One idea about personal effectiveness has been the basis for more than 200 million books sold and counting. Over the last century, authors, speakers, pastors, and influencers have continued to promote this idea to successive generations of people with extraordinary impact. Notables Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Norman Vincent Peale, Zig Ziglar, Louise Hay, Tony Robbins, Bob Proctor and Rhonda Byrne, among others, have all carried this same message. It appears that one idea is worth repeating—over and over.
I remain skeptical of the claims made regarding the power of positive thinking. The people mentioned in this post all have one thing in common: They sell books, programs, and speaking gigs. People are lazy and they want to take Easy Street on their way to The Good Life instead of putting in the hard work it takes to achieve results. Positive thinking can help, but I will choose Doing over Thinking/Feeling every time. I don't wait until I'm in the mood to do something. I focus on how I will think/feel after I've done something difficult rather than how I feel right now and this has made all the difference.
I think in order to be able to identify the path of least least resistance requires some level of mastery which can only be required through deliberate practice/trial and error over a considerable length of time. I think Positive Psychology proponents oversell the idea that thinking positively alone can quickly fix a lifetime of bad choices and bad habits. I believe there are no shortcuts in life. At least, none that I have found...yet :)
It’s attractive to think the shortcuts exist, however. That attraction creates a marketplace that might not go away, despite the charlatans that it’s littered with.
I disagree that positive thinking is the lazy way--quite the opposite. No one can simply "think" their way to success, it takes action! But one of the biggest barriers to action is the negative self talk that consumes us. The power of positive thinking is that it is an antidote to that, which also energizes people to take action toward their goals.
The goal-setting literature is very well established: we know (as much as any psychological process can be 'known') that goal setting leads to results. Specific, challenging, "in writing", time-bound, goals for which individuals accept accountability do motivate effort that leads to positive results.
And hey, if it just makes you feel better about your world if you imagine it becoming better it can't hurt, right?
I am hesitant of these types of writers. While optimism can be useful, true grit doesn't come from optimism (in my experience). In dealing with illness and/or other hardships, the listed authors' advice is interesting at best. We grow and overcome by implementing the STOCKDALE PARADOX (coined by Jim Collins. Named after Vice-Admiral James Stockdale). While optimists tend to shy away from hard truths, skeptics, pessimists, and realists often confront them. So the the real question is do we want to manipulate people or genuinely grow and lead by example?
I remain skeptical of the claims made regarding the power of positive thinking. The people mentioned in this post all have one thing in common: They sell books, programs, and speaking gigs. People are lazy and they want to take Easy Street on their way to The Good Life instead of putting in the hard work it takes to achieve results. Positive thinking can help, but I will choose Doing over Thinking/Feeling every time. I don't wait until I'm in the mood to do something. I focus on how I will think/feel after I've done something difficult rather than how I feel right now and this has made all the difference.
Is it laziness that motivates the path down Easy Street?
Or is it just the nature of water taking the path of least resistance?
I think in order to be able to identify the path of least least resistance requires some level of mastery which can only be required through deliberate practice/trial and error over a considerable length of time. I think Positive Psychology proponents oversell the idea that thinking positively alone can quickly fix a lifetime of bad choices and bad habits. I believe there are no shortcuts in life. At least, none that I have found...yet :)
It’s attractive to think the shortcuts exist, however. That attraction creates a marketplace that might not go away, despite the charlatans that it’s littered with.
I disagree that positive thinking is the lazy way--quite the opposite. No one can simply "think" their way to success, it takes action! But one of the biggest barriers to action is the negative self talk that consumes us. The power of positive thinking is that it is an antidote to that, which also energizes people to take action toward their goals.
The goal-setting literature is very well established: we know (as much as any psychological process can be 'known') that goal setting leads to results. Specific, challenging, "in writing", time-bound, goals for which individuals accept accountability do motivate effort that leads to positive results.
And hey, if it just makes you feel better about your world if you imagine it becoming better it can't hurt, right?
Can only hurt if you think imagination is all it takes.
Well said.
How else would we develop a better mindset than by an action prior to feeling it?
I am hesitant of these types of writers. While optimism can be useful, true grit doesn't come from optimism (in my experience). In dealing with illness and/or other hardships, the listed authors' advice is interesting at best. We grow and overcome by implementing the STOCKDALE PARADOX (coined by Jim Collins. Named after Vice-Admiral James Stockdale). While optimists tend to shy away from hard truths, skeptics, pessimists, and realists often confront them. So the the real question is do we want to manipulate people or genuinely grow and lead by example?
Thank you for your time.
Happy 4th.
“Never confuse faith that you will prevail with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality”
-JS
Hope for the best.
Prepare for the worst.
That is the point that Professor Collins is trying to make.