The Power of Positive Thinking

The Power of Positive Thinking

You must ask yourself, “is the glass half-empty or half-full?” Asking this question will certainly gage your outlook on life and your attitude towards yourself, and whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist.  What people don’t realize is that optimism and pessimism can affect your overall health and well-being. Positive thinking is a key element of effective stress management and is associated with many health benefits. The power that positive thinking has on the human mind and body is unmatched by any time you spend in the gym.  It has always been said that “It could always be worse” for one reason or another to encourage people to think positively about their situation. You have to be healthy mentally before you can be healthy physically.  Scientists will tell you that the glass is neither half full nor half empty, it is either filled with water or air. Philosophers like Aristotle, Gandhi, and even Helen Keller have also had valid points to say simply, ‘be positive’.

Aristotle says “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light”. This means something because, as a service member, we hear and see about an abundance of violence, but also we see light and hope. We bring hope to those that are oppressed in Afghanistan and Africa and we provide relief efforts for those in Haiti and Japan from Tsunamis and earthquakes and other natural disasters. We see the amount of hope we bring to those that need it and that’s why we do what we do. If you adopt a positive attitude you teach yourself to expect success. The people that accept positive thinking as their way of life see results just by believing in its effectiveness. Gandhi was the leader of the nonviolent civil disobedience movements in India. He had a vision of his country being free by epitomizing peacefulness and truth in all situations. He led by example and moved many by being so profoundly diplomatic. Gandhi said it right when he said “A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes”. Meaning, thinking positively will help you overcome everyday problems and will have you acting positively, making the best of every situation.  

Take Helen Keller as another example. She overcame such odds and still held onto her faith in herself.  “Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties”.  By that she means that positive thinking can overcome even the toughest of obstacles. She was deaf, blind, and mute and still learned how to read Braille, went to school to learn how to speak and later on became a famous public speaker and an advocate for the disabled. She was elected to be in the Women’s Hall of fame and was awarded doctoral degrees in some of the top Universities in the US and Europe. She became an excellent example of how determination, imagination and a positive outlook on life can allow and anyone, especially those faced with obstacles seemingly too great to overcome, to triumph and succeed.

Over the last 5 months this deployment has certainly touched on every single key point made so far. To get up in the morning after having an especially late night Skyping to loved ones in different time zones, is no easy task. But you get to look out your window and gauge just how much time you have and what kind of day it is going to be because the moon is still hanging outside your room. Full and contented the moon shines at you as if saying “The day isn’t going to be that bad, I’ll be back in a few hours then it will be time to sleep again.” And with a sigh, you get up, put your pants on one leg at a time and take a deep breath. Today is going to be a great day, you tell yourself. And because you said it, it will be. The power of believing everything will be ok, even when you’re not one hundred percent sure is half the battle right there. Often, just saying that will help immensely. That’s the power of positive thinking. You’re not sure what kind of day it’s going to be, but you have your coffee, breakfast and a deep breath in your lungs to say “Ok day, let’s get down to it.”