Power Thoughts: 12 Strategies to Win the Battle of the Mind (4 page)

In addition, a study conducted in the Netherlands in 2004 found that people who are optimistic have healthier hearts than those considered “grouchy.” Fewer self-described “optimists” died of cardiovascular disease and they had lower death rates overall than those of pessimists.
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Dr. Becca Levy of Yale University led a study that concluded that “a positive attitude towards aging was greater than physiological measures such as low blood pressure and cholesterol, each of which is thought to add a maximum of four years to life.” This study also found that optimistic people live longer than people who worry constantly and that positive attitudes can add more years to a person’s life than exercising or not smoking.
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In some ways, I find this research astounding, but in other ways, I have no trouble embracing these findings because I have learned that the mind is extremely powerful and I am not surprised by the extent of its influence in our physical lives.

According to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, thinking positively may also result in the following health benefits:
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• Decreased negative stress.

• Greater resistance to catching the common cold.

• A sense of well-being and improved health.

• Reduced risk of coronary artery disease.

• Easier breathing if you have certain lung diseases, such as emphysema.

• Improved coping ability for women with high-risk pregnancies.

• Better coping skills during hardships.

Further affirming the mind-body connection in an interesting way, I was fascinated to see that in 2005, the Associated Press released an article that reported, “New research suggests that once Alzheimer’s disease robs someone of the ability to expect that a proven painkiller will help them, it doesn’t work nearly as well.”
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Isn’t that amazing? As long as people are able to think painkillers work, these medicines seem to help us, but when we stop thinking they are effective, they actually stop being effective. Our minds are incredible!

We know positive thinking is good for our attitudes and emotions, but the research I have referenced in this section, plus an enormous amount of research available in various forms today, clearly indicates that positive thinking is also extremely beneficial to our physical well-being. If we want to live healthy lives, we have to have healthy minds—and that starts with thinking positively instead of negatively.

The Results of Positive Thinking

You have read about a number of studies and experiments that prove how our thinking influences us. One case I find especially interesting is an experiment conducted by an MIT professor named Dan Ariely and some of his colleagues. They established a bogus testing facility where they asked people to undergo a series of electric shocks before and after receiving a certain pain reliever. The participants first received shocks with no pain reliever and then took pills called “Veladone-Rx” before receiving the shocks again. The testers told some people the Veladone-Rx pills cost $2.50 each, while they told others the pills cost only ten cents each. Almost all the people who thought the pills cost $2.50 each reported pain relief when they got the second series of shocks, but only half of those who thought the pills were ten cents each reported any relief at all. The truth about Veladone-Rx: the pills were nothing more than vitamin C tablets.
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What was the key to Dr. Ariely’s experiment? People
think
expensive products work better than inexpensive ones. The pills that supposedly cost $2.50 each didn’t have any actual pain-relieving effect at all on those who took them, but the people
expected
the pills to be effective because they cost a lot. Their expectations set them up to think positively about the pills and report positive results, even when the pills provided nothing but a boost of vitamin C.

Clearly, positive thinking often yields positive results. In the next section of this book, I want to share and elaborate on four specific things positive thinking “does” to facilitate positive results in our lives:

• Positive thinking releases the power of potential.

• Positive thinking encourages positive responses.

• Positive thinking keeps things in perspective.

• Positive thinking helps you enjoy life.

Think about It

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “not good at all” and 10 being “outstanding,” how would you rate yourself as a positive thinker?

Positive Thinking Releases the Power of Potential

People who think positively can see potential in even the most discouraging situations, while those who do not think positively are quick to point out the situations’ problems and limitations. This goes beyond the proverbial idea of simply seeing a glass “half-full” or “half-empty” and extends to actually making decisions and taking actions based on either positive thinking or negative thinking.

One of the best stories I know about how positive thinking releases the power of potential took place centuries ago, when many parts of the ancient world were still unsettled. God promised the people of Israel they would possess a rich and fertile country, known as Canaan. He didn’t promise them they could step across its borders without opposition, but He did promise them they would inhabit it—and when God makes a promise, He means it.

Taking God at His Word, the Israelites appointed twelve men to go into Canaan to “spy out the land” and bring back a report. Upon their return, ten spies admitted that the land flowed with milk and honey, and acknowledged that the fruit in Canaan was large and beautiful, but then remarked that the land was full of giants who would be impossible to overcome. They allowed the presence of the giants to detract from the promises of God.

In contrast, Joshua and Caleb brought back good reports, full of faith and confidence in God, and Caleb spoke up with confidence, saying, “Let us go up at once and possess it; we are well able to conquer it” (Numbers 13:30). The ten spies thought the giants in the land were too big to kill, but Joshua and Caleb thought they were too big to miss. Joshua and Caleb were the only two men who were positive in the face of opposition from the giants. They didn’t ignore the challenges, but they did not over-emphasize them—and they were the only two who entered the Promised Land.

The spies who died in the wilderness only saw what was and failed to see what could be. Their negative thinking produced defeatist attitudes and caused them to try to persuade Moses that God’s Word to Israel was not true, that possessing the Promised Land was not really possible.

Being positive does not mean we deny the existence of difficulty; it means we believe God is greater than our difficulties. Believing in God can cause us to win any battle we face. When we are closed to “positive possibilities” we only see what is right in front of us, not what we could see if we would simply be positive and creative.

Train your brain to trust and believe God and to think positive thoughts that are based on His Word. Determine that you will think as Joshua and Caleb did, not as the ten negative spies who never got to enjoy the Promised Land. Choose to see the power available to you through God if you trust Him more than your circumstances. Always remember that nothing is impossible with God!

