THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING – A Practical Guide To Mastering The Problems Of Everyday Living
Norman Vincent Peale
About Book
Let’s ask you a question. When was the last time you sat relaxed? In today’s run-of-the-mill world, such opportunities are hardly available when we try to connect with ourselves because today’s busy life has ruined us. There is a big lack of self-confidence inside us, there is a lack of energy inside us and the biggest thing is that we are not happy with our life at all. But this summary will teach you how we can get back our happiness, peace of mind and energy by training ourselves.
About the author
Norman Vincent Peale is a motivational speaker and psychologist. Along with this, he is also a well-known author who has written more than 40 books till now. Norman is the founder of the Positive Thinking Concept and his book “The Power of Positive Thinking” has sold more than one million copies and has been translated into more than 40 languages. Apart from this famous book, more than 30 best selling books of Norman have been published.
Introduction
It is an obvious thing that to bring change in life, you have to change your thinking. Unless you change your way of thinking, there can be no change in your life. If you dream of a happy life where happiness and success kiss your feet, then you have to adopt positive thinking from today and now.
In this summary, you will read how we can handle those problems which come in the way of our happiness. First of all, you have to learn a simple trick which will increase your self-confidence and help you get over your inferiority complex.
Second thing, you will learn that having a peaceful mind is very important to lead a peaceful life. You will learn a new strategy that will help you achieve peace of mind and enjoy its many benefits.
The next thing you will learn is how to boost your energy so that you can work the whole day without feeling tired and stressed. You will know which are the three things that you have to include in your daily life so that your energy level remains full all the time.
With this, you will start to understand that the secret of our happiness lies within us. If till now you too were trying to find your happiness in external things, then after listening to this summary, you will understand what is real happiness, how it works and how you can achieve it in your life.
And finally, since you work so hard to stay energized, you deserve to know how to stop your energy from leaking out. We will focus on the cause of energy loss which is anger and tell you how to handle your anger and mood swings.
This summary is a practical guide that will change the way you think, feel and behave.
Believe In Yourself
Do you know that there is such a magical thing that if you include in your life, you will get more happiness and success? Want to know what is this magical thing? This is your self confidence. If a person does not have a strong sense of superiority and self-worth, then he can never be successful in life because he will never know what his true self is and what he wants from life.
You may lack self-confidence, but you can learn how to increase your courage and confidence. Often, the reason behind our inferiority complex ie considering ourselves less than others is our childhood. For example, if someone has had a bad experience or has been subjected to some kind of violence in childhood, then it has a deep impact on his mind and heart and even when he grows up, he cannot develop self-confidence.
For example, some people live like a shadow behind their elder brothers and sisters all their life. It is possible that in childhood your elder brother or sister kept getting good marks and you passed in average marks.
So the same thing happens every time. Your parents scold you, always compare you with your elder brother or sister, this is also one of the reasons why your self-confidence gradually starts weakening.
You might think that it is not going to make any difference to you but in reality it makes you inferior in front of your elder siblings and then you always feel that you can never be like them and just a Born to live an average life.
However you missed a point here. It is not necessary that anyone who gets perfect marks in school will be successful in future. You will be surprised to know that some very successful people in the world were absolutely zero in studies.
Remember that the most important grade is not in school but in real life.
Because no one told you this in your childhood, you become a victim of inferiority complex even when you grow up, that is, you always doubt yourself and this thing never lets you feel confident.
So how can we avoid feeling inferior, then the answer is that we must develop self-confidence within ourselves. Stop negative self-talk completely, focus on your goodness, speak positively about yourself everyday.
If you have a weak image of yourself in your mind, then break this image today, imagine yourself as a strong and confident person. Make sure that you can do everything, you have that ability inside you. Do not be afraid of any new situation, always remember that your attitude is stronger than the problem.
Once you learn to live life with a positive attitude, then understand that you can handle any situation. But if you look at things with a negative attitude, then even a small problem can have a bad effect on your life.
A Peaceful Mind Generates Power
Living a peaceful and stress free life is everyone’s dream. But it is also true that to get peace of mind in life, we have to make a lot of efforts, but whatever is done to live a calm and peaceful life is less.
To live with a peaceful mind, you have to change your way of thinking. That’s why practice it today and from now itself. Keep your mind completely empty twice a day. Try to remove your fear, insecurity and all your negative thoughts and feelings. When you finish this exercise, believe me you will feel very relaxed and peaceful.
