How far can posative thinking take you?

Jarod

Jarod

Well-known member
Contributor
For those of you who are belivers in posative thinking, how far can that take you?

Clearly you cant just lay in bed and think you will grow rich and have it happen. But It seems to me plenty of people, from my perspective, act illresponsabily using posative thinking as an excuse. But it seems to work!

How far can it take you? Can you just spend and spend, as long as you think posativly about your financial future?
 
Jarod said:
For those of you who are belivers in posative thinking, how far can that take you?

Clearly you cant just lay in bed and think you will grow rich and have it happen. But It seems to me plenty of people, from my perspective, act illresponsabily using posative thinking as an excuse. But it seems to work!

How far can it take you? Can you just spend and spend, as long as you think posativly about your financial future?
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Quite clearylas history has now proven... NO. Individuals and corporations and even governments need to stay within certain spending constraints.
Or pay the price.
 
Consider the number of senior citizens that die soon after their spouse does, and for no real reason other than natural causes.

That would be the ultimate example of negative thinking. So positive thinking can do as much in the opposite direction.

I do not believe that it makes money fall into your hands. But it makes your life better, happier and more full. It makes you healthier, which is very good financially. And it makes your mental outlook much better, which enables you to avoid problems or fix them while they are still small.

I would say positive thinking is one of the most important aspects of a good life.
 
Positive action is also necessary with the thought as well as realism.

If I think that this site, for instance, will make me millions and do nothing to gain membership and draw, well. I will think it for a long, long time.
 
Solitary said:
Consider the number of senior citizens that die soon after their spouse does, and for no real reason other than natural causes.

That would be the ultimate example of negative thinking. So positive thinking can do as much in the opposite direction.

I do not believe that it makes money fall into your hands. But it makes your life better, happier and more full. It makes you healthier, which is very good financially. And it makes your mental outlook much better, which enables you to avoid problems or fix them while they are still small.

I would say positive thinking is one of the most important aspects of a good life.
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But cant being unrealistically posative be unhealthy also?
 
Damocles said:
Positive action is also necessary with the thought as well as realism.

If I think that this site, for instance, will make me millions and do nothing to gain membership and draw, well. I will think it for a long, long time.
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So how do you know where to set the posativity volume? I am surrounded by posative people, but they are very unrealistic, to the point where it is costing them, and me money.
 
If you run westward looking for a sunrise, no matter how positive you are, it won't happen.
 
Jarod said:
So how do you know where to set the posativity volume? I am surrounded by posative people, but they are very unrealistic, to the point where it is costing them, and me money.
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Again, you set it in realistic goals. It's easy to pretend you believe a million dollars will drop in your lap, but that isn't positive thinking, it's daydreaming.

Positive thinking is coupled with setting goals and then taking action to work towards the goal. It isn't just sitting around thinking happy, happy thoughts.
 
Sure, you can be unrealistically positive. But that sounds more like being delusional than it does believing in positive thinking.
 
Solitary said:
Sure, you can be unrealistically positive. But that sounds more like being delusional than it does believing in positive thinking.
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So where is the line between delusional and positive thinking. I am often told, by people I belive to be delusional that I just need to be more posative.
 
Jarod said:
So where is the line between delusional and positive thinking. I am often told, by people I belive to be delusional that I just need to be more posative.
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Again, you are mistaking the term. Positive thinking isn't just thinking joy-joy thoughts and drinking banana shakes.
 
Jarod said:
So where is the line between delusional and positive thinking. I am often told, by people I belive to be delusional that I just need to be more posative.
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You have to make that determination for yourself. You have to believe that what you're being positive about is reasonable and possible, and that you're capable of doing what you need to do to bring about whatever goals you set for yourself. That's positive, not delusional.
 
Thorn said:
You have to make that determination for yourself. You have to believe that what you're being positive about is reasonable and possible, and that you're capable of doing what you need to do to bring about whatever goals you set for yourself. That's positive, not delusional.
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A manic person thinks that way all the time and never gets anywhere with it.
 
Thorn said:
You have to make that determination for yourself. You have to believe that what you're being positive about is reasonable and possible, and that you're capable of doing what you need to do to bring about whatever goals you set for yourself. That's positive, not delusional.
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I don't think that line can ever be truly drawn.

You cannot run toward the west and stay in the sunlight.

But in 1955 you certainly could not go to the moon.

Anyone who imagined the level home computers have reached would have been called delusional just a few decades ago.

So the limits we place on ourselves can be what sets the limits.




I think the balance is to be positive in what you seek and where you are going, and be able to accept failure or accept not reaching a goal. And at the same time keep trying.


One of my favorite quotes is "YOu can quit the race as many times as you like, as long as you don't stop running". (or something like that)
 
Damocles said:
Again, you are mistaking the term. Positive thinking isn't just thinking joy-joy thoughts and drinking banana shakes.
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Real example, I had a case that I thought was unwinable. I still worked very hard on it, I prepped the hell out of it. I was told when I pled with those who make the decisions to settle the case that I was being too negative. I was told that there was no way I would win unless I was more posative about it.

No matter how hard I tried I could not belive we were going to win. I did a great job on the trial, hit every point and prepared for every bit.... Alas, We lost. It seems those who were telling me to be positave belive its my fault for having not thought posative enough.
 
People call me a pesismist, I am a realist.

Pretending everything is rosy is not in me.
 
Jarod said:
People call me a pesismist, I am a realist.

Pretending everything is rosy is not in me.
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I an am optimist. An old gf of mine once told me that some people thinks its a matter of seeing the glass half full or half empty, but that I saw I had plenty of water, the glass was just too big.


I think the best thing positive thinking does is reduce the stress and keep you looking upward and onward.

I couldn't see living any other way.
 
Solitary said:
I an am optimist. An old gf of mine once told me that some people thinks its a matter of seeing the glass half full or half empty, but that I saw I had plenty of water, the glass was just too big.


I think the best thing positive thinking does is reduce the stress and keep you looking upward and onward.

I couldn't see living any other way.
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Well, unless you take it too far, I can see what you are saying.

How does one go about changing from a realist viewpoint to an optomistic one?
 
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