Positive Thinking

I think everyone could use a little positive thinking this week.

I know I sure could!
I have read more than my fair share of self-help books and the one thing they all mostly have in common is the idea of “positive thinking”.  Whether it’s The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale or How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie or Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill or A Better Way to Live by Og Mandino, the underlying message is the same; there is definite power in the ability to think positively in any situation.
But, here’s the thing, not only is this a relatively new idea dating back to just the mid-19th century, but it’s an idea who’s history can be traced.  Check out this video at Boing Boing from author Mitch Horowitz, The Secret History of “Positive Thinking” and the New Age.  His book, One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life, looks at the history of this life changing idea.  Simply, that a positive mental attitude can affect our health and, even, our financial success.  I have seen this actually work in my own life by, yes, applying many of the principles I found in those books I mentioned.  He lists more of these books in a second article at Time; The Ten Best Self-Help Books You’ve (Probably) Never Heard Of.  Except, of course, I have heard of several of them.  For instance, I read the Kybalion back in the early 90’s before I moved to Houston.  You can get a free, ebook version of it at Project Gutenberg.  (You can read other books by the actual author of that book, William Atkinson Walker, for free, too.  I recommend The Hindu-Yogi Science of Breath.  It’s actually really good.)

So, if you’re in a funk and need a little lifting-up, don’t discount the idea of positive thinking.  Checkout the video and the books.
And, remember, eventually things will change!