Someone tried to diss the power of positive thinking again the other day. Oh, bother.
You can’t think your way out of a jam, the commentator commentated. Having a realistic view of life is the only way to go, the writer said. When life sucks, you can’t de-suck it by thinking happy thoughts.
The more the writer wrote, the more it appeared the writer was educated on positive thinking by Harold Hill. You know, the scam artist in The Music Man who convinced kids the way to play an instrument is to think the melodies.
Well, duh.
I am a firm believer in the adage attributed to Henry Ford: Whether you think you can do something or you think you can’t, you’re right. It’s all in the attitude.
The critic is right: A positive attitude isn’t going to get you somewhere if you don’t put in the work. But you’re not going to get anywhere if you don’t start out by believing, “I can do this.”
Of course you’re not going to accomplish big dreams just by having big dreams. Of course you’re not going to turn those big dreams into reality just by thinking you can do it. You have to do the work. Do you want to perform at Carnegie Hall? Practice, man, practice.
Believe you can do something, figure out how to get from here to there, and put in the work. Spend too much time looking at how much you can’t do it right here, right now, and reality is going to crash you down to earth.
But you can change reality, one agonizing inch at a time, if you think you can. That’s the power of positive thinking.
And if you think you can’t, you never will. That’s the power of negative thinking.
I’d much rather think about the possibilities than allow myself to be defined by the limitations.