5 Ways to Get Rid of ‘Stinkin Thinkin’

Want to change your life for the better? Well then, get rid of "Stinkin' Thinkin'.

Several years ago, I attended a seminar called "No Bad Days", and it was quite an eye-opener for me. At first, when I heard the title of the seminar, I was skeptical to say the least. Who is this guy to tell me there's no such thing as a "bad day."

Still, I went and listened and the more Bruce Hamilton talked, the more sense he made. I walked away realizing that he was right on the money. There's no such thing as a "bad day." Now, granted, we can have some pretty dicey moments in any given day and the point of the talk was not to "just pretend everything is rosy."

I left that seminar with a whole different attitude about my life and the way I approach problems and those "dicey moments." I also left with a real determination to put into practice what I learned from Bruce that day and it really changed my who attitude.

If you read my article on living with depression, you know that I can sometimes have problems with my attitude, but I still fully believe that there are things you, and you alone can do, to deal with a case of the "cant's"

1. Choose to be Positive - In any given situation, it's up to you how to react to that situation. If you find yourself being reactive instead of proactive, you can turn that around. of course it will take some time to do away with a negative knee-jerk reaction, but if you pause for a few moments and think of how you can at least make the situation better, you're on your way! Think of the problem as a challenge and your much more likely to actually solve the problem instead of dwelling on all the bad things about the problem.

It helps to write down the problem and analyze it. Sometimes, the mere act of writing down the problem will make it far less scary. Once you've written it down, you be amazed at just how much you may be blowing the problem out of proportion.

2.Dump that Baggage - We've all heard of people that have "too much baggage", right? Well, I hate to break it to you, but a big part of your baggage could be some of the people in your life. yeah, this is a tough one, but if you decide your going to be more positive in your life, you can't surround yourself with negative people. You're going to have to take a giant step forward and distance yourself from negative people. I know that means you might have to distance yourself from some "friends", but those so-called friends could be poisoning your attitude. A group of negative thinkers never solved a single problem.

3. Positive Attracts Positive - Just like there is good in most people, there is also good in most situations. Once you've trained yourself to think from a positive point of view, you'll be amazed how often you can find that little nugget of good in just about everything. Again, this takes some stepping back and being totally objective about those situations. Once you've done that, you'll be amazed how often a solution to the problem presents itself. Sometimes, all you might get to take away from a bad situation is the fact that you learned what not to do. That, itself is a good thing.

Let me paraphrase a story about Thomas Edison. It's said that Edison was approached by a reporter who pointed out that the inventor, in the process of inventing the light bulb, failed time after time. Without missing a beat Edison informed the reporter that he had never failed once. He had discovered several ways not to make a light bulb.

4. Build Yourself Up - It's okay to tell yourself that you're good, that you're worthy of happiness and peace of mind. Don't look in the mirror and wring your hands over things you can't change. Each morning, give yourself a good strong pat on the back. Envision yourself reaching your goals. We all have shortcomings. Don't dwell on those shortcomings. You know when you're good at something and you need to concentrate on your positives not your negatives. Let me give you a little hint on this one: Almost all the negatives are things you can change.

5. Share Your New Attitude - We've all heard the phrase, "It's better to give than to receive." Well, that old saying is true when it comes to attitude. The more you share your new found attitude, you'll find that it will serve to increase your power to think positively. Basically, this step is no more than leading by example. You're much more likely to change other people's attitudes when you set an example. Setting an example is much more effective than all the proselytizing you could do in a lifetime. As you set the example, you'll also be reinforcing it in yourself.

All these steps have one very simple concept in common. They all stem from steps you can take. You can't always control situations, but your mindset is strictly up to you and that, my friends, is something over which you do have control. It's one of the few things we can control completely. It's your mind. make it your friend instead of your harshest critic. I promise you can do it.