Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work
Issue #2329
- WEALTHY: Are you dwelling on your bad trades? (Rick Pendergraft)
- HEALTHY: Antioxidant power with the "herb of remembrance" (Kelley Herring)
- WISE: J.M. Barrie on changing your life
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
- The "P.T." scam (Michael Masterson)
- A constant battle faced by every leader (Seth Godin)
- It’s Good to Know… about kids in court
- Add "forfend" to your vocabulary
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What Do Golf and Trading Have in Common?
Last week was Masters week, and I’ve got golf on the brain. This got me thinking about the similarities between golf - one of my favorite sports - and trading. (And, no, "They are both frustrating as hell" is not one of them.)
Golf is an individual sport and trading is an individual occupation. When a golfer makes a bad shot, there isn’t anyone to blame except the person in the mirror. The same goes for trading. When a trader makes a mistake, the only one to blame is himself.
Notice that I said "mistake" instead of "losing trade." Losing trades are part of this game. And, in fact, a losing trade isn’t necessarily a bad one. (Though, of course, a bad trade will more than likely be a losing trade.)
One thing I’ve noticed about my golf game is that if I make a bad shot and then let that shot linger in my head, my next shot is usually bad too. The same thing can happen in trading. If you make a bad trade, don’t dwell on it… because that can cause you to make another bad trade.
If you want to master golf or trading, you need to learn from your mistakes. But you’ve also got to move on without the mental baggage of the last shot or trade. Your game will thank you for it.
[Ed. Note: Rick Pendergraft is a professional trader and market analyst. In Rick’s new investment service, he gives easy-to-follow, step-by-step advice that you can use to create consistent, automated income. Learn more about how he can help you produce explosive gains - no matter which way the market is trading - here.]
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"The most useless are those who never change through the years."
James Matthew Barrie
Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work
One of the great fallacies in the self-help industry is the notion that you can change your life with "positive thinking."
The purveyors of positivism, starting with Napoleon Hill and including the people who now promote The Secret, contend that we all have, at our conscious disposal, the means to transform ourselves into walking, breathing success machines.
Some self-help gurus sell positive thinking because they know it is one of the most lucrative products to put in the marketplace. Change one thought and you can change your life! What better promise can you make to an underachieving, wanna-be-rich-and-successful couch potato?
And purely from a profit point of view, they are right. Positive thinking products making quick-and-easy promises account for more than a billion dollars a year in direct-mail and Internet sales. And that’s just for the companies I personally know. The total number is probably multiples of that.
I am not saying all proponents of positive thinking are hucksters. Many are honest men and women who believe in the concept because they use it successfully in their own lives. They are usually people who have always been accomplished, excelling in sports or academics or business almost from the start. Their repeated successes gave them confidence that they can do just about anything. And they readily tap into that underlying feeling of confidence whenever they face a new challenge. In their hearts, they know they can succeed. So when they take on anything new, they can’t help but believe they will be successful.
But what about the rest of the world? The 80 percent of the population that got C’s in school and sat on the bench during ball games and had little or no success in business? What messages are buried in their hearts?
Well, the positive thinkers will tell you that is exactly the point. The people who struggle on without success are failing because they don’t really think they can succeed. If only they could change their thinking, they would do better.
And so the therapy for these self-doubters is positive thinking. Stand in front of the mirror in the morning and repeat 20 times: "I am a good person. I can do anything. I will be successful."
It’s very appealing. Two or three minutes of talking to your mirrored image, and a mental switch will be turned. Everything after that will come to you effortlessly.
The reality is different.
A study mentioned by Julie Norem in her book The Positive Power of Negative Thinking confirms my belief that though positive thinking may work for people who already have an optimistic way of looking at their abilities, it doesn’t work for people who are pessimists.
Researchers divided their subjects (all identified as pessimists) into two groups. They told one group that, based on their past performance, they were going to do well on a standardized test they were about to be given. And these subjects indicated on a pre-test survey that they did, indeed, feel optimistic about their results. The second group was not given any encouragement. The results? The first group, the temporarily optimistic pessimists, actually performed worse on the test.
I’ve been critical of the idea of positive thinking for years, because I think it is useless to the people who most need help in changing their lives: people who have deeply held negative feelings about what they can accomplish.
Positive thinking works only for those who are emotionally positive. Usually, these are people who have a history of being successful. People who have been good wrestlers, for example, find it easy to believe they will win their next wrestling match. Entrepreneurs like yours truly find it easy to believe their next business venture will be successful.
