In a recent blog entry, I talked about an invitation made by a coach I know to spend 30 days without thinking any negative thoughts. I said I wanted to do that because I could see how it would profoundly change my life. I was also aware of how frequently I fall into negative thinking – sometimes consciously but often unconsciously. I said I would start with 30-minute intervals and go from there.

I have discovered something interesting. When I am doing what I love to do, what I am passionate about, or even something that just totally captures my interest (like working on a jigsaw puzzle), I don’t have negative thoughts. I am too full of positive, creative, constructive energy. So as long as I am in that state, whether that is 30 minutes or three hours, I am accomplishing my goal. However, when I am stressed, fearful or unhappy, all the negative thoughts come rushing back. So it’s not about what I think so much as how I feel that determines my positive or negative outlook.

And how I feel depends on how I interpret the facts of my life. For example, if there is $150 in my bank account, what do I tell myself? I could be grateful because it’s not zero or negative. I could be afraid because it’s not enough to pay my rent. Or I could be neutral because it’s just a number, nothing more. If I’m going to assign meaning to something, why not choose a meaning that makes me feel positive, leading to positive thoughts, which leads to changing my life? So I’m going to feel gratitude, and appreciation, and joy, and compassion, and love – and keep on thinking those positive thoughts. How about you? Enjoy!