More than any time in the past the need for positive thinking is not only desirable but necessary.
In my training courses I nearly always include a small section about how we think about the skills we are learning and practicing; a consistently positive attitude towards giving a presentation for example makes a huge difference to your performance on the day, even if it’s just changing your belief from “I’m not very good at presentations” to “Every time I practice giving a presentation, I’m getting better and more confident”.
Two sources inspired me to write this post. The first was from a request by a multi- national company to deliver a course on positive thinking to combat the negative atmosphere induced by restructuring and layoffs. The second source of inspiration came from a friend who told me an interesting story. He related how for many years his principle view of life was one of negativity, believing that everything that happened to him was caused by external forces which inevitably drove him to complain incessantly. As a consequence, people didn’t want to be around him and professional opportunities quickly dried up.Then one day someone asked him if he had read “The Secret”. After reading this book and completing changing his attitude to one of positivity and self responsibility, his life changed completely in only 15 days! (more…)