How Your Attitude Affects Your Life
“Each of us has a choice about how we perceive our experiences in life and how our mind and body will respond.” – Barbara
Throughout my life, I have tried to maintain a positive attitude about everything, and it has never failed to benefit me. Some people look at a partially filled bottle and say, “It’s half gone,” but I say, “There’s still half a bottle left.” I try to apply the same kind of thinking to the daily happenings of my life and business. When things go wrong, or get out of control, I may not be able to do anything about the situation at that particular moment, but I can do something for myself immediately, and I do. I find something positive to think about. You must learn to do the same.
In the end, each of us has a choice about how we perceive our experiences in life and how our bodies will react to them. You have heard about the power of positive thinking and what it can do for you; where stress is concerned, positive thinking can make all the difference in the world. When you think negatively about anything, your body also responds negatively because the power of suggestion definitely affects the nervous system. But if you force yourself to think in positive terms, your body will respond accordingly.
Remember: Your subconscious mind has the ability to accept as real any impression that reaches it, whether positive or negative, constructive or destructive. That’s why it is vital to your mental and physical well-being to protect your mind from undesirable influences and suggestions that can bring you down. The next time you find yourself thinking negative thoughts that begin with “I can’t,” go to the mirror and give yourself a pep talk. Look yourself in the eye and say “I can!” You will then be sending a clear signal to your subconscious mind and planting a seed that will grow in strength and eventually help you find the answer to the “how” part of your problem.
I was delighted the day I received a review copy of a book titled What to Say When You Talk to Yourself, by Dr. Shad Helmstetter (updated in 2017). On reading it, I was even more delighted to learn I had been saying all the right things to myself. This book confirmed what I had been telling my readers for years: that our minds are like computers that accept all the information we and others pour into them, good and bad alike. If we don’t like what we’re getting back, we simply have to change the programming.
“Imagine what you could do if you could override the programs in your subconscious mind, those that still work against you, and replace them with a refreshing new program of absolute belief?” Helmstetter states in his book. “How successful you will be at anything is inexorably tied to the words and beliefs about yourself that you have stored in your subconscious mind. You will become what you think about most; your success or failure in anything, large or small, will depend on your programming—what you accept from others, and what you say when you talk to yourself.”
“People who work at home successfully learn to crack their own whips and pat their own backs, sometimes all in one day,” one entrepreneur said in an interview. She’s right. As a self-employed individual, you may be the only person from whom you can draw the strength you need on any given day, and you may also be the only one around who’s going to pat you on the back and say “Well done!” So use that mirror as a psychological tool to help chase away doubts and fears and reinforce your positive thoughts. This may sound silly to some, but I’ve learned from years of experience that it can make quite a difference.
Excerpt from Homemade Money—Starting Smart
Copyright © 2003 by Barbara Brabec
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