then the Universe will give you back more things to feel joyful about.
So Does Positive Thinking Work?
The things I’ve mentioned may not make any sense to you and quite frankly, it’s understandable. There are so many perspectives out there that one can easily get lost. Many of these theories do not have empirical evidence to support them. I’m not a scientist and I will never claim to be. I’m someone who’s simply passionate about creating a better future and this has led me to study the greatest minds in our history, along with a variety of teachings. As with every individual, you have to keep an open mind, try things out and form your own perspectives, based on what resonates and empowers you the most.
So, do I believe positive thinking helps you create the life you want? Definitely! Thinking positive alone may not magically produce all that you desire instantaneously, but it will definitely encourage you to take the right actions. Put it this way, you cannot live a positive life, with a negative mind. Therefore, entertaining negative ideas will only limit your life experience.
The fact that we have this ability to influence our own lives based on simply what we think gives us many opportunities to develop ourselves and create a more positive and fulfilling life. Focusing on what we want means that we are much more likely to be able to find ways to make it a reality. This holds true in my life as well as for everyone I have worked with.
Thank you for reading and I hope you’ve found this post useful. For more positive insights, check out my Instagram page @VexKing and BonVitaStyle.com.