Power of thought—or, the power over thoughts—has the ability to turn a bad situation into a good one. We truly don’t have control over our circumstances, yet we do have ultimate control over how we respond.

I was speaking with a friend last night who told me about a year of major challenges he’s faced. It began with his mother’s cancer diagnosis, was followed by financial challenges, and then was followed by family challenges. He would get up every morning in despair, absolutely dreading the day. Thankfully, he got into action and he chose to engage in therapy where the therapist used positive psychology, explaining that our thoughts and reactions to them can either improve a situation or make it worse.

He began using positive affirmations and started reminding himself of the good in his life, asking himself kindly, “How is being sad going to help? It’s only going to send me further into despair.”

He said it took about 6 months, yet after that it became a habit. It’s been 5 years, and since then he has had the tools so that any time he sees his mind going down a negative path, he says, “No, no, no, we aren’t going there, it’s not going to help.”

I asked him how he stays accountable to the process, and he told me that he looks at it as a daily activity and not any longer than that. When it wasn’t working or when he didn’t feel fixed, he reminded himself that he isn’t worse off for practicing his positive affirmations.

This isn’t meant to blame anyone for their sadness, as depression cannot always be cured or diminished through thoughts alone; sometimes medication is important and needed. Additionally, this isn’t easy to accomplish. It’s a huge task and a huge accomplishment. Yet as hard as it is, it’s simple all the same.

When you are down, try and have a positive thought. Remind yourself that it can’t hurt and maybe it will help. This week, I’m going to do my best to think positively, to strive for progress, not perfection, and I ask that you try and do the same.

Accountability, Community, Unconditional Love

Asher

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I want to remind all of you that you can hear more on my podcast, Showing Up. We have lots of amazing shows with interesting guests on a variety of personal development topics. It would be great if you could also rate 5 stars, review and subscribe to the show. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/showing-up-with-asher-gottesman/id1489856285y

Posted in Thought of the Week