A mantra to shift your thoughts from negative to positive
I grew up in a culture where women worried, and men gave them plenty to worry about.
My early view of the world was shaped by an environment of gloom and doom, but in my twenties, I stumbled upon Norman Vincent Peale’s book The Power of Positive Thinking. I didn’t know it then, but that book would become a turning point.
As I read it, I felt something inside me shift. For the first time, I realized I had a choice in how I saw the world, and myself in it. I didn’t have to inherit the gloom-and-doom mindset I’d grown up with. I could choose how I saw the world — and myself. That single shift revealed possibilities I had never imagined.
I wanted to share this new way of thinking with everyone I loved, but I quickly learned something important: people often become comfortable in their misery. Complaining feels easier than changing.
I learned that our thoughts act like magnets. They attract people who reinforce either a negative or positive worldview. I began drawing in people with the mindset I wanted to develop. Over time, focusing on the good became automatic.
Choosing to focus on the good doesn’t mean pretending life is perfect. It means refusing to let the hard moments define the whole story. It’s a proactive mindset—one that seeks solutions instead of spiraling into fear or frustration. It’s a choice you have to make over and over until it becomes your way of seeing your world.
This shift strengthens your mental health, deepens your relationships, and builds resilience. When challenges come, you’re better able to cope because you’re grounded in what’s still true, still working, still meaningful.
This mindset also influenced my leadership style. When I was a senior manager at a large consulting firm, I often had underperforming employees assigned to me. Within months, many of them became top performers. The main difference was focus.
We spent more time emphasizing and developing strengths wherever possible instead of weaknesses. As their confidence increased, so did their performance. It feels much better to excel with your strengths rather than be weighed down by weaknesses.
Reflect on your own career. Haven’t you been happier in roles where you could excel at what you do? When you focus on improving your weaknesses, you might only become average. But when you concentrate on developing your strengths, you can become exceptional.
The same is true in our personal relationships. Our children, surrounded by so much negativity, need to learn how to find the good. Our spouses need to feel appreciated for what they do right, not just what irritates us. In those moments when criticism comes more easily than praise, this mantra becomes a lifeline: I choose to focus on the good.
What you focus on becomes your reality. The world might sometimes be chaotic, unfair, or overwhelming, but you still have the power to choose your perspective. When you intentionally seek out the good — in yourself, in others, and in your life — you invite more of it in.
So next time your mind drifts to what’s bad, pause and ask yourself: What’s good here? What’s still working? What deserves my attention? You might be surprised by how much good is already present — waiting to be noticed.
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