Think about It

In what specific situation do you need to believe God is greater than your difficulties?

Positive Thinking Encourages Positive Responses

The way we think affects the way we speak, and the way we speak affects the way others respond to us. If you think and speak negatively, you are likely to hear a negative response. The opposite is also true. Positive thoughts and positive speech encourage positive responses.

For example, let’s say you are an overnight guest in someone’s home. Your host says to you just before bedtime, “It’s supposed to be cold tonight, but there are probably enough covers on the bed. You don’t think you’ll need an extra blanket, do you?” Think about it. You would probably respond something like this, “No. Whatever is on the bed should be fine.”

Now, consider this scenario. Your host says to you, “It’s supposed to be cold tonight, so you’ll probably want an extra blanket, won’t you?” Most people in that situation would answer, “Yes.”

I’m sure you can recall many situations in your life in which the way you communicated to someone influenced his or her response to you. I recently heard myself ask a clerk at a checkout counter, “You don’t have a tissue behind the counter, do you?” Of course, she quickly said, “No.” Maybe, if I had asked the question in a positive way, she would have been more diligent to look for one.

The most common type of negativism that draws negative responses from others is what I call the “flat-world attitude.” This happens when a statement is not true, but people believe it based on hearsay, past experience, or what is considered “common knowledge.” Let me explain.

Christopher Columbus believed the world was round. Therefore, he reasoned, if he set sail, he would eventually reach land—previously undiscovered territory—or end up back where he started. The people around Columbus
thought
the world was flat, so when “scholars” and “experts” examined his plans, they said his idea was impossible. Because they believed the world was flat, they assumed he would surely sail off the edge of it and disappear. But Columbus was right. He didn’t fall off the edge of the world, but proved it was round and ended up discovering America in 1492.

During the early 1900s, an impressive array of scientific wizards scoffed at the idea of an airplane. They said, “It is an opium-induced fantasy—a crackpot idea.” Really? Orville and Wilbur Wright didn’t think so, and have gone down in history as the “first in flight.” With similar skepticism toward airplanes, Marshal Ferdinand Foch said in 1911, “Airplanes are interesting toys, but they have no military value.” Foch later became supreme commander of the Allied forces during World War I. Though airplanes were not widely used in the early days of the war, they became increasingly important and Foch and others discovered that they were valuable after all.

Thomas Edison tried to persuade Henry Ford to abandon his fledgling idea of a motor car because he was convinced that it would never work. He said, “Come and work for me and do something really worthwhile.” Although Edison was a great inventor it sounds as if he was only positive about what he could do and rather pessimistic about other people’s ideas. Next time you get in a car to go somewhere, be glad Ford didn’t allow Edison’s negative outlook on automobiles to influence him. Let this example remind you to never let a pessimistic person talk you out of your dreams.

All these people, and thousands of others throughout history, had a “flat-world mentality.” They were convinced certain things could not be done—even though no one had ever tried. I am sure Christopher Columbus, the Wright brothers, and Henry Ford had to be determined to maintain their positive, can-do attitudes. Even though they were surrounded with negativity, they stayed positive and eventually found success. I wonder how much more they might have accomplished had they simply been surrounded with positive encouragement instead of ridicule? There is no telling!

Don’t let someone else’s limited thinking limit you. Negativity can be contagious; you have to pay attention if you don’t want to catch it! Even if you are the only positive person in your family, your social circles, or your work group, be the one with an optimistic attitude and outlook in every situation.

Remember, negative attitudes produce negative responses while positive attitudes encourage positive responses. In the story about Joshua and Caleb, this was certainly true. After the ten spies gave their negative report, the Israelites wept all night and became terribly discouraged (see Numbers 14:1). Those ten men and their bad attitudes caused an entire nation to lose heart and doubt God’s promises.

Then, the Israelites became so negative that they wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb, who were positive (see Numbers 14:10). Similarly, the enemy, often working through other people, likes to silence people with faith-filled, can-do attitudes. Don’t let anyone silence you. Learn to get positive and stay positive in every way.

A soldier was assigned to stand at the end of the chow line and offer apricots to everyone who passed through the line. He decided to test the theory that the way people ask questions impacts the answers they receive. To the first hundred men who came by him, he said, “You don’t want any apricots, do you?” Ninety percent of them said no. To the next hundred men, he said, “Would you like some apricots?” Fifty percent said yes; 50 percent said no. He changed his strategy slightly for the next hundred men, asking them, “Would you like one serving of apricots or two?” Forty percent took two servings and 50 percent took one. By simply changing the way he asked the soldiers about the apricots, he saw a complete turnaround in the percentage of men who took apricots!

Take a lesson from the soldier. Learn to be aware of the way you think and the way you talk to people. Train your mind to think positively toward every situation and train your tongue to speak positively to everyone you meet.

Think about It

Can you remember an occasion when your negative attitude provoked a negative response? How could you have been more positive in that situation?

Positive Thinking Keeps Things in Perspective

As I said in
Chapter 1
, thinking positively helps us keep things in perspective. When we think positively, we avoid “making mountains out of molehills.” Negative thinking tends to blow things out of proportion, viewing them as larger and more difficult than they really are. People who think negatively magnify the unpleasant or undesirable aspects of a situation while failing to see anything good in it. I believe every person’s life and even his circumstance includes more right than wrong and more good than bad if he simply determines to think positively about it and look for the good elements in it. You see, I still believe that God is bigger than the devil!