Negative Thinking: How did it stop me from being a loser?

This potent image reminds me of some of my darker days. Instead of doing something about it, I used Positive Thinking to keep me a loser. Learnt from my mistakes if you are making them!

I love negative thinking, it’s absolutely fantastic and since I have constructively engaged negative thinking instead of that lame positive thinking, my life is miraculously working all of a sudden.

“Positive thinking” cost me thousands and set my life back years and what I find very interesting is this whole blog.  When I originally created it, I had this incorrect view that “I was going out on a limb” and it would generate controversy hence interest.  After about 2 years of the blog and not being long away from 20,000 views it has generated almost no controversy – it seems to be the view of many that get’s little attention these days in a sea over stupid “positive thinking” tools which are based on some “reality” of the author.

What has made me really reflect on my life in the context of wasting it with “delusional and wishful positive thinking” lately is not only working through it myself and actually succeeding doing the almost pure opposite – is being taken advantage of quite badly recently and meeting people who were in my position.  Putting it all into context, I am using it as a means of helping people – which I think is great and at least “justifies” to myself why I went through all that.

Lately I have developed a great deal of respect for the virtues of negative thinking and really considering things in a pragmatic and realistic manner.  In many instances in my life, I was in situations which I knew weren’t good for me – but instead of applying a bit of critical thinking and working my way out of it, I would sit there and “wish” things were better – and then go on the “positive thinking” band-wagon to my own detriment.  Am I sitting here saying be a negative nancy and saying life sucks?

Well, I am actually saying yes.  If your life / business / career / relationship sucks – be a “negative nancy” and admit it.  Where I went wrong was the next step afterwards, instead of taking some type of action – “positive thinking” kicks in to sugar-coat the jagged, bitter tasting and poisonous pill.

In my mid to late 20’s I had some extremely great career / employment success and in the post-GFC world things were never the same.  It took me quite a bit of time to admit things weren’t what they used to be and I started to reject all the years of positive BS I have been exposed too.  In the final days of before going into my own business and working in that direction, I used negative thinking with extreme power and concluded:

– Like it or not, my “employment” career is over.  That is, in this future all the jobs are low pay / high stress compared to the “milk and honey” days.

– Like it or not, a business mindset is something I DO NOT possess, so I better do what it takes to obtain one.

– Like it or not, I am going to have to push myself very hard.

– Like it or not, my success will be based on tough decisions and sacrifice.

– Like it or not, many will try and oppose what I am going to do.

All of the above was true, but my own personal vision really pushed me through a lot of the pain barrier.  I remember the days of getting my first client! I will proudly say it was Kings William Chiropractor in Five Dock (Sydney, Australia) – and I still work with them to this day and they are great (besides being my own personal chiropractor).

That was my first win to convince me of the new paradigm and after much stubbornness, faith and realizing that going back is a form of death – it kept me going to reach where I am today.

As I look back roughly 2 years later, I do see many things that I once held dearly that turned out to be vices against my own success.  One being clearly “positive thinking”.

Today, this is almost a dangerous sub-religion often used to grow bank balances of motivational speakers at the expense of the attendees bank account with funds earn’t by hours of slaving away for oppressive corporates that value the dollar far greater than the human being.

I hope you enjoyed my almost “communist” but ironically “free enterprise” blog here, feel free to drop me a line at my business website.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this – wherever you are, at whatever time – have a great morning, day, evening or night – and of course, smile and “be negative!”