{"id":282,"date":"2007-12-20T13:47:00","date_gmt":"2007-12-20T13:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html"},"modified":"2007-12-20T13:47:00","modified_gmt":"2007-12-20T13:47:00","slug":"the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html","title":{"rendered":"The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a>
People sometimes tease me for my super positive attitude. I get bah-humbugs when I try to encourage certain folks and find it soooooooooo sad, since they are choosing to be unhappy.<\/span> I truly don\u2019t get it but I guess some folks have had bad times and can\u2019t get past them to wrap their heads around a more positive expectation. Or they may be afraid to feel hopeful, and get let down again. Many have negative notions about having a positive attitude.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m delighted to have Tina Su<\/span>, who writes the blog, Think Simple Now<\/a><\/span>, back as my guest blogger. She posted The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude<\/a><\/span> and I found her response to them to be very enlightening. So I asked if I could excerpt some of it. You can read the whole thing on her site. She certainly has some great arguments for why calling positive people cheesy is full of holes!<\/p>\n

The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude<\/a><\/span>
I frequently get asked about positive thinking, and I wanted to first clear up some points of confusion.<\/p>\n

With so many myths about positive mental attitude (PMA), it\u2019s important to separate the truth from the fiction. Let\u2019s explore some of these myths and dive into the truths behind them.<\/p>\n

Myth #1: Negative thinking is more realistic.<\/span>
Have you ever heard a negative person say that they aren\u2019t negative; they\u2019re just being \u2018realistic\u2019? This myth keeps people locked in a negative reality of their own creation.<\/p>\n

A person\u2019s thoughts, whether positive or negative, do have an effect on their environment. If you think negatively, your mind will automatically seek out confirmation that the world is a terrible place.<\/span> Seeing is believing, and your mind reinforces your belief that reality is negative. See how it\u2019s a downward spiral of negativity? If you expect negative results, you are less likely to take risks and try new things. Negative thinking masks your impressions in fear.<\/p>\n

Myth #2: People with a PMA expect moneybags to fall out of the sky if they wish for them.<\/span>
Those who don\u2019t believe in positive thinking imagine that positive thinkers expect that their desire will manifest itself if they simply think positively about it. This couldn\u2019t be further from the truth.<\/p>\n

Everyone who accomplishes anything<\/span> – whether it\u2019s earning a million dollars or becoming an award-winning actor – accomplish it the same way: by taking action.<\/span> Positive people have an edge because they believe the object of their desire is attainable. They come from a \u2018can-do\u2019 mindset. <\/p>\n

Myth #3: Positive thinking doesn\u2019t change reality<\/span>
People who believe this myth see a problem and believe that positive thinking will only ignore the ugliness of their reality. The truth is positive thinking doesn\u2019t ignore the problem; it helps you see the problem in a new light. In fact, you don\u2019t even see \u2018problems\u2019 as problems. Think about it; regardless of how you react to an external situation, the situation will still be the same. If being upset doesn\u2019t change the outcome of a past situation, wouldn\u2019t it serve you, and your health, to see the positives?<\/span><\/p>\n

Myth #4: Positive thinkers have no clue about the real world.<\/span>
It\u2019s easy to believe that people with a positive mental attitude have perfect lives and never dealt with real world hardships. Maybe people wouldn\u2019t be so positive if they\u2019d endured a few difficult times in their lives. But the truth is that this is really just a justification for negative thinking.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know a positive person who hasn\u2019t had real and serious trials in their lives. They\u2019ve faced disappointment, death of loved ones, physical handicap, and pretty much the range of human experiences we all deal with. The difference is that these people didn\u2019t let those experiences change their outlook. A positive mental attitude means that you are in control of your own thoughts and feelings.<\/p>\n

Myth #5: People with a PMA are annoying and cheesy.<\/span>
Okay, let\u2019s admit it, some types of positive people are a little cheesy. We\u2019re talking about the kind who spout platitudes and expect everything to be perfect no matter what. But truly positive people aren\u2019t Tony Robbins infomercials. Positive people have real thoughts and have setbacks and discouragement just like everyone else, but they are also resilient and look for ways to stay positive.<\/span> And that\u2019s not cheesy, it\u2019s just healthy thinking! And smart living!<\/p>\n

Thanks to Tina Su<\/span> at Think Simple Now<\/a><\/span>for allowing me to share an abridged version of her post. You can read the whole article at The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment and\/or click on the bookmark and write a short review at some of the sites, especially Stumbleupon. Thanks!

