Sydney:

Hello Stephen:

More positive or less negative? A great question and one I face right now.

My business is about the stock market and depends greatly on the psychology of potential clients. As we all know, that is decidedly negative right now and stocks are likely to be a dirty word for some years. It is difficult to think positively about my business which is a shame for my potential readers and clients; I believe that, if approached correctly, this is the best time in years to be buying up pieces of half-priced companies. But that’s another story.

I, like many others, have had to face the positive/negative question seriously in recent times. At first, I went through a day or two of feeling really down as I thought of the past two-plus years I had apparently wasted and the fact that my new website was likely to have been a further waste of time.

But I never stay down long. I thought about all the things I have learned in these years: website design, marketing and marketing psychology, videography and editing, and a huge variety of other things. Anyone reading this post knows what I mean.

And I can still write, I haven’t lost my public speaking talent, I’m still ‘young’ at 75, I’m too stubborn to quit — ever and some of the time I am reasonably intelligent (except, like you, when I was younger!).

So I decided to stop being down, get off the mat, and fight. I cannot change the economy but I can find something else to do in *this* economy. To that end, I bought into your program and one other, deciding to immerse myself in both. People still buy things and my next job is to find out *what* and to then provide it in a more focused and service-minded way than anyone else.

So your question is answered. I had to discipline myself to be less negative so I could then focus on being more positive. I now have high hopes for my future in the near term. In part, I have you to thank for that.

Sorry if I have been too long-winded but your question really hit home.

Sydney

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Christine Hiebel:

Definitely thinking more positively…. focusing on what you do not want brings more of that! It is like KNOWING there is abundance instead of not wanting bills and debt!

Thanks for asking!
Christine
http://www.PassionParent.com

[Reply]

Jimmi:

Hi Stephen

Nice talkback and I think that you are absolutely right. It is important to put our attention where we are actually able to make some changes and not allow ourselves to subcome to any negative external circumstances.
I think that it is especially important to have that focus during these hard times.

To answer your question I would say that trying to be more positive is the way to go. Becaise any attempt to surpress my own negativity in the past has failed misserably. – Put your Fokus where you want to go is what I say.

Kind regards

Jimmi

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Joseph Chmielewski:

I believe that controlling the negative is more important.

In fact, I wrote two recent articles in my August (8-31-08) newsletter for teachers on this subject.

These were entitled:

* Steps to Controlling your Thoughts, Self-Talk and Emotions

* Build an Invisible Teflon®, Flack-Jacket, Stormy-Day Suit

Besides controlling negative self-talk, we need to control negative environmental noise and diminish (or eliminate those negative voices in our circle of acquaintances).

On the other hand, one way that we control negative thoughts and negative self-talk is by substituting positive statements, ideas and comments for each negative one that we encounter.

Still other techniques involve using sensory processing and visual imagery (Multiple Intelligences, preferred Learning Styles) to distort the negative, make the negative hilarious, and reframe the negative into more productive and self-affirming beliefs.

Additional techniques involve exploring the negative from a state of deep relaxation so that when reliving and re-experiencing past negative situations, we replay with no reaction of any kind. This technique is called “Creative Revision.”

I appreciate your help.

You communicate a caring for others and a desire to help that is congruent and genuine.

I suspect that the wealth that the Universe supplies to you is only a fraction of the prosperity that you have given to others.

Thanks for your focus on helping others.

To find my two articles, visit…

http://www.classroomtoolkit.net/serendipity

Then, search for the August 2008 postings.
Twitter: socialpromotion

[Reply]

salah abdulhadi:

mr pierce, l order your free book several days ago but l have not receive it as of today (11/01/08}. please help. thanks

[Reply]

Georjina:

Great message Stephen, as always.
In the 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, there is a section on the circle of influence that covers choices. You reminded me to ‘go back to the basics’ when it comes to my own mindset.

You’re right, you can’t control the economy or other people. The only real control you have is over your own mind, your own thoughts.

Thinking less negative is my way of handling those things I don’t have any control over (which is just about everything on this planet!:))

How to do that? Hope for the best, plan for the worse and shoot straight down the middle. Works for me:)

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Margaret Ida:

Thinking more positively is definitely more valuable. The law of attraction tell us that focusing on what we are doing with negative thinking will bring us more of what we are focusing on. If you focus on thinking positively, that will bring more of it to you – and, incidentally, leave less time and energy to devote to the negatives you don’t want anyway.

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