. Instaread - The Power of Positive Thinking: by Norman Vincent Peale

Guide to

Norman Vincent Peales

The Power of Positive Thinking

by

Instaread

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This is a companion to the original book.

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Table of Contents

The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale explains how positive thoughts and faith can change peoples lives for the better. Taken in the context of fostering a strong faith in God through Christianity, positive thinking becomes a gateway for tranquility and better control over the mind and even the body.

While such theories have been proposed for thousands of years, positive thinking is crucial for attaining high quality of life in the modern world. It brings happiness, success, and inner peace to what might otherwise be stressful, hurried lives. Messages touting the power of positive thinking can be drawn from biblical passages that speak of inner strength, happiness through God, and practicing faith. Meditative prayer builds a foundation for integrating positive thinking into daily life, but opportunities for actively removing negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones occur constantly.

Through positive thinking, people can find the ability to change negative situations and create situations that inspire joy and success. This requires stopping any negative thought patterns brought on by stress or frustration, expecting the best outcome in any situation, not believing in defeat, not worrying, and taking time to relax. People who practice positive thinking and a powerful faith in God can remake themselves into supercharged versions of their former selves with clearer minds, higher aspirations, and the ability to solve their personal problems. Positive thinking and placing faith in God have even contributed to the improvement of physical health in many cases. People can learn to utilize positive thinking to help them draw upon the higher power and use that power to ensure self-improvement and a happier life.

The Power of Positive Thinking was first published in 1952. This edition from 2003 demonstrates the concepts continued relevancy and popularity well into the twenty-first century.

Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) is the author of the book. He was a minister who became an early supporter of the theory that positive thinking can be a method for self-improvement.

1. Believing in oneself is crucial to the mindset needed for success and happiness.
2. People can create their own success and happiness, which begins in their mind with positive thoughts.
3. Finding inner peace, which can be done through fervent prayer and practicing faith, often results when people create more positive mindsets for themselves.
4. Part of positive thinking is visualization. If a person visualizes a happy and successful scenario, then it could be more likely to happen.
5. Religion is often thought of as a stuffy, socio-cultural tradition with a history plagued with wars and tensions. However, religion can be thought of in a more practical sense, even as a science.
6. Slowing the pace of ones life will enable positive thoughts to enter the mind.
7. Negative thinking can lead to mental or emotional illnesses, which can manifest as physical symptoms that can negatively impact physical health and performance.
8. Positive thinking means adopting an attitude that doesnt believe in defeat as a possibility, and that perceives obstacles not as roadblocks but as challenges to be overcome.

Believing in oneself is crucial to the mindset needed for success and happiness.

Analysis

With an inferiority complex or lack of self-confidence, it becomes more difficult to achieve goals. When people dont trust themselves, they end up settling for outcomes that are not impressive as the outcomes their true abilities might allow. Positive outcomes arise out of self-confidence, and self-confidence is built on a foundation of positive thoughts that create an overall positive mindset. One way to combat inferiority is to pray, study the Bible, and practice faith in God.

Believing in oneself is critical to setting and meeting goals in both business and life. Imagine a husband who lacks self-confidence because his wife is further along in her career or commands a higher salary than he does, which could impact both his relationship and his own career. The husband is riddled with negative thoughts and carries his inferiority complex into work, which means he doesnt speak up for his ideas, turns in slipshod work, and ends up missing out on the promotion he was hoping to get. Back at home, he picks fights with his wife over insignificant issues, partially because he resents her success, but even so more because he is disappointed with himself.

A friend tells the husband that he is drowning in his own negativity and therefore bringing all of these negative scenarios on himself. With a more positive mindset and by strengthening his faith in God, the friend explains, the husband could reverse the negative trends in his life and find the success and happiness he hoped for. He prays to God for strength to find positive thoughts when the situation is particularly difficult. He finds himself performing better at work and discovers that he is more open and loving with his wife at home.

People can create their own success and happiness, which begins in their mind with positive thoughts.

Analysis

By cultivating positive thoughts, people are able to attract the right people into their lives, set in motion a positive series of events, and otherwise see the world around them as a better place to be, all of which culminates in a happier and more successful existence. Positive thoughts give people more control over their lives and reaching their potential.

Returning to the previous example of the married couple, the husband had to find a way to change his mindset to embody more positive thoughts. When he did, he was able to create his own success and happiness. How he did so is important to understand, because it can be applicable to anyone looking to better their situation, even when a person doesnt necessarily practice a particular faith. The husband began by recognizing his negative mindset and identifying the negative thoughts that ran across his mind as they came. As he became more mindful of negative thoughts, he came to realize just how his mindset was mired in negativity, which had long dragged down his level of energy, motivation, and happiness.

Following his friends advice, the husband did a thorough Bible study to find the lines that resonated with him the most and that could combat these negative thoughts. A less religious person might still look to authors, political figures, business owners, or other inspiring people for words that can alter that individuals unique set of common negative thoughts and feelings.