When you are emotionally positive, you can’t help but think positively about everything.
So thinking positively helps. But it only helps the 20 percent of the population that is already emotionally positive. The rest of the population, the 80 percent of the world that is emotionally negative, cannot be helped by positive thinking.
I knew this was true, though I didn’t know exactly why. When I wrote about it in the past, many ETR readers objected. When I spoke about it at conferences, attendees complained to me afterward. They seemed angry. As if I was trying to take something precious away from them.
They believed I was trying to deny their best chance of succeeding. Meanwhile, what I was really trying to do was get them to stop conning themselves and take the specific actions that would help them achieve their goals.
As the years passed, I would meet some of these same people at other conferences. They were still attending self-improvement seminars, still carrying positive-thinking books, and still upset with me for telling them that positive thinking wouldn’t change their fortunes. It had, after all, worked for the people promoting all those seminars and books.
Year after year. Decade after decade. They stayed poor. They stayed stuck. But they wouldn’t give up their dream of changing their lives quickly and easily by changing their thinking.
I was never able to articulate why it was that I knew positive thinking would never work for these people. But then I read a book that helped me understand: A General Theory of Love. It was written by three eminent psychotherapists and neuroscientists. I have posted my notes on this book on my website (which I recommend you read), but let me tell you very briefly what it taught me that sheds light on this issue.
Essentially, our emotions are deeply rooted in the way our minds are wired. There is a scientific basis for many of our emotional responses and how we relate to others. At the same time, our interactions with the world and people around us have a profound impact on our attitude. This interaction, which can actually alter neural pathways in the brain, begins in infancy and influences our development.
So if you grew up with negative feelings about your ability to achieve success, that’s the way your brain is wired. And no amount of positive thinking will change it.
Here is what the authors of A General Theory of Love have to say about the self-help industry:
"A vigorous self-help movement has championed the hoax that a strong-willed person, outfitted with the proper directions, can select good relationships. Those seduced into the promise of a quick fix gobble it up. But the physiology of emotional life cannot be dispelled with a few words…
"… Self-help books are like car repair manuals: You can read them all day, but doing so doesn’t fix a thing."
To change yourself from being emotionally negative to emotionally positive, you have to get some solid successes under your belt. And that’s where another success technique - visualization - comes in. But this one works. Visualization is a proven and useful technique for achieving peak performance.
It’s no secret that many of the most successful people in the world - including entertainers, athletes, and CEOs - used visualization to help them achieve their goals.
Take Tiger Woods…
"Visualization has become a major part of my shot-making, especially as it pertains to shaping shots… It makes a huge difference in your performance."
And Jack Nicklaus, one of the greatest golfers to ever grace the game, said, "I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp in-focus picture of it in my head. It’s like a color movie."
Famed sports psychologist Bob Rotella charges thousands of dollars per session to help pro athletes and business executives achieve success through visualization. In addition to coaching pro PGA golfers and top athletes in the NBA and NFL, he coaches high-ranking executives at Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, General Electric, Coca-Cola, and many other companies.
Matt Furey - world-class martial artist and top Internet marketer - credits visualization for his success. Matt’s wrestling coach told the scrawny, uncoordinated high school teen he never had a chance. But by using the power of visualization, Matt gained the confidence to win match after match - and became a champion wrestler in high school and college.
Later, Matt became World Kung Fu Champion - thanks, again, to visualization and the very positive attitude that was now buried deep in his limbic brain (the part of the brain involved in emotional behavior).
As I said, people who are emotionally positive about their chances for success have a history of succeeding. They’re doers, not dreamers. So forget about positive thinking. Instead, start rewiring your brain by working toward the goal you want to achieve or practicing the skill you want to master.
At first, you won’t feel very good about what you’re doing, because you won’t be very good at it. But stick with it. Remember that it takes about thousand hours to achieve competency in anything that’s worthwhile.
Start by setting very modest objectives. Use visualization to help you excel at specific tasks and overcome specific challenges. But don’t waste your time repeating useless mantras. Actions - only actions - will reprogram your limbic brain and turn you into a real "success machine."
[Ed. Note: "Thinking positive" is a success technique that so-called experts have touted for years. We offer dozens of simple - and more effective - strategies that you can use to accomplish all your goals in our Total Success Achievement program. Learn the details here.]
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The World Is Shrinking… and the Opportunities to Make Money With This “Global” Economy Are Nothing Short of Staggering! If You Know How…
Imagine how well your business would be doing if you could slash your costs by more than 49% while boosting your profits by more than 57%.
