Thought Substitution

Abe Lincoln is credited with saying, "Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be." Sometimes just a little easier said than done. We are bombarded with thoughts all day long and it isn't what is happening that makes us happy or unhappy, it is the thought we assign to the event. Think about that... I'm sure you can think of a time when something happened that was upsetting to you , yet when it happened to a friend, he wasn't phased. We experience happiness or unhappiness through the lenses of our thoughts.

So how can we train ourselves not to think negative thoughts? The bad news is, thoughts are going to keep passing through your consciousness. The question is how many are you going to invite to stay?  Having less than positive thoughts is normal but dwelling on the negative can be very destructive. If you want to change a thought pattern, try substituting a negative thought for a positive one. This may take some practice but it is worth the effort if your goal is happiness. If you can't substitute the negative thought with a positive alternative, try to break down the offending idea into a slightly better thought. For example, "This traffic is stopped dead. If I'm late to work it will throw off my entire schedule" could be softened to " This traffic is stopped, I'll make a grocery list while I have a minute." It may sound outrageous at first blush but, with practice, it will change your attitude about many things. It has the potential to make any day more positive and productive.  Since you can't think two thoughts at once, the brighter thought (no matter how trivial) when practiced intentionally will help you make up your mind to be happy. Now for the good news; Like attracts like. Somehow it works!