Apart from plain common sense, much has been said and written about the power of positive thinking – Dale Carniegie, Norman Peale, even Forest Gump to name a few.

There is a strong metaphysical school that links positive thinking with the ability to self heal – Louise Hay writes strongly about this link. Alternative cancer treatments suggest visualisation and various positive karmas to cure cancer.

Many influential thinkers and leaders of the 20th century are living testimony to the power of positive thinking to overcome adversary eg: Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King.

Positive thinking is a lifestyle choice, it is a personal philosophy choice, it is both a physically and mentally healthy choice, it becomes habitual and it promotes a far more fulfilling, rewarding and enjoyable life and career as well as guaranteeing more meaningful and happy relationships.

Sports psychology, business mentors and various forms of counselling all promote the value of positive thinking – identifying, accentuation, duplication and enhancing the positive things in people’s lives. It is focusing and dwelling on the good points of self-image and self-esteem, the good things happening in your life and looking for the good in others.

It is about looking for and maximising the positive qualities and features in the people we mix or work with. It is about looking at the positive qualities and values of our partner rather then dwelling on the negative. It is about what we can do rather then what we can’t. It is about our friend’s good points rather then their failings and as teachers, what is good and positive about our children and our school rather than the opposite. It is sometimes easier to see the failings and faults in people and systems by focusing on the narrow and the specific rather then looking at a wider picture.

Developing a habit of positive thinking involves the concept of ‘will’. ‘Will’ is the capacity to choose among alternative choices particularly when; definite ideas and principals of conduct govern the action. Willed behaviour is deliberately aimed rather then stemming from instinct, impulse, or reflex. ‘Will’ dominates every other aspect of an individual’s personality, knowledge, feelings and direction in life.

Philosophers see ‘will’ in different lights but the great pragmatic philosopher John Dewy sees ‘will’ not as an innate faculty but as a product of experience evolving gradually as the mind and personality of an individual develop in social interaction.

People with weak wills, will have difficulty embracing the concept of positive thinking and its consequential effects on the pursuit of happiness. Serial killers are notable for being loners with low self-esteem, poor social interaction skills and an incapacity to resist impulses or break habits.

Modern psychologists see the act of ‘willing’ as being manifested by:
a) Focusing on relatively distance goals and relatively abstract standards and principles of conduct – a global, generalist view.
b) Weighing up options and making careful calculations rather then quick, judgemental decisions.
c) Perseverance against obstacles and frustration’s in pursuit of goals and values.

Common deficiencies that prevent the development of strong will are absence of goals and standards (aimlessness), vacillating attention, incapacity to resist impulses, inability to forward plan, stick to a decision or decide among alternatives.

My premise is that positive thinking is a deliberate learned behaviour – it may be harder for some people then for others depending on the development of their personalities which is governed by their experiences. People who have suffered hardship, trauma, loss or accident are more likely to recognise and practice the concept of positive thinking.

The converse is a focus on the negative – what’s wrong with your life, your children, your partner, your friends, your job, your work place. Louise Hay argues that with extreme pre-occupation, comes a compulsion to blame – always someone else.

Negativity leads to the development of a pessimistic outlook on life, work and people. Negativity often manifests itself in complaining ceaselessly, sulking, moping, being bored, easily distracted, being re-active rather then pro-active and responding emotively rather then rationally. Whining becomes an art form.

There is an interesting contrast between the Warriors Rugby League team, (how do your know the Warriors have arrived in Sydney? The whine continues after the jet engines have been turned off), and the ‘Black Caps’ Cricket team. For the Warriors it is always the fault of the referee, the linesman, the video referee, the judiciary, the travelling, the coach, the contracts etc. For the World Cup Cricket team, there has been a quiet acceptance of their weaknesses and a positive belief in their strengths and abilities. When they lost, they didn’t blame the weather, the umpires or their mothers! They accepted they hadn’t played well and determined a will to do better and articulated a positive belief in their abilities and the outcome.

My conclusion is to strongly suggest that a focus on the positive rather then the negative makes you a happier, healthier person. It enhances your outlook and your relationships. It can become a learned behaviour but requires a focused will to change. A simple question to pose is whether you prefer to be in the company of positive, outward going people or negative, inhibited people. Try and look at the positive in children, colleagues, friends, and systems and focus and accentuate on the positive while trying to minimise or overlook the negative. At the very least, look at the negatives in the wider context of the whole scenario, the wider picture and the full story. Enjoy life to the full for it is a very finite condition and look at any school problems in the wider context of life. You will find they pail into insignificance.

Some Related Points

1. Positive thinking is a deliberate lifestyle choice.

2. Take a deep breath, count to ten and respond in a rational not an emotive way.

3. Don’t let trivial, minor things cause concern – look at the wider picture, the full context.

4. Assign ownership to stress and sources of stress.

5. Accept yourself. Look for the positive in yourself – list your positive points. Enhance these; work on your weaker points.

6. Accept others. Look for things to like about them rather than dislike.

7. Be honest with yourself, your maker, and with others.