You can do it… if you know how.
Today, as a matter of fact, all the Fortune 500 companies are doing just that, and they’re posting record-breaking profits by taking advantage of the “Global Economy.”
Unfortunately until now, only big companies could even think of doing this. But not anymore. Now it’s your turn.
Click here to find out how you can put the “Global Economy” to work for you.
The global borders are shrinking… The world’s becoming a smaller place… Will you just stand there watching opportunity go by or will you seize the moment and put the “Global Economy” to work for you?
Reader Feedback: "Good old-fashioned actionable advice that, when coupled with elbow grease, will fatten your wallet."
"What I love about ETR, Automatic Wealth and Ready, Fire, Aim is what I call ’straight, no chaser info’: good old-fashioned actionable advice that, when coupled with elbow grease, will fatten your wallet.
"Motivation is all well and good. However, I prefer tried and true operating methods any day of the week. Your company’s products provide those fiscal roadmaps. My plan for the next nine months is to start and grow a side business that throws off enough cash that I can invest in real estate. I agree with Mr. Masterson. The next year or two will see all kinds of opportunities for creating wealth. I will be ready to acquire my share of the goodies. Keep up the great work."
Anthony E. Russell
Santa Monica, CA
[Ed. Note: Want to get your name and opinions published in ETR? Let us know how reading ETR has helped you - maybe even changed your life. Send your comments to ReaderFeedback@gmail.com. Include your name and hometown… and we may print your e-mail in a future issue.]
Worth Quoting: Seth Godin on Facing Resistance
"There’s a myth that all you need to do is outline your vision and prove it’s right - then, quite suddenly, people will line up and support you.
"In fact, the opposite is true. Remarkable visions and genuine insight are always met with resistance. And when you start to make progress, your efforts are met with even more resistance. Products, services, career paths… whatever it is, the forces for mediocrity will align to stop you, forgiving no errors and never backing down until it’s over.
"If it were any other way, it would be easy. And if it were any other way, everyone would do it and your work would ultimately be devalued. The yin and yang are clear: Without people pushing against your quest to do something worth talking about, it’s unlikely it would be worth the journey. Persist."
(Source: Seth Godin’s blog)
Kitchen Cabinet Cancer Fighters
Most gourmands would agree with the old adage "Spice is nice." And now scientists do too. Inside your kitchen cabinet there are probably dozens of spices and herbs you should be using more liberally… and more often.
Rosemary is one of them.
Recent research published in Oncology Reports found that rosemary has potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, helping to protect cells from oxidative damage. What’s more, this piney spice showed strong cancer-fighting activity against leukemia and breast cancer cell lines.
Because rosemary is so effective at inhibiting oxidation, you may already have started to see it listed as a natural preservative (Vitiva) in some of your favorite foods. In the meantime, add this "herb of remembrance" to marinades, salad dressings, and teas to boost their flavor and antioxidant value.
[Ed. Note: Kelley Herring is the founder and CEO of Healing Gourmet (www.healinggourmet.com), and is editor-in-chief of the Healing Gourmet book series. Learn more about how simple lifestyle choices can improve your health by reading ETR’s free natural health e-letter.]
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It’s Good to Know: Kids in Court
Researchers from Cornell University have found that the court testimony of children is often more reliable than that of adults. The study found that adults tend to interpret - or misinterpret - events in their minds when they process them into memories, which sometimes results in false accounts. Kids, on the other hand, are less likely to interpret what they see, because their brains have not yet developed that ability. The result: They remember exactly what happened.
(Source: Science Daily )
Take Charge of Your Future
You don’t have much spare time… you’re not exactly rolling in the bucks… and you’re no Bill Gates when it comes to technology.
We’ve heard you… and that’s why we asked Marc Charles to be our “advance scout” for profit opportunities that you can run from a kitchen table, your desktop, or out on the road.
They’ve got to be inexpensive and easy to start, without a lot of red tape or technical know-how, and still have great income potential.
There’s a reason they call this guy “The King of Business Opportunities”…why not take a look at what he’s got for you?
- Charlie Byrne
Word to the Wise: Forfend
To "forfend" (for-FEND) - from the Middle English for "to ward off" - is to defend, protect, preserve. It can also mean prevent or avert.
Example (as used by John Maddox in What Remains To Be Discovered): "The river of discovery will continue to flow without cessation, deepening our understanding of the world and enhancing our capacity to forfend calamity and live congenial lives."
