If you have attended any personal development seminar or read any books or articles seeking personal growth, at some point the author likely discussed the importance of "being positive." Although this must appear at times to be overused, I can't stress how important it is to embrace this attitude in life and to LEARN how to reinforce your life by being positive. As you entertain this concept, I'd like you to consider what being positive means to you. (Being positive could be reflected internally based on your attitude toward something or externally in your behavior.)
After all, this experience or consideration can only be manifested based on your own experiences. Everything you do is made up of the habits you have created in life. These habits can be physical (what you naturally do) or mental (how you naturally think). For instance, smiling-or not-is as natural as walking. Once it's a habit, you do it without effort or having to think about it. As you experience life and make a conscious (or unconscious) choice to be positive, there are many "perceived" influences. I emphasize "perceived" since what we consider an influence is anything external that we allow to affect or infect us.
Being positive is an important characteristic of your personality and reflects how you live and can bring much love, happiness, and energy to your life. I would also like to give you permission to make a comparison between being positive and the process of change.
"Change is not merely necessary to life-it is life." Alvin Toffler
From the time we are born until the time we die, our thoughts, feelings, and actions will be determined by a very basic concept.
External and/or Internal -> Stimulus -> Response -> Repeat
A stimulus is something that provokes a response. Response is your reaction/action as a result of the stimulus. Your response can then create another stimulus, and so the cycle begins. Once the cycle has been set in motion, the outcome is constantly developing your thoughts and feelings, which results in creating habits, which then quickly become associated with your personality.
I believe there are certain characteristics with which we are born. Upon being born and experiencing a "stimulus" for the first time in the outside world, some babies cry a lot, while others smile. From this moment on, external and internal influences begin to massage their personalities, quickly creating habits. Internal influences may be when a happy, smiling baby experiences severe colic, which causes pain, resulting in crying a lot. External influences are then experienced as a result of how people respond to a crying baby. Maybe one crying baby receives love and attention and becomes a smiling baby. Maybe another receives feelings of frustration or anger. The older a baby gets, the more their personality begins to take on uniqueness.
The amazing part of this process is when you become aware of how influences affect your personality. What's more amazing is when we learn that the power lies in understanding how much control we have in how we allow these influences to drive how we respond.
This cycle is carried on throughout your life, is present today, and will always be experienced. This cycle has created such deeply-rooted habits in your life that you don't even realize the process is taking place throughout your life.
This is why awareness becomes so important. Through examining your life you begin the process of opening a door.
Shari Bench is a certified trainer and author of the book, "Five Essentials of Transformation; Change your life one thought at a time." Her many programs on leadership, career enhancement, relationships, and health and wealth break down the barriers to create incredible results.
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