The secret to positive thinking lies with you as you have the power to change the way you think. You can overpower the adverse thoughts which bring you self- doubt and misery. This can be accomplished through:

•Your firm determination,
•sincerity to yourself and
•reversal of the self-damaging thoughts by performing pratikraman.
The effects of positive thinking will make you feel:
•Confident.
•Calm and collective in genuinely difficult situations.
•Able to quickly find answers to any problem.
•Physically healthy.
•Strong and better in your relationships.
The primary reasons for thinking negatively?
•Insecurity: Bad experiences in life may leave you feeling insecure and make you fearful in the present and about the future.
•Emotions such as comparison, jealousy, competition, expectation from yourself and expectation you have from others: Although these emotions do not help you in any way, you continue to maintain them. And therefore they become the main reason for the way you feel.
•Bad opinions for people: When you constantly see faults in someone, you will have bad opinion for that person. Your bad opinions make you feel negative.
•Previous life’s karma: Do you know every thought which arises in your mind is a result of your own opinion in past life, which is bearing the fruits today. Hence, your negative thoughts and opinions are a collection of your previous life’s karmas that are discharging now.

How to think and be positive?
•Examine when you have negative thoughts? Does this happen with someone specific or in a certain situation only? Find out what in particular makes you self-doubt? Is there a pattern emerging? If yes, try to be extra vigilant regarding that, when facing the specific people or situations.
•Find out which emotion is causing you to think negative? Is it insecurity, jealousy, competition, expectation from yourself, is it the expectation you have from others or something else? And then perform “Pratikraman”.

“Pratikraman” means to return. It is a 3-fold simple process:
o Alochana –confessing the mistake.
o Pratikraman -asking for forgiveness for that mistake.
o Pratyakhyan -making the firm resolve to never repeat the mistake again.

By performing pratikraman, you lessen the effects of your negative emotions. You will feel lighter from within and will experience lesser hatred for the individual concerned.

•Surround yourself with positive friends, who are inspiring, encouraging and optimistic.
•When you see people with a positive vision, sincerely appreciate them; those attributes naturally begin to arise within you then.
•Do not allow past experiences to shadow your current life. Whatever happened in the past, just let it go. Learn from your mistakes, but move on, on a cheerful note.
•When your mind turns towards negative, have a firm determination to always disagree with it; and strive to remain with the positive instead. For instance, if you see negative thoughts arising for some person in your mind, say to yourself, “After all he is a very good person!”
•See positive in others. Find out 5 positives vis-a-vis every single adverse thought that crops up in your mind.
•Never compare yourself with others for every individual is good at something different. Believe in your own abilities and be confident about them.
•Never say or think ‘I cannot do this!’ We all have tremendous energies within us. You might have read some inspiring stories in newspapers or on social media as to how people exercised their inner strength when they had to deal or cope with the extremely difficult situation. The same strength lies in all of us. So remain keen to draw that strength of yours.

The real secret to positive thinking is in realising the Self!
Acquiring the knowledge of the Soul is the essence of positive thinking. When you understand the science related to the Soul, you discover the truth of your real Self which is full of happiness and positive; and you comprehend the main reason for all your unhappiness. You understand the precise scientific reason for thinking and feeling negative and also learn the scientific way to overcome it permanently and thereby effortlessly remain on the side of positive, regardless of what is going on externally.

Hence, do not waste your life in attempting to get rid of negative thoughts from your life. Just join onto the side of positivity. So many have already found immense peace and bliss in their life through the attainment of this science. They have been able to overcome tremendous difficulties, tragedies, through the Akram Vignan, Spiritual Science.

“The whole world has constantly wandered around in ‘negativity’ and died. This ‘Akram’ [science] is a fine ‘positive’ path”.

Please visit https://www.dadabhagwan.org/path-to-happiness/self-help/positive-thinking/

Author's Bio: 

Ambalal M. Patel was a civil contractor by profession. In June 1958, spontaneous Self-Realization occurred within Ambalal M. Patel. From this point on, Ambalal became a Gnani Purush, and the Lord that manifest within him became known as Dada Bhagwan. A Gnani Purush is One who has realized the Self and is able help others do the same. Param Pujya Dada Bhagwan used to go from town to town and country-to-country to give satsang (spiritual discourse) and impart the knowledge of the Self, as well as knowledge of harmonious worldly interactions to everyone who came to meet him. This spiritual science, known as Akram Vignan, is the step-less path to Self-realization.