Copyright ETR, LLC, 2008
Hi Michael,
Thank you for the terrific article entitled “Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work,” I’ll take positive action over positive thinking any day!
In fact, positive action is what got me through a bout with breast cancer, certification as a fitness instructor at the ripe old age of 50 (seriously!),and launching a new career as a writer and health info publisher.
Keep those great articles coming!
Warmest,
Marilena Paolucci
Montreal, Canada
Dear Michael,
Thanks for the excellent article. I have been searching for a way to reach my enthusiastic, pessimistic husband… This is the way!
I like the depth of research you have put into this concept, and also feel that the emotional aspects are so important in the levels of success we can achieve as individuals. My work involves a lot of empathy, and as an advisor I have found that the negative emotional situations can become obstacles. These emotional obstacles cause patterns to develop in relationships, professional and personal. Thanks for such a great new avenue to pursue!!
Hey Michael,
Even visualization, like positive thinking, won’t work unless an individual understands the specific structure and process of visualization. Just creating desired pictures in the mind will no more create change than will saying positive things in front of a mirror.
Remember we think with pictures, sounds and words, and how they are structured is unique to every human being. Those can be both positive and negative. Understanding that structure, and how to restructure, is the first step toward change and “Power Surge Performance.”
Hi Michael,
I totally agree with your article. Even though I got caught up in “The Secret”, I soon realized that without that emotionally charged feeling that I could actually accomplish something, just saying so, didn’t cut it. I believe visualization gives you the feeling needed to actually accomplish a goal. After all, no matter how many times you tell yourself that you can do something, if you can’t imagine yourself doing it (whatever it is), then it just won’t happen for you. So, thank you for these words of wisdom.
Victoria Leal
I’ve been a ‘positive Thinker for 24 years. I feel that the mantras are time consuming and frustrating. I beleve there is a better way.
I have been around many sour-pussed people and I believe you must be the #1 of all. You don’t have to be goofy about the ‘positive thinking’ mania but let’s just say it gets you through life with a smile on your face rather than a scowl - can that be so bad??????? You are laughing your way to the bank because you are sucker-punching those that are looking for any kind of help that they think is going to get them through the next day. I bet you even sleep good at night!
Thank you for an excellent article Michael!
I believe there are three necessary “ingredients” for success in any endeavor. Visualization is one of the ingredients. Another is believing (this may or may not be called positive thinking) you are capable of achieving whatever the goal might be. But there is a third ingredient without which nothing is accomplished. You must have a realistic and detailed plan for action.
Lori
Michael,
Eighty percent of most people are not very good at what they do. That’s according to the dead poet, Charles Bukowski. The trick is to lift oneself, somehow, in to the twenty percentile, and that ain’t easy…but you have to start somewhere. Positive thinking comes in handy when creating a specific visualization. Definite purpose, with a smile on your face is more powerful than a self doubting scowl. You’re right about the “thousand hours” (at least)…to get good at anything. That’s where persistence comes in.
Hello Michael,
I love your article! I’m one of those pessimists and my friends keep on telling me to think positive but I know that was not easy…getting away from ‘your’ usual thinking style…I think “visualization” was the right word for it. “The only thing that hurts by being a pessimists was discovering in the end that you were right in the first place..”….Thanks…God bless
Bravo!!! You have hit the nail on the head, & described me to a T. This is the REAL advice I have needed for years. I can’t thank you enough for your article: “Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work”. I wish I’d gotten this years ago, but I have it now. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Terrific thought, Michael!
My 20 year experience in coaching salespeople and managers is that their limited beliefs about what’s possible will undermine their positive thinking.
Any action we can take to expand our belief system (like visualization) will accelerate the process of improvement faster that positive thinking.
Nice article Michael, although I think you are splitting hairs a bit. I believe both positive thinking and visualization are required. I think anyone can visualize themselves becoming a great internet marketer while sitting on the couch watching get rich infomercials. But without positive thinking to take action all their visualization won’t do much. So while I agree positive thinking alone will not get you where you want to be, neither will visualization. I believe they go together.
Positive thinking doesn’t work, a fact known 2000 years ago; “Faith without works is dead”.
Aloha Michael, I have to agree with Steve Smith in that visualization and positive thinking go together, in fact are both parts of the same idea. You cannot have a positive visualization without thinking positively. Also, both are just part of a larger process. Action is the next step. If you don’t take action both positive thinking and visualization with count for nothing.