Once all the negative thoughts are gone from your mind, then start filling it with positive thoughts. Think about what you have got in life. Imagine you are living a creative and healthy life. Imagine yourself as a strong and worthy person, in this way negative thoughts will never enter your mind because your mind will already be filled with positive thoughts.
Then slowly, with time, these positive thoughts will become so strong in your mind that the negative thoughts will automatically go on weakening. Then a day will come that there will be no place for these negative thoughts in your life and after that every moment of yours will pass peacefully.
If this technique does not suit your lifestyle, then you can practice silence. Everyday you have to practice being silent for 15 minutes. Choose a quiet room in your house where you have to sit alone in complete silence for 15 minutes or more. During this you do not have to do anything, just feel the silence inside you and enjoy that moment. Silence has a healing effect which makes us strong from within.
You can learn something from this story. Author Norman Vincent Peale and two of his friends were having breakfast at a hotel. All three of them were discussing among themselves how they had a good sleep last night.
A friend named Andy was complaining about not being able to sleep again and again. He told that he spends the whole night in bed tossing and turning and he feels very tired in the morning.
Andy also told that he had seen the news before sleeping at night. He was so disturbed after hearing the news that negative and stressful thoughts were coming in his mind and in this condition he went to sleep.
While the other friend whom we will call Buddy, told that he had a very good night, had a sound sleep and woke up very fresh in the morning, although he too was listening to the news on the radio and reading the newspaper before sleeping.
Buddy said that he follows a secret routine every night before sleeping.
Norman and Andy were getting excited to know his secret plan. Buddy told that he had learned this routine from his father and the secret was that every night the whole family should go to sleep after praying together because when we pray we feel peace and peace in our mind and a Confidence arises which fills him with positive feelings.
Buddy used to change his mental attitude everyday before sleeping so that he could sleep soundly and soundly just like a small child.
If you also want to achieve this level of peaceful mind, then you will have to practice all the tricks mentioned in this chapter. This will help you to be more positive and lead a peaceful life.
How To Have Constant Energy
Many times we forget that how powerful our mind is. We forget that if we constantly think that we are tired, then we actually start feeling tired, no matter what we have done.
The secret of an unlimited source of energy is that we take full care of our body. When we eat healthy things, work out daily and get full sleep and stay away from unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking or eating more than necessary, then we will have so much energy that we will not get tired even after working hard all day.
Another way to fulfill your energy level is to live a balanced emotional life. If your body, mind and spirit are working in sync with the same rhythm, then you will always be strong and you will have the power to work tirelessly for hours.
Your energy is not dependent on your age or circumstances because our physical state is directly affected by our emotional state i.e. emotions and our emotional state is directly affected by our mental state. Let us again go to Thought that how it can break or add to our life.
A businessman Sam was once in big trouble. He had an affair with a woman for several months and he was now feeling very guilty because the woman was married.
He wanted to end this relationship while the woman did not want it, she threatened Sam that she would tell everything to her husband.
Sam was very concerned about his public image and did not want to embarrass himself in front of his family, so he kept quiet. He was feeling himself trapped and could not understand how to get out of this trouble.
Sam’s condition was getting worse due to tension and stress, he was getting very upset and sad. He could not even sleep properly at night.
So to solve this matter, Sam thought of taking the help of psychotherapy. He asked the therapist to give him such medicine which would make him sleep at night, but the problem was that even after taking the medicine, there was no effect. Then his therapist changed the medicine and started taking another medicine, but even this did not work. His problem of not being able to sleep was increasing day by day.
For two or three months, Sam was a victim of a dangerous type of insomnia. Then soon this disease started affecting his life.
The psychotherapist advises Sam to see author Norman. In the beginning, Sam was not convinced that this idea would work because he thought that when medicines did not work, what would anyone do now.
But after a few days Sam went to Norman one day and told him the whole story. Norman said that how would he sleep when two more guests always sleep with him in his bed.
Sam was very surprised to hear this and he replied that he sleeps alone. So Norman reveals that the two guests he is talking about are Fear and Guilt, which are sitting in Sam’s mind.
Sam was afraid of defamation and he also regretted his actions. Slowly, Norman helps Sam to explode that he has done wrong, for which he should seek forgiveness from the Almighty.
