Positive thinking

Harness the Power of Positive
Thinking
Presented by
Sylvia Lane and Michelle Baca
January 21, 2009

Our Objective
• To help you produce positive
results in your life and your work
by giving you access to more
power and positivity when you
need it

www.convergencecoaching.com
©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2002-2009
All rights reserved.

Our Agenda
• How negative thought patterns are formed
• How to transform negative thought patterns into
positive ones
• Centering techniques including meditation and
spiritual practices/prayer
• Methods for creating positive results including
visualization and goal-setting


Poll #1
• What prevents you from staying positive? Check any
of the following that apply:
– Negative co-workers and/or family members
– You’re mind is always racing
– Negative messages from television, newspapers, and other
media sources
– You feel like you don’t have control over the things that
happen in your life
– Self-defeating thoughts (I should have... I’ll never be able
to)
– You’re overwhelmed by all the things on your to-do list
– Other


Let’s Get Centered
• One technique for reducing stress and
generating positive thinking is getting
centered
– We’ll use centering to get present and focus on our
session today
• The purpose here is to focus the mind, to
allow more clarity by honing in on one
particular thought or image
– It does not make the others go away
– It draws the attention to the chosen thought or
image

Let’s Get Centered
• We’ll focus on getting “clear” and open to the
ideas of this session
• We’ll use a breathing technique to help center
ourselves
– Close your eyes and focus on your breath
– Inhale deeply through your nose for a count of
5-10 seconds
– Hold for 1-2 seconds
– Exhale deeply through your mouth
– Repeat

Transforming Negative Thought
Patterns into Positive Ones

The Little Voice
In Our Heads
• When you're stressed, there is negative "self
talk" in your head
• That little voice often tells us things that are
not necessarily helpful
• When you're under a lot of stress, your mind
is on auto pilot
• When you are on autopilot – that negative
self-talk (the stories we tell ourselves)
becomes our “truth”

You’re Not The
Only One!
• Everybody has the little voice in their heads
• Our minds race with an enormous amount of
internal dialogue
• We are all the products of years of
“programming” that have molded our
internal dialogue
• It becomes so deeply ingrained that it is like a
CD playing over and over again in our heads


Awareness Is Key

• As soon as you become aware that your
mind is on “auto-pilot,” you have an
opportunity to reduce your stress
• The voice in your head is not you
– Stop and listen to what the voice is saying
– Simply notice without judgment
– Practice quieting the mind


Forms of Negative
Self-Talk
• Sometimes negative self-talk just means
that your own misperceptions, lack of
information, and distorted ideas have
overpowered your capacity for logic
and reason


I have been through some terrible
things in my life, some of which
actually happened
Mark Twain

Forms of Negative
Self-Talk
• Forms of negative self-talk include:
– Filtering: You magnify the negative aspects of a
situation and filter out the positive ones
– Personalizing: When something bad occurs, you
automatically blame yourself
– Catastrophizing: You automatically anticipate the
worst
– Polarizing: You see things only as either good or
bad

Adapted from MayoClinic.com ©Copyright ConvergenceCoaching, LLC 2002-2009

Poll #2
• Which form of negative self-talk are you most guilty
of?
– Filtering: You magnify the negative aspects of a
situation and filter out the positive ones
– Personalizing: When something bad occurs, you
automatically blame yourself
– Catastrophizing: You automatically anticipate the
worst
– Polarizing: You see things only as either good or
bad

How Our Thought
Patterns Were Created
• It helps to consider where the negative
thought patterns came from in order to
understand why they are powerful, deeply
ingrained and difficult to shift
• Understanding how negative thought
patterns are formed helps us understand how
to “flip” them and create more positive
thought patterns


How Our Thought
• Modeling
– We learn and model people of influence in our lives such as
parents, teachers, peers, bosses, co-workers, and siblings
• Personal Experience
– Our thoughts are based on past experience and the evidence
that we have seen
– Repeated failure creates negative thinking and similarly
repeated success creates positive thinking
• The Stories We Hear
– We base our beliefs on the stories we hear of others’
experiences
– Sometimes they become our truth, especially in the absence
of evidence to the contrary www.convergencecoaching.com

How Our Thought
• Physical Programming
– Our bodies are very perceptive and responsive
– Our physical experiences affect and shape our thought
patterns
• Experiences that create open, good physical sensations
encourage positive thought patterns (endorphin-
producing exercise, enjoying or playing music, singing,
playing a favorite sport, being “in the zone,” physical
touch and closeness)
• Experiences that produce negative physical responses
encourage negative thought patterns (bodily stress
responses like racing heart, upset stomach, tension,
violence, physical and/or verbal abuse)

How Our Thought
• Quantum Physics and the Law of
Attraction
– Thoughts have an energy that attracts like
energy
– You are like a human transmission tower,
attracting more of what you focus your
thoughts and attention on


The greatest weapon against
stress and biggest opportunity
for positivity is our ability to
choose one thought over another.

