Positive thinking.

Thousands of books are written about it. Coaches and Workshop leaders depend on it.  Salespeople are fueled by it.

But what is it . . . and does it really work?

Most positive-motivation types will tell you that positive thinking is a necessary act for anyone who wants to enjoy his or her life by focusing on positive thoughts while driving away negative “stinkin’ thinkin’ . . .

There’s only one problem; it usually only works for those who are inherently positive to begin with. All others are apparently screwed.

You see, positive thinking has its limitations . . . things like “reality” and “logic” keep getting in the way. Barbara Ehrenreich, in her recent book Bright-Sided, writes:

“If generic ‘positive thought’ is correct and things are really getting better; if the arc of the universe tends towards happiness and abundance, then why bother with the mental effort of positive thinking? Obviously, because we do not believe that things will get better on their own. The practice of positive thinking is an effort to pump up this belief in the face of much contradictory evidence . . . it requires deliberate self-deception, including a constant effort to repress or block out unpleasant possibilities and ‘negative thoughts’. . .” (p. 5)

Indeed, the idea of positive thinking has become so engrained in American culture that most think of  “mental detox” as just another way to get rid of negative thoughts.

This “mental pollution,” however, may be like sulphur produced by smoke stacks.  Sulphur, if used in the right industry, is a valuable element with many benefits. Just because it comes out of a smokestack, however, we don’t recognize it as valuable.

Like that, so-called negative thoughts may only be negative when seen in a particular context.  If it doesn’t support your conscious desire, does that make it inherently negative?  I think not.  You simply cannot recognize its benefits!  (Oops, I let a bit of positive thinking slip in…)

What if this so-called “negative” thought were actually your own subconscious trying desperately to feed you a message? What if this message when something like this . . . ?

Hey you! That’s right – YOU – the one with that stupid grin on your face trying to ignore me! Give me a minute, will ya? I’m dying down here and all you can do is pile more dirt and crap on top of me. Hey, you know what? Because you keep doing that, I’m going to throw the crap right back at ya. That’s right. No more Mr.(Ms.) Nice Guy . . . remember that important meeting you missed because I made you play video games until you forgot to leave the house? Yeah, that one. That contract could have netted us a small fortune. Remember that eating habit you have that put on 30 pounds? Me again. But you know what? I don’t give a gnat’s ass what happens because of the way you keep ignoring my messages. You’re probably not listening to this one either. Think I’ll make us trip over that rug . . . !

What if your silent “subconscious mind” could actually learn how to speak and give it to you straight without all the not-so-subtle hints? Would you listen? If not, you’re missing a whale of a chance to succeed BIG in this world . . . and be much happier in the process!

So what if you cam up short in the past, and don’t want to listen to this so-called “voice of failure.”  This voice – a part of your soul – is trying to give you the LOGIC behind his or her voice. If you don’t choose to see that, you have failed before you start, just like I did multiple times. Bucky Fuller said

“There is no such thing as a failed experiment; only experiments with unexpected outcomes.”

A mind detox is simply a way of actually getting access to and listening to your own voice within . . . then changing certain hidden decisions and allowing a natural resolution to take place.  It is much simpler than you think, and will allow you to discover a whole new world of possibilities!