And then after a few days, Sam’s life became completely normal, he started sleeping properly at night and remained energetic throughout the day.
As we discussed in the beginning of this chapter, to remain energetic throughout the day, we have to take care of our body, mind and spirit.
Try Prayer Power
Some people believe that if they have any physical problem, it means that there is something wrong with their body. But they never think that mental health and spiritual health are equally important.
You have to understand that even physical health experts rely on the power of prayer during their healing process. Many times when someone has a disability, there is a lack of peace and tranquility inside them. If you want to remain physically fit, then you have to strengthen your spiritual and mental health as well.
Just like scientific methods are used to release all kinds of power in the world, in the same way positive energy is released inside us by praying. This energy protects you from aging naturally, that is, premature aging and keeps you away from many health problems.
The purpose of any prayer practice is to open our mind and soul so that we can feel the power of God who is the biggest power in this world. When you get this power, you feel unlimited energy flow in your veins.
A few years ago a man named Bill started a small business in New York. He used to have only one employee then and the place where his business was, that place was like a hole in the wall, that is, he was running his business from such a small place.
Then after a few years he shifted to a bigger place. Then after some time shifted to a bigger place, his small business had now become very successful.
When he was asked the secret of this success, Bill always said that the secret is his hard work, positive attitude and prayer.
No doubt this man was very creative and special, but apart from being dependent on these qualities, he always believed in the power of prayer. Bill told the formula of a successful business which has three steps: Prayerize, Picturize and Actualize.
First of all, if Bill ever had any problem, he would have shared it with God. He used to talk to the almighty about whatever he wanted in life, because he believed in God more than anyone else.
Second, when a solution to his problem is found or he asks for something, then after that he pictures it, that is, when you create a mental image of the thing you want or print it on a paper, you can see that picture daily. And in this way you start working day and night to fulfill that dream and its effect is such that one day your dream turns into reality.
Third, after picturing your wish, you unconsciously see your dream being fulfilled. This is called Bill Actualize.
You can achieve better results by practicing this method or by following any prayer routine that fits into your daily routine. There is a complete guarantee that with this method you can get a good job and good mental, physical and spiritual health.
How To Create Your Own Happiness
It is a matter of great sadness that people seem to be looking for happiness in their relationships or in the things of the world. But we will get true happiness only when we are happy from inside because we are the only one who can keep ourselves really happy otherwise if we are unhappy from inside then even all the wealth and fame of the world cannot make us happy.
Being happy is the easiest thing in the world. Wake up every morning and decide that you will be happy today, and then see how your whole day passes happily. Same thing is with sadness also, if you are sad and unhappy from inside and tell yourself this again and again then no matter what happens you will always be sad. Now you want to be happy or sad, it is your choice.
It is true that sometimes the situation is out of our control. There are some things in life that make us sad and sad, but even without such incidents, people often remain unhappy because of their thinking or attitude.
H.C. Mattern is a happy-go-lucky person who loves to travel and often goes on outings with his wife Mary Mattern. These people always keep a card with them wherever they go. This card is the reason for all their happiness. Their happiness spreads even to those people who meet this couple.
If you read this card, it is written something like this “If you want to be happy, let go of hate and worry. Live a simple life. Always give more than you receive. Think less of yourself and more of other people” which means that if you want to be happy, leave hatred and worry. Live a simple life. Give to others more than you receive. Think less about yourself and more about others.
Try to apply this thing in your life and see the result yourself!
You might be thinking that this card is very typical and old fashioned, yes, it shows a very old idea but try it for a week or two, you yourself will know what a difference it has made in your life. You will see that it is more powerful than you think and has the power to change life completely.
When you change your thinking, the way you feel also changes. When you are happy from inside, then you see happiness everywhere in the world.
Once you achieve your Inner Happiness, you will feel as if you are living in a different world. Of course, you will live in this world but you must have changed from inside, that is, you must have become a better version of yourself.
Stop Fuming and Fretting
Do you know when you are angry, you are most vulnerable? If you follow the steps that we discussed in the chapter to get more energy, then maybe you would also like to know that how we lose our energy so quickly.
First of all, give some rein to the speedy life. Maybe you will not realize but in today’s modern life we are not living but running like mad. Now for example take a look at our lifestyle, we walk in speed, eat in speed, drive in speed because we all are running after something or the other. We all are busy in the race to achieve something or the other in life.
