We would never lose to others, situations, or circumstances, and what we really lose is our positive mindsets. That is why positive mindsets generate success. Mindset or attitude determines your energy, enthusiasm, inspiration, gratefulness, confidence, motivation, passion, thoughts, and success. Positive people are open to new options and ideas without limiting themselves to rigid opinions, styles, and models. Positive thinking creates the momentum to see the world in a brighter light, not as negative and dark, from a different point of view, not a narrow-minded rule.
Are you the kind of person who finds beauty in the bad, bright light in a dark hole, or the red thread that connects the worst situations to a greater and better cause? You have a positive mindset if your answer is YES. Are you taking everything seriously all the time without shifting your mindset? Are you losing hope in life when your well-being is at stake physically or financially? Can you forgive those for hurting you intentionally? You have a negative mindset if your answer is YES to each of these questions.
A positive mindset is a state of seeing the bigger picture in life without thinking about the worst situation all the time; or the art of being aware of an objective viewpoint during a troublesome circumstance. Most successful people do not allow problems to get out of control because they know how to avoid the trouble before it occurs through reality checks, strategic planning, visionary review, efficient approach, and careful adjustment. People with positive wisdom can always figure things out with an optimistic spirit and realistic mentality. The combination of maturity, optimism, realism, self-esteem, solution-based approach, and long-term goal plays a critical role in a successful life.
Serious thinking is an unhealthy habit because it might make the situation intense or complicated. Worrying does not change a situation, only facing it with a positive attitude can open the door to possible solutions. Negative thought spirals people into anxious attempts and mental attacks, and positive thinking calms down the internal battles. A negative mindset is a captain on a ship in a deadly ocean storm, while the positive one is the lighthouse in the dark ocean. Positive people smile in the rain without crying out and enjoy every moment of life without anxious expectations.
Let's see an example. I know a graduate student in mathematics at the University of California, Berkeley. I use his pseudonym, Nick, to protect his privacy. One day, Nick went to his math class late and found two math problems on the board. He noted down the problems as homework. Nick tried very hard to solve them, but it was too difficult to find the answers. He did not give up and kept pushing himself for several nights without sleep. Finally, Nick found the answers. He gave the answers to the professor the next day, and the professor could not believe that his student solved these two math problems. These problems were not homework; they were the two significant problems that challenge many mathematicians in the world without solutions so far. Nick solved both problems in just a few sleepless days. "If I knew they were two unsolved math problems, I probably would not have even tried to solve them," Nick said to the professor. Positive thinking can stimulate your mind to reach great potential.
I would like you to do a pop quiz now to test your positive mindset. Could you find a way to flip the negative script into a positive interpretation for each situation below?
Negative scripts:
1. You are under a liquid that contains a wide variety of poisonous chemicals.
2. You are violently struggling with someone who controls you and who throws you out of an airplane.
3. Your physical body is aching with burning sensations.
4. A needle is inserted into your body repeatedly and slowly.
5. You kill an attacker, and your blood is mixed with the remains of your victim.
6. Your friend tells you, quite seriously, "You are going to die hard. Watch out."
7. You are dying because you can hardly breathe. Suddenly you feel the worst pain in your entire life.
Positive interpretation for your reference:
1. You swim in a pool just cleaned with chlorine and other highly diluted chemicals.
2. You are a stunt person acting on a movie production set.
3. You are training yourself in a gym, trying for the burn to get fit.
4. You are getting acupuncture.
5. You swat a mosquito.
6. Your friend warns you about a newly released thriller movie with incredible special effects in horrible styles.
7. You are being born, and the doctor spanks you to make you breathe.
Further insights:
What is the critical factor for you to interpret a situation, imagination, or context?
How do words affect your neutrality in a situation? How often do you allow your judgment to overpower reality before interpreting a situation? Would you be more aloof or scientific before concluding a situation? Do you often let your instincts be more positive or negative? Can you shift any tragic situation to a positive and flexible event? Have you ever told white lies in your life to comfort others? How often do you use a false interpretation to make yourself feel better? Would you mind trying to answer these questions honestly to yourself? It is time to sit quietly and reflect internally.