How To Train Your Mind To Think Positive

Can you train your mind to think positive?Can anyone do this? or is it just special people with special skills? I’m dr. Paul Jenkins. Welcome to hero TV! That’s what we’ll be talking about today. Have you heard before that happiness is a choice?

I’ve heard that so many times I believe that. And yet, there’s some times when we just don’t feel happy or positive. And then, remembering that it’s a choice is not all that helpful because, then we feel guilty that we’re not

making the choice. Do you see how this gets complicated? My friend Scott Willhite, recently published this book it’s called “The Seven Core Skills of Everyday Happiness” You might want to look that

one up. Scott launched this book on a Tuesday. Tt became a best-seller by Thursday. And, here’s why Scott brought a whole new concept to this conversation about happiness being a choice. Yes,

happiness is a choice and as Scott points out, happiness is a skill. Now, what does that change? If happiness is a skill, we’re going to approach it a little differently than if we’re simply

thinking that it’s a choice. So, a months ago, I… found this. Now, Guitar…

is something that I’ve just started to learn . So in September last year, I hired a guitar teacher. I have a lesson every Friday. I practice every day. Okay, if my mom is watching she probably knows I

never practiced every day on the piano as a kid. I don’t practice every day but, I do practice regularly to develop the skills for the guitar. Now… here’s a question for you. Is guitar a choice?

You see that? Of course it is. I chose it and I had no guitar in my background. Can you choose guitar? Yes you can, Or any other musical instrument. Now the good the choice is essential but not sufficient. Because just choosing guitar doesn’t

mean that I can play the darn thing. Right? I’m actually developing some skills on the guitar because I’ve been practicing consistently. Can you see where we’re going with that? If happiness

is a choice that’s really great to know. and it’s necessary but not sufficient, to actually create positivity on purpose as a habit. It has to be practiced. So, if we, tie it back into the guitar idea what do

you want to do? hire a coach. Ok, I’ve been coaching. i’m not trying to sell you on my coaching. Find someone who can coach you on different ways of thinking. We get so in our own way all the time because,

everything that we’re thinking has become habitual. To think in a different way doesn’t always feel normal or natural. When I started the guitar, my guitar teacher Nate started with this here’s an actual recollection of the

first lesson. He said, “Dr. Paul this is a guitar.” Oh awesome. He said, “these are strings. This is called the nut, this is the neck, these are the keys.” He walked me through the very basics and I

needed that because my own way of thinking was not attuned to the guitar. You see how this is similar? So you hire a coach, and then you engage in a process where you get to on a regular basis. Get input and instruction. When I say

coach, I’m also talking about podcasts, I’m talking about hero TV, I’m talking about good books that I referenced here in these these videos. Find ways to get that information. The basic principles and information into your head. And then,

you set up a practice protocol. Watever you’ve been thinking you’ve gotten really good at so if you feel like you’re really good at being negative, okay it’s going to take a little bit of practice to get to the point where you

feel competent in the new skills that you’re developing. Commit to that practice protocol and be patient with yourself. Look at this thing as a process it’s not an event so learning the guitar

is not something you just do on a Friday. You know, I do it on friday but I do it this friday and next friday and the other Friday I have my lessons on Friday that’s what I mean. It’s a process not an

event. So remind yourself of that be very patient and tolerant with yourself as you’re learning a new set of skills. And then, the last thing about the the practice protocol, celebrate. Celebrate those, those victories as you see

yourself gaining those new skills have some fun with it. Now, what are you going to practice? I want to give you two brain hacks. I call these brain hacks. The first one, now we had another video about how to be positive in negative

situations we go find that video you’ll get a quick little review that’s actually summarized in my mini book “portable positivity” that helps you to understand two processes going on in your mind all the time. Evaluation and

Creation. I’m referring back to those without going into detail here because we covered that in the other video. When, when you put yourself in that positive position with the evaluation mode and with the creation mode,

It powers up everything and gives you a practice protocol that you can work on. So, let’s start with evaluation. Here’s the evaluation practice I call it, the” gratitude triple play”.

Now all this is, is coming up with things that you’re grateful for. Make a list. So keep it in your smart phone, or on your tablet, or in a in a little notebook. Make a list everyday of three things for which you are

sincerely grateful. Don’t pretend you have to actually be grateful for it to put it on your list. This is powerful. Now, here’s what really powers it up you get one freebie. Everyday, one freebie. Now what I mean by that is it’s easy

simple to come up with things you’re grateful for related to what’s already awesome. Okay and people list their family, their health, yeah of course you’re grateful for that you get that

one freebie. Puppies, rainbows, indoor plumbing, hot water, okay. The other two everyday and don’t repeat anything on tomorrow’s list that was on today’s list okay? Whole new list tomorrow. The other two everyday have to be about something that

is currently kicking your trash. Ok, something that is challenging, or difficult, or painful, or frustrating. Pick that, find something in that, for which you are sincerely grateful. Now this can be hard. Cancer. What if it’s cancer? You

know, whatever your cancer is this hit our family last year when my sister-in-law was diagnosed Stage four pancreatic cancer, two months from diagnosis to funeral. Okay it took her fast. Now, what if it’s cancer? what could

I be grateful for about that? It’s a pretty good question. But, our brain turns it into a statement disguise as a question. What could be good about that? See how it’s not a question? There’s an

exclamation point at the end. Watch your punctuation, turn it back into a question. what could possibly be great about this? what is there to be grateful for in this? so I’m not saying be grateful for the cancer, i’m saying peel it back. Look

inside of it digging rummage around in there until you find something for which you are sincerely grateful. okay and for me, with that cancer thing, I found a relationship with my sweet niece. She’s

22 years old special needs she got to stay with me and my family for two months while her mother was passing. Am I grateful for that relationship? Yes I am. Yes I am. So you don’t have to be grateful for the cancer. You got it? But,

look around inside there find something two things every day in something that’s difficult. Okay that’s the first brain hack. Here’s the second thing you get to practice and notice I’m setting you up on a daily practice protocol because,

we’re going to train your brain to be positive. Okay, now we’re going to creation mode. In creation mode, the brain hack has to do with the clock. Think about it. How sure are you that eight o’clock is coming?

Oh, pretty sure. Okay, how sure are you that you’re going to be around for eight o’clock? almost as. alright, think about it you got one hundred percent track record so far you’ve made

it to every eight o’clock so far your whole life and there’s two everyday for those of you don’t get up early. Now, if eight o’clock is coming and you’re going to be around for eight o’clock I think there’s only two options. I used to think

maybe there were three the things would be exactly the same at eight o’clock as they are right now not even possible because, you’re going to be a number of hours older at the very least. You might be more hungry, more tired, I don’t know

it depends on what you did just before eight. So by your own evaluation, Things have to be either better, or worse at eight o’clock. Now, you know you could make things worse think about it.

It won’t take that long. What if you were to commit to better by eight? and I like to remember this brain hack as the little droid in Star Wars bb-8. You know, the one? If you remember the droid bb-8 and

then just translate that into better by eight that’s your second practice protocol. Do those two things practice them consistently celebrate your progress you can train your mind to be more positive.

Hope you enjoyed the video today. Thanks for watching hero TV. If you liked the video, click the like button. It helps us out and, helps more people see it. I’ve put a lot of helpful resources in the description below. One that I

definitely want you to check out is Paul’s book, “Pathological Positivity” Definitley going to check that out. Remember, live on purpose, make a difference, and be the hero.