- William James

Interpretations

• Now that you understand how your
thoughts are formed, you can see that:
– You have many filters in which you listen
and receive information
– You apply the information you receive
based on your past experiences or those of
others
– There are many ways to interpret any
given situation www.convergencecoaching.com

Interpretations
Can Be Tricky!
• It is worth developing a number of potential ways to
view an issue before identifying your approach to it
• We suggest you play an interpretations game
– You will see that there are many potential reasons or causes
for each issue and different ways to view it
– Use the interpretations game to vent your negative feelings
and see that there are other possible ways to view each
situation that are worth exploring


Then Pick a New
Interpretation
• You can affect your response to stress by
adjusting your chosen version of the “truth”
and:
– Choose the most positive interpretations
– Become 100% responsible for everything going on
in your life!
– Look at situations from another’s perspective
– Let go of control and perfectionism
– Work to eliminate “should,” “must, “ “never,”
“always,” and any other self-defeating words
from your vocabulary www.convergencecoaching.com

Then Pick a New
Interpretation
– See the glass as half full
– Have a sense of humor – especially when
you don’t feel like laughing!
– Reframe problems as opportunities
– Focus on the long-term and how relevant
(or irrelevant) this problem will be in a
month or year
– Learn to forgive


Whenever a negative thought
concerning your personal power
comes to mind, deliberately voice
a positive thought to cancel it
out.
Norman Vincent Peale

Centering On
The Positive
• Centering is important to focus your thoughts and
relax your body and we already explored breathing as
one form
• There are a number of other centering practices
• Meditation
– Choose a place that is quiet and free from distractions
– Sit in silence or choose a particular sound or word that you
can begin to repeat to yourself with a comfortable rhythm and
frequency that feels comfortable for you
– You may find yourself drifting into a state somewhere
between being awake and asleep - let that be OK


Centering On
The Positive
• Spiritual Practice/Prayer
– A centering activity advocated by spiritual teachers or established
religious organizations
• The most common form is centering through prayer
– Usually spiritual practice begins with sitting or kneeling, closing
the eyes, folding the hands, and reciting silently or out loud some
specific words or phrases that create a feeling of connection with a
higher power
– The energy seems to be accelerated when practiced with a group
• Affirmations
– Create positive statements to support a desired result
• Avoid negative language and refocus on the positive
• One of the first affirmations taught to children in the U.S. is “I think I
can” from the Little Train That Could
– Post affirmations in visible places so you are reminded of them
frequently


Centering On
The Positive
• Visualization
– Mentally imagine a picture of a desired positive result
– Feel or experience the result
• Even what you would see, hear, taste, and smell
– Express gratitude for the change as though it has already
taken place
• Goal Setting
– Create a clear vision of your positive result with plans and
activities that will get you there
– Develop timelines and specific measures or results
– Share these with someone else and keep that person
updated on your progress – celebrate results!

Happiness is when what you
think, what you say, and what
you do are in harmony.
Gandhi

Inspired Action
• It is not enough to visualize and recite
affirmations
– You must be willing to take action and seize
opportunities when they present themselves
– It takes courage – the willingness to act even in the
face of fear and uncertainty
• You can’t afford to
– Wait for “the right time”
– Let your doubts get in the way
– Second guess yourself
– Waste time trying to get it perfect www.convergencecoaching.com

Identify An Inspired
Action Step
• Think about something that you would like to
accomplish
– Visualize the end result
– What will it be like, feel like, how will things be different?
• What action step could you take towards achieving
your goal?
– Do not let yourself be stopped by the “what ifs,” “yeah
buts,” and the “I’ll wait until the time is right” syndrome


A leader has to be positive about
all things that happen to his
team. Look at nothing in the
past as a failure.
Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K)
USA Olympic Basketball Team Coach

Mirroring Expected
Behavior
• Mirror leadership behavior and watch your
own stress reflections more carefully
– If you’re snippy, grouchy, high-strung, defeatist,
short, or otherwise “stressed out” – count on those
around you to react similarly
• During periods of stress, you need to model
positive behavior more than any other time
– Those around you will follow your lead and need
someone to demonstrate a can-do attitude
– Make sure you’re practicing the individual stress
management techniques outlined previously or
the rest of these ideas are moot! www.convergencecoaching.com

Where Do You Start?
 Pay attention to times when you feel negative and
practice identifying the trigger for your negativity
 Pay attention to times when you feel especially positive
and practice identifying the circumstances and thought
patterns that produce that state of mind
 Find ways that you can reduce stress for yourself
 Exercise, eat better, sleep more, etc.
 Commit to practice positive thinking and adopt new
habits such as meditation, visualization, and taking
inspired action steps


