Changing Negative Thoughts into Positive Thoughts is a key lesson to becoming healthy and successful.

PINT. How did you do on beginning your day with one of our key thought words? If you missed a day, don't worry, just pick up and continue each day. You'll see a pattern forming and your mental conditioning will get better and better over time.

Now for another daily helper. Even when we start out with a positive mental frame of mind and respond with a positive word, I'll bet you have negative thoughts about all kind of stuff all day long. You think about how "she didn't get her work done" and how "it isn't fair when you get all yours done and no one seems to notice". Or you get all bothered about the guy that parked in the space next to you so it is hard for you to get into your car at the end of the day. Or even more importantly, you think you can't ever get up and deliver that monthly progress report in front of the entire department, you are sure you are going to make a fool of yourself.

All these and a hundred other little nagging negative thoughts about yourself and others. I've got a news flash for you. All those negative thoughts stem from part of our mental design. To some extent, you can't help thinking negatively. It is part of the old primitive man protection mechanism. When you are out in the wild suspicion is a good thing. Until you know how something is going to react your suspicions could and do keep your attention focused and in turn raise your chances of staying alive.

In today's world we don't face bears, lions or even rabid dogs very often, but the suspicious, negative bent of our mind is still working just fine. The results are all those negative thoughts about the people around us and the self-doubt most of us have. But you can change your mental thought patterns.

The principle of PINT says that if you think it it will happen, eventually. So if you think about how you are going to look foolish making that departmental report, guess what..... you probably will. Turn it around. tell yourself you will do just fine, in fact you are going to be a hit after you make that report. You see most of your brain is not conscious of your world, just what you feed it. If you feed negative thoughts, then your mind will build a world of suspicion, defeat and even hate. To change that you have to "Hang Out the paNTs."

What do I mean by this? It's pretty simple. Just hang out all those Negative Thoughts. Once you get them out into the open you see how ugly they are and you won't want to keep them around. Even better turn them around from negative to positive.

Fear of a Foolish presentation => Becomes: a Fantastic presentation

Peeved at Crooked parking => Becomes: "They're probably having a terrible day. "

Unfair working conditions => Becomes: Focus on my work, not others. Set my own higher standards and watch me succeed

Indignant anger for hose People! Who do they think they are? => Becomes: "I wonder why they feel that way. I should find out more about them."

Ok, now you have the picture. When you turn the negative into a positive, you will get an immediate positive physical feedback. Your brain gives you a reward of 'feel good juice' or endorphins. When you do this long enough your mind gets hooked on the 'feel good juice' and wants more and more positive feelings. You see there is a reward for being good. You will start feeling better. Some of your aches and pains may even start to recede.

Miracles - They are still around

If you think this is going to be easy....what do you think? You have spent years building up patterns of negative thoughts and negative behaviour patterns. It is going to take a while to get rid of them. About 25 to 40 days to see any real change. Discouraging? I don't think so. Twenty-five fleeting days to begin to change all those YEARS of bad feeling into positive healthy feeling? I call that a miracle!

Now there are two catches to this one.

(1) I want you to write down everytime you have a negative thought about something. Carry around one of those little spiral note pads that can fit in a pocket or purse. Don't forget a pen or pencil. Write down everytime you catch yourself having or saying a negative thought.

(2) Do this for thirty (30) days in a row. If you skip one, then start counting again. I can hear you screaming at me or whining all the way across the internet. Yep, I know it's hard, but the payoff is so huge. A month or so of discipline is a very small price to pay.

You say "Andrew, I just don't think I can do this." I'm here to tell you that you can. I did this a while back and had to start over three times. I kept up with it. Now I have a clearer mind, more focus and a better outlook on life. I even get those icky things done more easily and put off far fewer things that need to be done. You can do it, Just Get Started!

When you have finished 'Hanging out the paNTs' for thirty days, drop me a line and let me know how it went. I always like to hear from others who complete this practice. I know you will struggle with it at first, but when you complete the 30 days you will look back and wonder how you ever lived before.

I guarantee it.

Now....

Let's Get Started!

Andrew Abernathy

Founder, Put It iN Thought (PINT)