Positive thinking - fact or fantasy?

Hi coffeebreak, I really believe in positive thinking, and I think this business of hope for the best but plan for the worst defeats the whole purpose. Positive thinking is the attitude that things will work out for the best. Sure lots of things go wrong in life, but a positive thinker knows that it's not going to stay that way. Blessings.

Well, I hope for the best for all my family and friends and I know things will go wrong for me. In other words, I am an optimist for everyone else but me.I am a pessimist for myself. You know that glass question. You see a glass filled half way. do you see it half empty or half full. Well I see it half empty with a hole in the bottom.I guess a normal person would hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Well I expect the worst and I am surprised if the best happens.

By nature, I don't think positively. Too many things have gone wrong for me to even think positive. However, positive thinking sometimes can be good, if you think of the goal of intention and you want to call something good to you, positive thinking is usually the way to go. However, thinking about things in a positive light does not mean that things won't go bad and that something won't happen to change everything. I just don't think positive anymore because I tried it all the time when I was younger, and nothing ever turned out right, so I'm pretty jaded.

I think although its a good idea to think positively, i always try to think realistically. I know you can't always predict what's going to happen, but like you said you got to try to think about all angles when planning something. cause ANYTHING can happen, and murpheys law dictates anything that can go wrong will go wrong when you dont plan for it!

I try my best to think positively, but my husband tells me that I am an eternal pessimest. I prefer to call myself a realist! Rarely am I wrong when I say that something is going to turn out badly. Sometimes I really wish I would be wrong though!

I think it boils down to attitude. You can hope for the best and plan for the worst but still have a bad attitude. You can have a positive attitude and still have bad things happen. It's how you handle both the bad and the good things in life that matters. I've heard it said, Pray like it's all up to God, then work like it's all up to you. That's good, too, as long as you listen to and watch for the answers to your prayers and work accordingly. It's much easier to think positively if you have God on your side, always there to fall back on, whether or not things go the way you think they should or not. Good thing is that He'll forgive even a bad attitude and stinkin' thinkin' and help you have a better outlook, thinking positively about life, if you ask Him to!

Positive thinking I belive is one of the best things a human can give himself.However there are situation in which you may feel bit depressed and it may lead you to think in a different direction.So, apart from positive thinking, a person always need to take care of all risk around him and should also consider the worst case.Suppose if you think positive and invest in share market,you may loose money and should have a strong back to recover in case worst happenns.

You do have a good point there. As it is we humans are prone to gloat over our little achievements and glorify them to all who would care to listen. Complacency has been the downfall of many a great men and women yet we do not take lessons from them. Practical implications should never be lost sight of while thinking positively. Thinking positively definitely does not mean that just because I have a training in mountaineering, I can climb Mt. Everest. Thinking positively means that accepting the challenge of the climb, taking a stock of situations (both self and internal) and backing off if I feel that it would be physically too challenging for me or planning meticulously so that I am prepared of any and every emergency on the way. Thinking negatively would be to throw up one’s hands even before taking stock of the situations and saying that I cant do it.

I have read so many times about positive thinking. I do think positive but it does not always help. They say the more positive you think the better but that is not always true. Of course I will never be like my dad who is always thinking and talking negative. I have learned that even though things seem pretty bad that a lot of other people have it worse off than me so I need to be thankful for what I do have and not to worry about what I don't have. I have also learned that even though things seem as bad as they do that something good is usually right around the corner. :)

I positively consider all the possibilities while going around acting like a Pollyanna. I am an optiminist, not an idiot, believing that good things do happen, but they don't "just happen" as we make them happen. Is that what you mean?

Hi coffeebreak, It is like this: You must eat to live, because living is more important.Likewise being positive or optimistic is a must if you have to complete your tasks.Some times we were forced to eat what we don't like even though what we are eating is bitter one. The same way at times we have to face failure even though our plan of action is right. So,the question on how far one has to think positively does not arise at all and we have to think positively always throughout our life.

positive thinking create positive things, make outlook bearable when things are hopeless

I rather think zero. not negative not positive, but do the best. example, if we do the exam, we study, try answer the best, but never think about how much school grade we'll get.

Positive thinking makes mind comfortable and rejuvenates our inner strength to do something.When ones think that this work he cant do , he looses his confidence and find unable to do work.but with positive thinking he get power and he feel he half work in done.people should never think that he cant do any work . he should think that it is possible for his though it require great effort, but not impossible for me.i think this is the best way to handle tough situation. smile and do work with confidence .whats your opinion.

I think there's a lot of truth in postive thinking. Our sub-conscious thoughts can and do affect our health. (There have been many studies on this.) If a person thinks negatively all the time, they may get ulcers, depression, and all matter of real medical ills. Our brain controls our body, and whether we are aware of it or not, what we tell ourselves is stored in our sub-conscious, and like an old record it keeps replaying over and over. I'm a hospice nurse, and I see the effects of positive thinking all the time...the cancer patient who has been told they will only last a while longer, and yet goes on for many more months (or years) to the amazement of their health personnel. (I have a friend who was supposed to go within 3 months from his cancer, yet he's lived 11 more years! And yes, he IS a positive thinker.) Maybe positive thinking will not always bring about the results, but having a better positive outlook is still healthier than giving in to negative thoughts and depression. Just my little opinion as a cancer survivor myself who was supposed to be 'took quick' 6 years ago, and had one form of cancer totally disappear without treatment (much to the amazement of all my medical personnel.) So yes, I DO think there is a lot to be said for positive thinking.

Like you I try to keep positive thinking in perspective. It's not enough to just think positive, we still have to work for what we want to achieve or what we wish to happen. Of course if we start any task thinking that it's not going to work, we're deemed to failure as well. Balance in everything I say :) And positive thinking as well, while keeping in mind the things that can go wrong so we can be prepared for them :)

I may not know all the things about positive thinking, but I think that life comes with good and bad, so all things will not be good, but in things that have negativity, then the best thing is to handle it without getting negative as possible. I recommend "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale. Peace.

Well it's true about positive thinking it does work if you believe in it.Your mind is powerful if you wish someone to get harmed he can get harmed because of your anger.That's why they always say be carefull what you wish you it might can come through. I've experienced that when i was positive thinking i got more positive things when i belived in it then when i didn't. If you're negative you will have more negative people around you and when you're positive you will have more positive people around you. Because if you are positive you can see it in the look of your face that you're feeling good.When you see someone with an angry face he will see more people with the same looks on their face.

possitive thinkins is a very good habit it help to play a very good role in our charecter