From Inspired Startup
I can appreciate books like “Think and Grow Rich” and “The Secret” and the other books that highlight the power of positive thinking. However, I know people that take it just a little too far and focus a little bit too much on positive thinking that they forget that the world does not and has never revolved around them. I just don’t buy that believing and building a mental picture of a red bike will lead to a red bike appearing. Honestly, I don’t even think it’s the right mental picture to strive for. Life in this world does not revolve around me and it does not revolve around you. After coming back from Central America and getting to know an impoverished community over seven years and committing to working with the community for the past four, I’m even more convinced that success in this lifetime comes from our ability to think positively about others or growing a bigger vision about others. Again, it’s not intuitive, but it’s true. If all you and I think about is how we make a fast buck and nothing bigger than that, we will ultimately fail. However, if our dreams are about others and our success becomes a means to an end to doing that – we will be successful.
The problem with positive thinking – rather positive thinking just about yourself is that even the most positive thinkers during this economic downturn suffered some tremendous losses. There was just too much irrational exuberance by the talking heads and authors that wrote that their success was all due to their ability to think big and positively. Sure, some of it was due to that, but a variety of external factors also played a large role including a huge bull market. Failure these days is in large part also due to external factors. Why put so much stock in “positive thinking” when so much of success/failure is due to external factors? Put it another way, is positive thinking self-delusional? I posit that success truly comes from a vision beyond yourself and execution – the ability to actually go out and do it rather than just thinking about it. You do have a choice between positive and negative thinking, it should always be positive thinking, but it should never be the sole motivation for success.
That ends my rant for books and speakers that justify their existence by saying it just takes positive thinking for success, I think it’s just plain dangerous – what do you think?
About nathan kaiser
It may seem strange to find someone who sells tools for positive thinking and motivation saying this, but I totally agree with you – much of the stuff peddled on the subject is dangerous nonsense, and has nothing whatsoever to do with what positive thinking is actually about.
If all you do is sit around enjoying pleasant thoughts about a red bike, all you’ll get is… pleasant thoughts about a red bike.
TRUE positive thinking requires that you picture the red bike, tell yourself you can and will achieve one, visualize it in great detail and get excited at the prospect of owning one – then use that feeling as the motivation to get out there and WORK for it.
Positive thinking is an inspiration, not a magic wand. It’s not primarily about material goods – they come as the reward for taking positive action.
True positive thinking involves making a difference – TO yourself (making the most of all your skills and talents) and FOR others (using those skills to supply some kind of need).
Meet enough of other people’s needs, and the rewards will come – that’s business.
Real positive thinking NEVER leads to rash financial decisions. I have no patience with people who take out loans they can’t cover to buy products they don’t need, then tell you that they’re “thinking positive” when the final demands start coming in.
If you want a thing you can’t afford, true positive thinking tells you to wait until you can, and motivates you to work, save, and get a real kick out of your progress towards achieving it – and when you get it, you have the added satisfaction of the knowledge that you’ve truly earned it.
Positive thinking is the energy that powers self-improvement and achievement – it is not some kind of substitute. The famous words, “I think, therefore I am” have to be coupled with their counterpart – “I do, therefore I achieve”.
True positive thinking is never about greed, either – in fact, it advocates giving 10% (in money, or in time spent helping others) to those in need.
Nothing will more powerfully convince your inner mind that you’re a self-respecting, decent person who deserves to get the things you’re working for… and without that core belief and the actions it inspires, all the shallow nonsense peddled in the name of positive thinking is a total waste of time.