Today’s fast-paced life is ruining the lives of many people. People are harming their mind and morale. This fast running life is becoming very poisonous and is giving us many diseases like stress, anger and mental disturbance.
There is only one solution to this, that we keep the speed under control and try to calm down this noise arising in the mind. Try to live a natural and normal life. The most important thing in life is our mental and spiritual health and try to be less angry.
There is an easy way to reduce anger – first sit on a chair. Completely relax body and mind, be as calm as a calm, deep lake. Now for the next three minutes remember a scene which you found very beautiful and relaxing. Listen, what your inner silence tells you, deeply feel the peace and silence within you.
This is a very effective exercise, but to take full advantage of it, keep practicing it regularly.
Let us try to understand with an example. Once a businessman who used to get angry on every issue went to a doctor. This businessman was very hyperactive and he started telling the doctor about his busy work life.
The businessman told the doctor that he always takes his office work home as he has a lot of work to do. Then by late night he first finishes his work and then goes to sleep.
So the doctor asked him why he does this, why doesn’t he take help from someone else or why doesn’t he hand over some of his work to someone else.
The businessman got very angry after listening to the doctor, he felt that the doctor was insulting him, so he replied to the doctor very angrily. He told the doctor that he cannot take anyone’s help because no one else can do the work as well and quickly as him. His company depends only on him.
On this the doctor said ok, “I will write you a prescription which you have to follow”.
The prescription was that the businessman would have to take a two-hour break from work everyday and go for a walk and take one day off in a week, he would go to a graveyard.
Was shocked to hear about going to the graveyard in business.
So the doctor explained that the businessman should go and see the graves of those people who are no more in this world and it should be noted that once these people also had the same misconception that no work can be done without them, but today these people How peacefully they are sleeping in their graves while the world is still going on happily without them.
Means the businessman has to understand that the people who used to be very important, are not in this world today, but without them no one’s work has stopped. Whether we live or not, but no work in the world ever stops and this is a bitter truth.
The businessman understood what the doctor wanted to explain to him. He decided that he would now live life with a relaxed mind. He had understood how to appreciate himself more and only from here his anger started reducing. Today he is living more peacefully and peacefully than before and his work is also going better than before.
We think that we will achieve a lot by running, but it is not so. This running around is taking away both our health and our peace of mind. We lack patience and we get angry on every issue because our energy level is zero. In fact, in today’s fast paced life, competition has increased a lot and people are competing to move ahead of each other. Today’s man has a lot of attachment to money and things and this is the reason why people are sad and upset from inside.
We cannot get rid of all our problems immediately, but yes, we can definitely try to live a peaceful and healthy life by reining in this fast-paced life, because this is the secret of a peaceful and happy life.
Conclusion
A life full of happiness and prosperity is the biggest wish of every human being. We want to find happiness in our relationships and in our desires. But we get true happiness only when we are happy from inside and to be happy from inside it is necessary to change our thinking. By changing our way of thinking, we can change our life completely.
In this summary, you learned that a person should believe in himself the most. You have to get out of your old and painful experience. You might not know this thing, but the bad experiences in childhood have a deep impact on us today.
If you have a problem of low self-confidence, then to deal with it, you should try to practice self-talk and create a positive mental image of yourself. If you really want to be strong, then always consider yourself a strong person. Never consider yourself weak.
You also learned that a peaceful mind only leads to a peaceful life. You read about two new types of practice which is the secret of living a peaceful life. An example of this is: using the empty your mind technique. Try it, it is so effective that you will be surprised.
And because our energy only helps us to do our daily routine work, then this summary teaches us how to stay energetic throughout the day with a healthy body, healthy mind and healthy spirit.
Even if you increase your energy level, you still have to stop it from leaking. There is one thing which causes our energy loss and that is our anger. But you know that you can control your anger by reducing the rush of your life.
It is a fact that today’s run-of-the-mill life is increasing our anger and stress level, so if you ever get angry, go for a walk or do breathing exercises so that you can get some time and your mind can feel relaxed.
Every person who wants to bring more positivity in his life should read this summary in which both theory and practical things have been given to him.
So follow the things given in this summary and set a goal to live with a healthy, peaceful, and more positive mind, heart and spirit from today itself.
Finally, if you have reached the end of this summary, then Congratulations, there are very few people who invest time on knowledge, otherwise you could have wasted time elsewhere.
Thanks………