{"id":39163,"date":"2016-03-05T21:03:16","date_gmt":"2016-03-06T05:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=39163"},"modified":"2016-03-08T11:56:14","modified_gmt":"2016-03-08T19:56:14","slug":"3-ways-positive-thinking-can-go-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-ways-positive-thinking-can-go-wrong\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways Positive Thinking Can Go Wrong (and what to do about it)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Have you ever heard of Murphy\u2019s Law<\/a>? To put it in simple words, it says: if something can go wrong, it will go wrong.<\/p>\n

Some may argue that this is pessimistic and negative, that we should be positive and think positively in order to live a happy life. After all, some will argue that it’s proven that positive thinking has many benefits…<\/p>\n

Well, I have some news for you, sometimes you have to ditch positive thinking<\/a> and listen to Murphy when he tells you that things will go wrong.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re not careful enough, positive thinking can be the worst thing you ever do in your self-improvement journey, and before you jump to conclusions, let me explain.<\/p>\n

I heard about Murphy\u2019s Law the first time from Jim Rohn, one of the best speakers on the planet\u00a0by the way, and it turned out that he wasn\u2019t fond of\u00a0positive thinking that much.<\/p>\n

He used to describe it like going to your garden and saying \u201cthere\u2019s no weeds!\u201d, while in fact there is and there will always be weeds and you need to deal with them.<\/p>\n

Sure enough Jim Rohn was a mentor of Tony Robbins<\/a>, and Tony used to say it directly that he thinks positive thinking is garbage!!<\/p>\n

And to be honest, they have a point. Positive thinking can go wrong<\/a>, it even can be very dangerous.<\/p>\n

Now away from my own personal opinions, and away from what Jim Rohn or Tony Robbins have said, let\u2019s take a reality check to see how positive thinking can go REALLY wrong.<\/p>\n

It’s not about the “3 points” below, it’s more about the mentality behind positive thinking and how it can seriously makes us miserable instead of happy and positive.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go.<\/p>\n

Here are 3 ways positive thinking can be bad for you.<\/h2>\n

1. Pain Can Be Your Best Drive<\/h3>\n

Sometimes you have to face the negativity, you need to feel that pain in order to get mad enough and start change.<\/p>\n

Instead of putting the best scenario possible and thinking positively about your outcome, you need to put the worst scenario and really feel the consequences in order to freak out and do something.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just think positively about the fact that you don\u2019t have a job, doing that will allow you to escape some pain, but it\u2019s the same pain that you need to get yourself out there and do something about your situation.<\/p>\n

Facing the ugly truth is the key, because fear (which is a pain) is the greatest motivator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Pain<\/a>If a thieve is planning to rob your house, will you just sit there and think positively that the cops will deal with it?<\/p>\n

Not a good idea, you better start securing your house and be prepared.<\/p>\n

2. Sometimes It\u2019s Not Possible<\/h3>\n

You can think positively about the fact that you\u2019re broke, maybe even about the fact that you\u2019re not happy at the moment, but positive thinking has its limit.<\/p>\n

When you face major life problems, in other words when the pain is too much that you can\u2019t even see a positive side, trying to think positively during these times won\u2019t work<\/a>, and it even can backfire as we\u2019re going to see below.<\/p>\n

Why?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like you\u2019re trying to manipulate your own mind, your mind is watching all hell breaks loose and you\u2019re trying to convince it that there\u2019s a positive side here, it won\u2019t believe you!<\/p>\n

And by \u201cmajor life problems\u201d I mean crises and tragedies, like the death of a loved one \u2013god forbids. It\u2019s nearly impossible to think positively there.<\/p>\n

3. You\u2019re Ruining The Relationship Between \u201cYou\u201d And \u201cYour Brain\u201d!<\/h3>\n

Your mind is always watching you and monitoring your behavior, and the worst thing you can ever do is to not be honest with your own self.<\/p>\n

As we said above, trying to pretend that the pain is not there, while the pain is actually there and it\u2019s intolerable, will result in making your mind mad.<\/p>\n

Because your mind has a mission, it wants to be aware of the pain to do something about it. It\u2019s like a child who relies on you to comfort him, and by positive thinking you don\u2019t even want to see the ugly negative side your brain is trying to make you aware of.<\/p>\n

This can result in conflicts between you and your own mind, and as a result makes your mind unable to trust your own decisions and actions.<\/p>\n

And yes, this can happen, it\u2019s like when someone lies (or promise to take care of you, but don\u2019t) and you don\u2019t trust him anymore, it\u2019s the same, but now it\u2019s from within.<\/p>\n

What to do instead?<\/h2>\n

Here\u2019s a better strategy:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Be honest with yourself (see things as they are and take responsibility for them).<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Hard work.<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Persistence.<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Flexibility.<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Faith.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s it, this is a better strategy than positive thinking<\/a>, it\u2019s more into building the character and developing some work ethics.<\/p>\n

You basically be honest with yourself about your situation<\/a>, you don\u2019t try to make it better by thinking positively, you feel the pain in order to do something about it.<\/p>\n

Further reading:<\/p>\n