Keep Thoughts and Conversations Positive

My favorite summer book so far has been Today We Are Rich by Tim Sanders. In it, he encourages people to read books, to think purposefully about what they have read, and to discuss their insights with others. So that is what I’m going to do. In my next few blogs I will share some pearls of wisdom from Tim’s book. Then you can let me know which ones you think are most inspiring.

According to Tim, we are rich in spirit when we make a difference in people’s lives by giving. This creates a virtuous cycle because we receive when we give. But in order to be willing to give, we need to believe there is enough to go around. This belief comes from a strong sense of confidence. Tim offers 7 principles that he learned from his grandmother, Billye, that can help us to gain confidence and experience a sense of abundance in our lives.

The first principle is to feed your mind good stuff. What goes into your mind determines your thoughts and subsequent feelings and actions. So it is important to carefully select your brain food. Tim suggests not reading the news or your email until after you’ve been awake for an hour. During that time you should fill your mind with grateful thoughts, read good books, or have uplifting conversations. Waiting for an hour to read my email has definitely been the most challenging of all of Tim’s recommendations for me!

The second principle is to keep conversations positive. This starts with our internal conversations. One suggestion is to reframe bad news as simply a situation that requires a solution. This moves us from panic mode to planning mode.

For external conversations, the words we use are very powerful. Tim suggests using positive words and directing dialogue toward solutions by focusing on what you have. I love his point that complaining to someone about something is like sharing a cold to feel better. It doesn’t make you feel better, but it makes them feel worse. This is something I need to remember!

Next blog: be grateful, be generous and be prepared!