Positivism can be learned

Positive thoughts are the key to success. The more you repeat them, the more you will believe in them and act in accordance with them. Unfortunately, positive thoughts don´t always come of their own accord - and our brain appears to be programmed to incline towards negative emotions. Fortunately there´s good news, because positivism can be learned!

The most successful people, from world leaders to top athletes and entrepreneurs, often apply the following 4-step plan. They use the power of positive ideas and repeat them over and over, like a holy mantra. In time this becomes second nature, and your mind will begin to generate positive thoughts all on its own.

Step 1: formulate your negative thought

Formulate for yourself, as clearly as possible, precisely what’s preventing you from achieving your goals. What do you have doubts about? Where do your uncertainties lie? What´s holding you back? What´s standing in the way? The better you can describe a negative thought, the easier you can transform it into something positive afterwards.

Step 2: distance yourself from your negative thought by... writing it out

Write out your negative thought in whatever form or style suits you. This step is primarily symbolic, and helps you achieve distance from it. Visualise and experience how the negative thought is being transferred from your mind to the paper. If you want to take it a step further, later you can also tear it up, throw it away or even burn it.

Step 3: articulate the positive opposite of that thought

Now is the moment to make the definitive transition from negativism to positivism! Look for the positive opposite of your negative thought and express it as powerfully as possible in words. This now becomes your new credo. Again, write out this positive message, and now visualise how it is being transferred from the paper to your mind.

Step 4: repeat, repeat, repeat

This is the most important step, and also the one that demands the most discipline. The more consistently you repeat your positive message, the more it will have a lasting impact on you. Some people do this just once a day, for example right after waking up. Others choose to repeat their mantra at different times. For example, you can set a reminder or use a post-it to prompt you to do this. It´s just like with sports: you have to keep at it quasi-religiously in order to achieve results.