Make One Commitment
• Managing stress and adopting a positive outlook and
attitude requires ongoing attention – it is the only
way to have it all!
• Identify what you want to undertake – personally or
organizationally – and then commit
– No “trying” allowed!
– Trying means you’re not going to do it or that
something can knock that commitment down

“Do or do not. There is no try”
- Jedi Master Yoda


Poll #3
• Which one idea to help maintain a positive outlook
can you commit to explore out of this web seminar?
(check only one)
– Reduce your stress level by exercising more,
sleeping more, and eating more healthfully
– Begin practicing quieting the mind and “watching
your thoughts”
– Post affirmations in visible places so you are
reminded of them frequently
– Begin doing a daily centering or meditation
practice
– Identify the first action step towards one of your
goals and set a by-date to complete it by
– Other www.convergencecoaching.com

Thank You!
• Contact us at any time!

Michelle Baca
(505) 217-2094
Michelle@convergencecoaching.com

Sylvia Lane
(949) 443-3915
Sylvia@convergencecoaching.com

Resources


ConvergenceCoaching
Resources
• ConvergenceCoaching’s web site includes
articles and tools related to positive thinking
and managing stress
– www.convergencecoaching.com
• Visit our blog for posts on topics such as:
– Resolving To Be Positive in 2009
– Maintaining Your Mojo
– How Positive Are You?
– Believe!
– Is Busy A Good Thing?
– http://blog.convergencecoaching.com www.convergencecoaching.com

Stress Management
Resources
• Annual "Attitudes In The American Workplace"
Gallup Poll sponsored by the Marlin Company
• American Institute of Stress at www.stress.org
• American Psychological Association Help Center at
www.apahelpcenter.org
• “Can stress actually be good for you?” by Jane
Weaver, www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15818153/
• “Desk rage: Workers Gone Wild” by Jacqueline
Stenson, www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15814840/

Stress Management
Resources
• HelpGuide.org
• Institute for Management Excellence at
www.itstime.com/oct2002.htm
• Managing Job Stress: 10 Strategies for Coping and
Thriving at Work by Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.,
www.quintcareers.com/printable/managing_job_str
ess.html
• MindTools at www.mindtools.com/smpage.html
• Mountain State Centers for Independent Living at
www.mtstcil.org/skills/stress-intro.html

Stress Management
Resources
• National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
at www.cdc.gov/niosh/stresswk.html
• Revolution Health at www.revolutionhealth.com
• Spiritual Depression by Lloyd-James, D. Martyn (Erdmans
Printing 1965)
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in
Personal Change by Stephen Covey (Simon and Schuster, 1989)
• University of Maryland Medical Center at
www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/what_stress_000031_1.htm


Positive Thinking
Resources
• Successconsciousness.com - Awakening the wisdom
and power within you
• Taming Your Gremlin by Rick Carson (Harper
Collins, New York, 2003)
• The Art of Possibility by Benjamin Zander and
Rosamund Stone (Penguin Books, 2002)
• The Field by Lynne McTaggart (Harper Collins, 2002)
• The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle (New World
Library, 1999)


Positive Thinking
Resources
• The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent
Peale (Fireside Press, New York, 2003)
• The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (Atria Books, New York,
2006)
• Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill (Napoleon
Hill 1937)
• Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia
www.wikipedia.org
• MayoClinic.com at
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/positive-
thinking/SR00009

Conflict Management
Resources
• Conflict Resolution Network at
www.crnhq.org/windskill1.html
• www.ctic.purdue.edu/KYW/Brochure
s/ManageConflict.html
• www.freebizplan.org/business_strategi
es/management/conflict.htm
• The Heart of a Leader by Ken
Blanchard (1999)

Conflict Management
Resources
• Management by Kathryn M. Bartol and
David C. Martin (Irwin McGraw-Hill, 1998)
• Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution at
www.state.oh.us/cdr/schools/contentpages
/styles.htm
• Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman,
Richard Boyatzis, & Annie McKee (Harvard
Business School Press, 2002)

Organizational Change
Resources
• Deloitte & Touche, LLP
– www.deloitte.com/dtt/cda/doc/content/2005_WIN_Annual
_Report.pdf
• “How Employers Can Win the Talent Quest – Book
Summary On Keeping the People Who Keep You in
Business.” Leigh Branham.
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/ja
n2001/sb2001014_851.htm
• Managing in the Age of Change: Essential Skills to Manage
Today's Workforce, Roger A. Ritvo, Anne Litwin, and
Lee Butler, editors: IRWIN Professional Publishing
• Rupert & Company FlexWise Programs
– flextools.rupertandcompany.com/preview/approach.htm

Positive thinking

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