In this world it’s often promoted that everyone should just “follow their dreams”. And so, it’s quite easy to get carried away without realizing what it is some people may actually be following. “It can happen when you believe,” they say. “Just think positive.” Think positive? Okay, I’m thinking positive right now. I think that I’m positively going to become a billionaire by the end of writing this article. I also think everyone who reads it is going to agree with me on why thinking positive is absolute horse manure. What a way to think, isn’t it?
Is Thinking Positive Hypocrisy?
Now, as someone who thrives on positive thinking it can seem hypocritical that I am taking a stance against the very thing that has fueled me for so many years. After all, you can’t reach anywhere in this world if you consistently consume yourself with negative thoughts and emotions. No amount of “I can’t do this” or “I’m going to fail” is going to help you reach any closer to your ultimate goals. You need to think positive to get the ball rolling. This I agree with. What I don’t believe in is “thinking positive” being a panacea for all of the world’s problems.
When you think about something it does not corporeally put it into existence. Your thoughts are like manure; they are only good enough to facilitate the planting of seeds. But without daily watering and exposure to sunlight no amount of soil will significantly enhance them. You need to surround your seeds with everything possible that will ensure they blossom. And when they bloom you should then be free to reap your fruits.
Thinking Positive is the starting point
Thinking positive is just a starting point. Like fertilizer, good thoughts can help you kick-start your growth and development but it’s what you do afterwards that counts. Many people will say this is common sense. But what isn’t common sense is seeing millions upon millions of people continue to “think positive” and do nothing else.
A dog gets hits by a car and someone says, “Think positive, she’ll be alright.” Someone loses his job and has to hear, “Think positive. It will work out.” And my personal favorite is when someone asks you if you’re single and you happily respond with a yes. And then they immediately reply, “Just think positive. I’m sure you’ll find someone soon.”
Think Positive, but act soon
People use the phrase, “think positive” so often that it’s probably now more subliminally seen as a placebo effect. The frightening part is that it’s uncertain just how many people see it this way. But it’s certain that unless you act on your positive thoughts, thinking positive means nothing. Yes, thinking positive is the foundation required for you to follow your dreams. But you should eventually want to accomplish them at some point.
Many people continue to think positive and not act on their thoughts because it’s the easier of both to do. It’s quite effortless to “console” someone by telling them how to think. But actually thinking further to the point that you can offer them advice that is actionable is more difficult. It would even be better if you can do something more; you would want to do something that practically encourages them to think enough to find solutions on their own.
As the illustrious Chinese proverb goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” Even giving a man a fish may sometimes be more useful than just telling a man to imagine eating good fish. This is the sort of philosophy that more people need to be taught.
Beyond positive thinking
If all you’re doing in this life is “thinking positive” and encouraging others to do the same, it’s worth considering that what you may really be doing is nothing at all. In some cases you could be making things worse. Because the more people continue to only “think their life away”, less will accept reality for what it is. They will never fully grasp what is truly required to obtain a positive life. If thinking positive was the answer we would have long fixed many of the world’s problems. We would have had a publicly available cure for aids; all crimes would go away and no one would ever again get divorced.
What can be taken away from all of this is that as good as it is to think positive, it’s better (and needed!) to know that you can indeed reach as far as you think you can. But this can only be achieved with the right and timely actions to support it. This is the best way to ensure that you “plant seeds”. But once again, this in itself would not lead you to any great success. Anything else you believe causes this concept to cease from being horse manure and quickly enters the realm of bullsh*t!
