Positive Thoughts, Positive Attitude, Positive Results

“A strong positive attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.”Patricia Neal, Oscar, and Tony award winning actress.

Most of us have been there. I’m talking about a combination of unfavorable things occurring more frequency than it seems that you can handle. During these times it very well could be seen as make it or break it. Perhaps it is difficulty at work, troubled family issues, or maybe it is a horrific illness or financial setback.

All of these scenarios can rattle the nerves a bit and challenges your ability to get the job done. Issues such as these (if not handled effectively) can lead to a very negative outcome. To help avoid the negatives and produce the positive results, simply think positive. Positive thoughts in most cases will produce positive actions leading to positive results.

Establishing faith within yourself and maintaining your self confidence is crucial. This will help to obtain the positive outcome you want to achieve. People who focus more on the negative issues are more likely to overlook a positive solution to their problem. The solution may be much easier to solve than anticipated, but too much time and energy is usually wasted with negative thinking. There are 4 people I would like to discuss with you briefly, who in my opinion has shown the world what being positive can do.

1) Thomas Edison: As a small child, Thomas Edison developed a hearing disability, probably due to recurring and untreated middle ear infections, and/or scarlet fever. Despite this disability, and unfavorable family circumstances, he grew up to become one of the world’s most respected and important inventers. When Thomas Edison was doing his testing for the electric light bulb, reports show that he failed at least 1,000 times before he was finally successful.

Imagine trying to accomplish something so complex, and failing at it 1,000 times! This is an excellent example of Positive thinking. If your mind is focused on positive thoughts, a positive attitude will follow. This will make it more possible to have a better chance of acquiring the positive results desired.

What would have happened if his attitude was not positive, and he gave up? Or even worse, what if he didn’t even try to work on anything meaningful? He could have easily decided that his hearing loss was something too negative to cope with and decided not to work with such complex issues?

In all probability, someone else would have eventually invented the electric light bulb, but Thomas Edison would not have realized his true abilities. This is only one example in many of how positive thoughts produces positive attitudes, and brings forth positive results. Thomas Edison Died on October 18^th 1931.

1) Tyler Perry- Another example of positive thoughts producing positive attitudes and bringing forth positive results is Tyler Perry. Tyler Perry grew up in dismal circumstances. He was physically abused by his father, and was molested by four different men including a friend of his father. He found himself homeless for a short time and lived in his car.

Tyler tells the story of watching the Oprah Winfrey show one day and learned that writing can be a therapeutic way of coping with personal problems. Based on that show, he began writing letters to himself and was eventually motivated to start a writing career. Those letters were the bases of his musical stage play “I Know That I’ve Been Changed”.

He also wrote a book that was featured on the New York Times Best Seller List. It stayed on the list for 12 weeks. It was also voted as book of the year, and best humor book at the 2006 Quill Awards.

To this date Perry has written, produced, directed, and/ or acted in 8 movies, 13 stage productions, and 3 different TV shows. He’s won 3 different awards including: 2 of the BET Comedy Awards in 2005 for Outstanding Actor in a Theatrical Film, and Outstanding Writing for a Theatrical film. He also received an award from the Black Movies Awards in 2005 for Outstanding Achievements in Screenwriting.

Considering Tyler Perry’s humble beginning and early childhood abuse, I am using his story to show that positive thoughts, leads to positive actions, and brings forth positive results. Tyler Perry has been very generous to the community with various donations.

1) Helen Keller- perhaps the most inspiring of all is Helen Keller. Helen Keller was an author, a lecturer, and a political activist. That’s all great by itself. But the fact that she was both blind and deaf is a huge lesson in positive thinking. She became blind and deaf after an illness when she was a small toddler (probably scarlet fever or meningitis) but was unhindered in her ability to lead and encourage others.

She was an advocate for people with disabilities, and she worked tirelessly in the women’s suffrage movement. She was a founder for the Helen Keller International Organization (dedicated to research in vision, health, and nutrition), and was a founder for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

She was active in politics and campaigned heavily for working class citizens. She met personally with every American present starting with Grover Cleveland through Lyndon B. Johnson. Imagine how less contributing her life would have been if she committed to feeling sorry for herself because of her disability. For her many achievements, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Helen Keller died on June 1, 1968.

1) Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR)- Everyone knows that FDR was the 32^nd president of the U.S. But perhaps many don’t know to how badly he was crippled, or how did it happen. He was afflicted with polio as a young man when he went to Canada with his family on vacation. The polio left him permanently paralyzed from the waist down. This diagnoses had to be devastating news for the young FDR and his family. However, rather than sulk and be depressed about his unfortunate fate, he focused more on his love for his country and his work in politics. He went on to become one of the most accomplished Presidents in the U.S. history.

Although he was paralyzed from the waist down, he taught himself how to walk for a short interval. With the help of his iron braces and his cane, he was able to throw his torso forward and walk for a very short distance. As president, he made many memorable decisions including leading the country in and out of World War 11, and out of the Great Depression. FDR died on April 12, 1945.

Finally, I would like to leave you with this quote: Just for today, no matter where I am going, or what I am doing, or who I am doing it with, it is my intention to focus on the positive. Lucy MacDonald, Canadian Certified Counselor.

This have been only a few examples of how positive thoughts and a positive attitude can lead to positive results.