Well the year is almost done and I am hoping that 2010 is a better year than this one was. They say that things happen in “3’s” and after the last couple of months or so I am starting to believe in this saying. I find it somewhat ironic that I started this blog about positive thinking and using the power of the mind to change your life just as a couple of minor calamities befell me.

You see back along I was performing at an awards ceremony and a PA speaker was pulled down on to my head resulting in a trip to casualty and concussion. Due to the after effects form this accident (that I am still suffering from) I had to start employing a fair degree of positive thinking to help cope with my mental state. Hence starting this website and becoming involved in this area.

Next up was the flood that occurred in my apartment which I mentioned in a post. Yes it was a shock and a hassle (still can’t use the room) but I tried to put it in perspective and realise it is only a temporary problem from which I will get a completely re-carpeted flat!

And just to round things off nicely, my third episode occurred on Christmas eve whilst I was playing in a local pub. After we’d finished playing I suddenly became aware that my jacket was missing. I couldn’t find it anywhere and it had both my car and apartment keys in it. It became clear that it had been stolen and even clearer that I would have to leave my car illegally parked and would not be able to get in to my apartment. On Christmas day.

I had planned to drive to my family’s for Christmas, but this now looked doubtful. I realised that I really had to get into my flat as the de-humidifier that was drying the flooded room would possibly over flow, so couldn’t be left on for too long. So the only option was to smash a window to gain entry. I enlisted the help of the drummer (they relish this sort of thing) and got in.

Next day I boarded up the window and tried to think positively about the situation. I had no food in the house as I assumed I was going away, shops were shut and couldn’t leave the house as I wouldn’t be able to get back in due to the communal front door.My spare keys were at a friends house and he was away for Christmas for a few days.

As of today, I have got my keys for the apartment, refitted a new pane of glass and had my car towed to the garage where they recoded the immobilizer. This has been an expensive an inconvenient time, especially as it was Christmas. Despite all this I have used positive thinking techniques to maintain my positive outlook even though you despair of the sort of people who seem to set out to deliberately make your life difficult and unnecessarily expensive.

You just have to not let it get you down or think that someone’s put some kind of “hex”on you-it purely and simply a run of bad luck which, all things being equal, will result in some good luck come your way in the future. I truly believe this, after all I am a positive thinker.

Here’s to your positive attitude and thinking bringing you all you desire in 2010!

Perhaps the greatest teachers of the art of thinking positively are children-they are the ultimate positive thinkers. They haven’t learned that life throws curve balls and that challenges are around every corner. They see life as a big adventure and it’s this kind of thinking that maybe you should try to adopt.

Think about a child in your life. They seem to have no fear of new things and will try anything once. They love life and are naturally optimistic and happy. They love to explore the world and what life has to offer, putting themselves out there just to learn.

This natural amazement for life is how they learn and how they develop their identity and allows them to live in a positive manner. Children do not jump to the negative because they are wired to believe there is good out there. They do not know about the negative aspects of the world because you shelter them from that.

If you can develop that child-like faith and stop yourself from dwelling on the bad in life, you will be on the way to thinking more positively. Just

slowing down and take time to enjoy life rather filling everyday with to- do’s will soon make it is easier to embrace the positive.

Here are some things that children do that you can bring into your life.

These things will help you to be able to look at the positive instead of the negative.

Explore new things. Instead of walking away from the unknown, walk towards it. Children are always exploring. This is how they learn. Let yourself start exploring again.

Do not walk away from a challenge. When children are met with a challenge, they get excited and look at it as a game. Engage in new challenges instead of walking away.

Make a mess. Children are messy and make messes because they are learning and simply do not care if they get a little messy in the process. Happiness can be messy and unrestricted.

Ignore the rules. Children ignore the rules all the time. Often it gets them into trouble, but many times, they end up having a fun time simply because they are doing something they were specifically told not to do. Defying authority can be an adrenaline rush. Break a few rules now and then and let yourself feel like a kid again.

Pretend. Make believe is a big part of being a child. Almost everything you do revolves around pretending. The imagination is a wonderful thing. Allow yourself to go to some make believe place. Get away for your normal life and pretend you are someone else. Have fun and you are sure to smile.

There are plenty more ways you can use the influence of a child to drive your progress towards a positive attitude. Watch children play. Just see what they do and take notes on how different their lives are from yours. How do they get through the day without stressing about every little thing?

Do not let yourself get hung up on the fact that they do not have responsibility. Responsibility should in no way hold you back from thinking positively. It is just an excuse, and excuses kill the positive mindset you are working so hard to build.

Just focus on being child-like. It will help to free yourself from some of the limiting and negative aspects of being a world-weary adult, and foster a renewed love of life.

You have probably had someone encourage you to think positively when you were faced with a trying situation. This is because the power of positive thinking is something that is a widely held belief.  Most people easily accept that when you give off positive energy, you can infect others with that positive energy and that they will return that energy to you. It is basically the idea that what you put out there will come back to you.

Positive influences are all around us. They exist because people love to feel good. People prefer the positive to the negative. You can likely relate to this, and probably prefer being around someone who is upbeat and full of energy than someone who is depressed and moping around.

People see that thinking positive and having a positive attitude can play a large role in their life. Positive thinking can be very powerful and by putting it to work in your life, you can reap the benefits.

What is Positive Thinking?

Positive thinking can be defined as thinking good thoughts or being optimistic. When it comes to positive thinking there is no room negativity. When you are a positive thinker, you will always look on the good side of things and not dwell on bad. Instead of thinking about what could go wrong, a positive thinker thinks about what can go right. A positive thinker is going to look for the good in things and will always try to find something positive about every seemingly situation.

They also adopt a different attitude than a negative thinker. A positive thinker is going to try to stay upbeat and happy. They try to stay energized and not allow themselves to become down. If they start feeling  tired or lazy, they will do something to help bring them back up. Positive thinking can be used in every aspect of life, from the little things to more major things. You can also use it to just make your average day go a little better.

Being able to develop a positive mindset means having the ability to turn off the negative thoughts and replace them with good thoughts. It will also allow you to assume that good things will come your way and it will help you project an attitude that will help bring good things your way.

Positive thinking will open your eyes and your life to a world that is brighter and better than the negative one most people dwell in and will help you grow and be open to success. Through positive thinking, you will be able to allow yourself to start to envision your life as being positive and powerful. You will open up the door for good things to happen in your life as your positive energy is reciprocated.