Recently a friend asked me the following question:
Is there any concrete benefit of positive thinking? I tried to think positive, but still I found I have no control over what happens to me. It seems to me that a positive mindset is just a way to escape reality and console myself.
This question triggered my thinking. I agree with my friend, who made a valid point here. Any amount of positive thinking cannot guarantee that you will get the outcome you desire in any situation. Does it make any difference at all to the outcome?
From my own experience I am convinced that the way we think makes a huge difference to what we experience in our day-to-day life. Our thinking drives our actions and behavior, and by improving the thought process, we can improve our actions and the way we respond to each situation. The question raised from my friend was challenging my conviction.
Looking at it more closely, I came up with the following explanation. It’s a fact that not everything that happens to us is in our control. There are many factors beyond our reach that contribute to it, hence sometimes we come across desired situations, and at other times we face unpleasant situations. We need to develop a positive mindset to get the mental strength to deal with any situation, and help us in two ways:
- Prepare us to accept adversity and face it calmly
- Help us put our best foot forward in the situations over which we have influence
Let me illustrate the idea with the example of a cricket match. Imagine you are a fielder in a cricket match. Your team’s chances of winning the match are dependent on a large number of factors. As a fielder, you may think that whatever you do, you cannot make your team win the match.
However, on the very next ball, the star batsman hits the ball in the air and it comes towards you. At that moment, the power to influence the outcome of the game suddenly comes to you. If you take the catch, your team may build upon this big success and eventually win the game. Similarly if you drop the catch, it may prove to be a lifeline for the opponent team to build a huge score and snatch the game from you. It is also important to note that your team may lose the game even after you take the catch. Hence there is no guarantee of a specific outcome in this situation as well.
Whenever in doubt, think of the above situation and see yourself as a fielder. In fact in the game of life we get to play all the roles – fielder, batsman, bowler, and captain at different times. In any of these roles, we do not have full control on everything that happens in our life, but like the example of a catch, life gives us numerous opportunities to be in indirect control of our destiny, and a positive mindset helps us take the right decision and action on such occasions.
I remain convinced that we can determine the course of our life by the way we think.
