Scientists estimate that we create approximately 60,000 thoughts daily, 95% of which are repetitive. These thoughts make-up our philosophy of life, our personality. One way to improve our lifestyle is to change our thoughts through a concentrated effort to think optimistically.
When we say to ourselves something like, Day by day in every way, I’m feeling better and better. I feel healthy; I feel happy; I feel terrific, we energize our optimistic assumptions. Certainly just repeating this or some other positive phrase, reading encouraging quotations, or memorizing inspirational scriptures will enable us to approach life with more positive expectations.
Excellent health goes beyond positive thinking to include an optimistic philosophy of life. Positive thinking is better than negative thinking, but a benevolent life view is the most benficial of all. Here are ten ways to cultivate a positive lifestyle:
- Through scripture study and prayer we become more mindful of God’s grace in our lives
- Daily prayer for gifts of the spirit–love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control–leads to hopeful expectations
- Surrounding ourselves with people who fill us with joy and laughter enables us to become more hopeful and fun-loving
- Viewing our frustrations with humor–learning to laugh at ourselves and our problems–allows us to appreciate the absurdities and paradoxes of life
- Becoming an inverse paranoid enables us to believe the world is out to do us good
- Having a genuine interest in others enables us to see that everyone has something to offer that enriches our lives
- As we become kinder to ourselves by avoiding self-criticism we can be kinder to others
- Working to improve the lives of others through productive work reduces misery
- Learning something new stimulates child-like fun and creativity
- Reading this blog every day will bring encouragement, optimism and hope by saturating our minds with positive stories and ideas