Imagine student life filled with joy, filled with love, and void of stress. Impossible?
We all feel bad at times. We might worry, feel irked, or blame ourselves or others. Whenever a bad thought arises, we can squelch it. More accurately, we can crowd it out with positivity. According to author and self-professed life coach, Beau Norton, “The key to your success is to increase the percentage of positivity in your mind …. The negative will still be there, but as soon as you hit the tipping point of 51% positivity and 49% negativity, it only gets easier from there” (34%).
If happiness is that simple, why aren’t we all dancing and singing, holding hands while studying? Beau believes that “the mind actually gets pleasure from suffering. It loves to feel like a victim in life. It loves to judge and blame others. It loves to make you feel worthless. It just goes on and on and on with the unhappiness. If it did not love it, why would it keep on doing so” (64%).
There is a war bursting in our minds: bad thoughts versus good ones. The bad thoughts seem to attack us effortlessly. The good thoughts we are forced to shape and groom with sweat and toil. “One common error is to blame the past for our negative feelings in the present. You might think you are the way you are because of how you were raised, or because of some traumatic event that happened to you in the distant past. You must recognize that these explanations only serve to keep you in victim mode” (49%).
Avoid blaming others or holding grudges. “When you blame your past for your current problems, you make yourself powerless to solve those problems, because you can’t change the past! The past is a learning tool only” (52%). And as students, we are masters of learning. Let us look to past issues as learning grounds only—ones void of grudges.
Send out love and forgiveness, not blame and grudges. Own and learn from hardships. Drop all ego. Once we do all these things, positives snowball. Positivity can lead to migraines healed, anxiety cured, diseases reversed, and relationships lasting. But purely positive thinking takes discipline. “Well, then, you must dedicate yourself to feeding your mind only the highest quality thoughts” (66%).
So, how do we fill our minds with positivity? Here are baby steps to help you gear your mind for pure positivity:
First, “Read at least 15 minutes of inspirational material every day” (34%). The more uplifting materials you read, the more positivity that appears. Machine learning on the Web is partly responsible. For example, the more books you seek on the keyword “enlightenment,” the more Google ads target you on the keyword. Soon you’ll be seeing ads for meditation retreats, essential oils, yoga classes, Jewish ministry courses, and Amazon spiritual books. But the same is true for the reverse. The moment you step into the dark side, the more Google ads lure you down the path of suffering.
Second, “listen to inspirational or educational audiobooks instead of the radio whenever you are in the car” (37%). I used to play Buddhist CD’s on loop while I slept. I wound up memorizing many passages while snoozing. Imagine playing audio recordings of your textbook while you sleep? You could record textbook sections and link them together in the free Audacity software. Instead of lunch and learn, you can sleep and learn.
Third, “Set aside times throughout the day to daydream and imagine the life you want to live” (39%). Spend just 60 seconds imagining framing your degree, getting accepted into grad school, or winning scholarships.
Fourth, “plan your perfect life and write it down on paper” (39%). Don’t hold back. Change yourself completely. Your current self is based on habits, many good, but some bad. Imagine that you’ve changed every bad habit into its opposite positive. Who would you be like then? Write down who the perfect you might be.
Fifth, “record positive affirmations onto an audio track with relaxing music and listen to them on repeat whenever possible” (39%). Record affirmations such as, “I am perfect, whole, and complete just as I am. I am an expression of Divine perfection. I am a bundle of positive energy, expressing only joy, love, and peace. I am unlimited, infinite, and not subject to labels or judgements placed upon me. I am the witness of my life, aware of thoughts and feelings but unaffected by them. I am loved, for I am Love” (68%). Turn these affirmations around so they apply to people in your life: they are perfect, whole, and complete just as they are; they are not subject to labels or judgements placed upon them. I like to see others as blameless and perfect; I believe people only stumble when they need to learn a life lesson. Affirmations such as these keep me happy and anxiety-free.
Sixth, “view personal development as fulfilling in and of itself, or else you will never stick with it. You have to love it and enjoy the process. It’s not all about achieving goals” (42%). For personal development, I meditate to a near death experience clip while sending love to people in my life. I also like to pray for loved ones between breaths. But you may not be religious. If not, simply think love-filled thoughts about people in your life. It’s free therapy.
Lastly, if bad thoughts arise, know that they are not you. Turn them around before they multiply. Block them with positives. Never feel guilty for a bad thought that enters your mind, but swiftly turn it to an uplifting thought. Forgiveness offers a wonderful means of freeing the mind. So do selflessness, gratitude, service, and accountability.
Then you’ll reach the tipping point where the positive fills your headspace.
References
Norton, Beau. (2016). Prosperity Consciousness: How to Stop Negative Thinking Forever and Start Manifesting Abundance Today. PerfectlyatPeace.com. E-book.
[This column is for interest and entertainment purposes only. The author is not medically trained or certified and you should always seek professional advice from a qualified practitioner before embarking on significant lifestyle changes for your well-being]