At the beginning of the article you spoke of the 80% that can’t be helped by positive thinking citing that it only works for those with an already positive attitude who have always been accomplished. Yet you write of Bob Rotella who charges thousands of dollars to help who? The ones that are at the top of their games, the ones who have always been accomplished.
Don’t get me wrong, I do agree with what you say, it’s just that you and all the others are still incomplete. If you read The Secret it actually says the same things. It is that “emotionally charged positive visualization” that starts it off, but it is a process. It will remain a process till the switch in your head turns on the light in your head and you say, “AHA!” And none of it is of any use unless there is action to back it up.
My belief is that you must to get to the root of the matter and that would be “over coming fear.” I could get more into this if you would like.
We agree, positive thinking is great; positive action gets things done.
The bank accounts of MANY marketers is much fuller because of the gullibility of people to believe in magic beans, silver bullets or some other hocus pocus idea of “getting rich”, “getting thin” or “being happy.” The fact is, as you state, it takes work - sometimes incredibly hard work.
Great Article. The purveyor’s of the ‘if I think it, it will come’ gravy train need to be bought to task. Positive thinking is a tool to motivate into Action. Action being the operative word.
Even Napoleon Hill said “Action is the real measure of intelligence”.
Amen and amen!
What a thought-provoking article.
thanks
Hello Michael,
it seems like I am the only one here, who got a little annoyed about parts of the see above article.
In your opening you say, “One of the great fallacies in the self-help industry is the notion that you can change your life with “positive thinking.”
“The purveyors of positivism, starting with Napoleon Hill and including the people who now promote The Secret, contend that we all have, at our conscious disposal, the means to transform ourselves into walking, breathing success machines.”
At no time did Napoleon Hill advocate that all we have to do is think positive to, “transform ourselves into walking, breathing success machines.”
Perhaps a little refresher is in order. Napoleon Hill’s teachings are based on 17 success principles:
1: Definiteness of Purpose
2: Mastermind Alliance
3: Applied Faith
4: Going the Extra Mile
5: Pleasing Personality
6: Personal Initiative
7: Positive Mental Attitude
8: Enthusiasm
9: Self-Discipline
10: Accurate Thinking
11: Controlled Attention
12: Teamwork
13: Adversity and Defeat
14: Creative Vision
15: Maintenance of Sound Health
16: Budgeting Time and Money
17: Cosmic Habitforce
If you want to bring Napoleon Hill into a discussion or make an argument about success, please don’t quote him out of context. Keep in mind what he was really teaching.
Saying that you can be successful without being a positive thinker is “foolish”. I dare anybody to get up tomorrow morning and look at yourself in the mirror and say, “I am going to have a rotten day today.”
Let’s see how many sales you will make, or how many people you can influence. Your negative attitude will spread. You can’t be successful with that kind of attitude.
A positive mental attitude is a prerequisite of success. It is impossible to visualize yourself being successful and think negative.
End of sermon.
I wish everybody a great and POSITIVE day!
Herb
AS. Napoleon Hill advocated visualization many years ago. See principle 14: Creative Vision.
Actually there is no such thing as a ‘magic bullet’ that will work for everyone, be it positive thinking or creative vision. What is interesting is that we are all still looking for the same answers to the same questions. Does being rich make you happy? I know some pessimistic, miserable but very rich people. I also know some very happy, generous poor people.
Ask yourself, how can that be? And you will be one step closer…………..
i like verymuch this sentence verygood tips
thanks,
nazeer
Hallo, michael,
Off course positive thinking helps. It has done everything to me and for me…….. Working with affirmations is excellent !!!!! Off course you have to empregnate yourself with the new way of thinking and if you really want to have succes you have to understand exactly what you are doing and maybe you even need some help from someone specialized in the stuff to understand your deeper motives and shed light on your absence of succes.
Yours truly
Michael is spot on!
As much as positive thinking works for some people, others need much more than positive thinking.
No amount of positive thinking will help you if you dont take ACTION and visualize your desired results.
A combination of positive thinking, visualization and enough ACTION will take you every where!
I have question about :
BE -> DO -> HAVE
Be positive ,
Do positive actions,
Achieve positive results ?
So visualization and affirmations are part of BEing or DOing ?
The right thoughts used together with the right action are in my opinion the best combination of things to do to become successful in any endeavor. Yes, action is required as well as the right thought that created the action.
I know how to pray and I do get results. Such as having Typhoons change paths or have their winds pause as they meekly pass over us here in Japan. Well Over fifty times Is that positive thinking to you or not? Or have I changed the subject?