Reprogramming the Mind for Success
Overcoming Pessimism with Positivity
Much of my life, I’ve been a bit pessimistic. Though I considered myself a realist, that wasn’t completely true. Quick to spot what’s wrong with a situation, or anything really, I was skeptical of what motivational speakers call “the power of positive thinking”.
Their philosophy seemed to be that we tell ourselves positive, but untruthful, affirmations, and that somehow improves our lives. “What a bunch of hooey”, I thought, “truth is what is important”.
In our age of prolific, misleading media messages, being skeptical can be an important part of discerning truth. Applying my skepticism then, to motivational speakers and their positive thinking was natural for me.
A Change in Perception
But a congruence of recent events changed my mind.
I read a book by a former Green Beret, Daniel Fielding, titled The Asset Mindset. He describes the kind of thinking that Special Forces Operators use to overcome overwhelming obstacles. The Green Beret motto is Free the Oppressed. Fielding argues that with non-positive, negative thinking, we oppress ourselves, and limit our potential.
Around this same time, I also happened upon some teaching by Tony Robbins who maintains that we tell ourselves internal stories about our lives with our thought patterns. If our stories are negative, such as “I’m too old, not smart, don’t have enough money, don’t look good” we’ll never reach our potential.
Robbins says to be successful we must change these internal stories to thoughts that are positive and true about our capabilities. Our negative thinking patterns are survival mechanisms and instinctive. We need to be intentional, reprogramming our minds to align with the truth of what we can achieve!
Biblical Insights and Modern Wisdom
Finally, around the same time as this, in my daily Bible reading I came across the Apostle Paul’s closing thoughts, from jail, to the early Church in Philippi.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Thinking about such things, positive, good, encouraging, true things, changes us, brings us peace! King David, the warrior-poet, and Psalmist, noted that he was “fearfully and wonderfully made”. “I can do all things through him who strengthens me” writes Paul. Tony Robbins, Dan Fielding, St. Paul, King David who, as a boy slew the heavily armed giant, Goliath, with a sling and a stone. I’ve been greatly underestimating positive thinking!
Embracing the Power of Positivity
God doesn’t make mistakes. Creation is marvelous, complex, ordered, and awe-inspiring whether we look naturally, microscopically, or telescopically out to the solar system, stars, galaxies and cosmos. And we humans are the pinnacle of creation, made for extraordinary achievements! Fielding, the Green Beret, reminds us “People run without legs! Read without sight! Fly without wings! People even love after a broken heart”.
I need to start paying a lot more attention to my internal dialogue and begin to counter negative self-defeating thoughts with truths that encourage me. What about you? What limiting beliefs have you held onto that have been holding you back? Are they true? Probably not.
Conclusion: Making Positivity the Final Word
Maybe it can be challenging to focus on encouraging ourselves, considering all the negatives in our world. But the truth is out there. And it is good. Make that the final word over your life, because you were made to overcome!