I’ve come across the following assertion three times in the last week and I wanted to share it:

“It is impossible to think a positive thought and a negative thought at the same time.”

Here are the applications:

If you encounter a negative situation in life, you can dwell on the consequences and get mired down. Or, you can search for the “silver lining” and shift your attitude. Which is your tendency?

If you encounter a person who makes you angry, you can act on that anger. Or, you can stop and consider what you know about the person. You can consider their good qualities. You can consider the positive things that have come from the relationship. That pause to consider will cause the anger to drain away. It will keep you from doing things you shouldn’t do or saying things you shouldn’t say.

If you have a bad feeling, or worry about things that might happen, you can become immobilized with worry or take unnecessary actions. Or, you can stop and consider whether those bad feelings are appropriate. You can choose a more positive outcome to consider.

Here’s the point: What makes us special as humans is our ability to choose what we think about. It’s a power that helps us to be courageous. It’s a power that fuels our resilience. It’s a power that helps us to overcome fear. It’s a power that helps us through crisis.

Are you fully aware of the power? Do you put it to work?