The power of negative thinking may help you work harder and achieve more. Here’s why negative thinking isn’t always a bad idea and how you can harness the power of thinking negatively to work harder, achieve more, and have a better life for yourself and your family by harnessing it.
Overthrowing the positive thinking paradigm
Negative thinking is self-defeating
- When people think negatively, they are more likely to convert their anxiety into action
- There are 2 types of people: strategic optimists and defensive pessimists
- These groups succeed best under different circumstances
- Different personalities are motivated by different things
Harness your thoughts
Meditation is another good way to hone your thought patterns.
- Instead of fixating on outcomes, people who practice meditation learn to create a healthy separation between themselves and their thoughts.
- All meditation requires is a little bit of time – ideally, people practice for 10 minutes or more daily.
Will you adapt?
Find a mindset that leads to mental wellness and productivity
Positive thinking’s dark side
There’s actually quite a bit of data suggesting that thinking positively can hinder people from realizing their goals
- One study found that women who reacted positively to these scenarios lost less weight than those who responded negatively – regardless of their predisposition
- Follow-up studies showed the same results
Balance positive and negative thinking
When we’re overwhelmingly positive, we’re unlikely to experience stress or anxiety
- Conversely, if we’re too pessimistic, we can be so paralyzed by stress that it’s hard to take action
- Explore the space in the middle
- Think about what might happen first
- Get specific about the worst-case scenario
- Then, consider the best possible outcome