\"AddThis<\/a> var addthis_pub = ‘wryter’;
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

People sometimes tease me for my super positive attitude. I get bah-humbugs when I try to encourage certain folks and find it soooooooooo sad, since they are choosing to be unhappy. I truly don\u2019t get it but I guess some folks have had bad times and can\u2019t get past them to wrap their heads around…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-positive-mental-attitude"],"yoast_head":"\nThe 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"People sometimes tease me for my super positive attitude. I get bah-humbugs when I try to encourage certain folks and find it soooooooooo sad, since they are choosing to be unhappy. I truly don\u2019t get it but I guess some folks have had bad times and can\u2019t get past them to wrap their heads around…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Lessons from a Recovering Doormat\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2007-12-20T13:47:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_W3h59OgJIAA\/R2q9pV0xebI\/AAAAAAAAAIc\/GSvHYcaZLtc\/s200\/cheese_IMG_0096_.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Daylle Deanna Schwartz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat","og_description":"People sometimes tease me for my super positive attitude. I get bah-humbugs when I try to encourage certain folks and find it soooooooooo sad, since they are choosing to be unhappy. I truly don\u2019t get it but I guess some folks have had bad times and can\u2019t get past them to wrap their heads around…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html","og_site_name":"Lessons from a Recovering Doormat","article_published_time":"2007-12-20T13:47:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_W3h59OgJIAA\/R2q9pV0xebI\/AAAAAAAAAIc\/GSvHYcaZLtc\/s200\/cheese_IMG_0096_.jpg"}],"author":"Daylle Deanna Schwartz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html","name":"The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude - Lessons from a Recovering Doormat","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_W3h59OgJIAA\/R2q9pV0xebI\/AAAAAAAAAIc\/GSvHYcaZLtc\/s200\/cheese_IMG_0096_.jpg","datePublished":"2007-12-20T13:47:00+00:00","dateModified":"2007-12-20T13:47:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/#\/schema\/person\/4250884f68a588907744baa491f9df35"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_W3h59OgJIAA\/R2q9pV0xebI\/AAAAAAAAAIc\/GSvHYcaZLtc\/s200\/cheese_IMG_0096_.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/3.bp.blogspot.com\/_W3h59OgJIAA\/R2q9pV0xebI\/AAAAAAAAAIc\/GSvHYcaZLtc\/s200\/cheese_IMG_0096_.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/2007\/12\/the-5-myths-of-positive-mental-attitude.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/","name":"Lessons from a Recovering Doormat","description":"Beliefnet Voices - Daylle Deanna Schwartz","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/#\/schema\/person\/4250884f68a588907744baa491f9df35","name":"Daylle Deanna Schwartz","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/83b\/83ba6e1423377712fe408a5fab971bfax96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/83b\/83ba6e1423377712fe408a5fab971bfax96.jpg","caption":"Daylle Deanna Schwartz"},"description":"Daylle Deanna Schwartz is a speaker, self-empowerment counselor, best-selling author of 15 books, including Nice Girls Can Finish First (McGraw-Hill), All Men Are Jerks Until Proven Otherwise and founder of The Self-Love Movement\u2122 where she's giving away her 13th book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways, a She's appeared on hundreds of TV and radio shows, including Oprah, Howard Stern, and Good Morning America and has been quoted in dozens of publications, including the New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Marie Claire, and Men\u00b9s Health. After being a consummate People Pleaser who felt unworthy of getting her own needs met for many years, Daylle found a path of self-love that enabled her to build her self-esteem and reinvent herself into a dual career. She learned to get taken seriously without being overtly assertive when she became one of the first women to start an independent record label (on a dare!) and learned to play ball nicely and successfully in an industry dominated by men. To help independent musicians empower themselves, Daylle writes music business books for Billboard\/Random House, including the very popular Start & Run Your Own Record Labe and I Don't Need a Record Deal! Daylle's books have been translated into over 10 languages and are popular around the world. She speaks for colleges, organizations and corporations. Through her company, Project Self-Empowerment, Daylle creates programs and materials to help people empower themselves. One goal is to raise the money to self-publish her book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways and give it away for free in colleges and through organizations, to give thanks for all her blessings. Daylle uses her writing and speaking to help others find the kind of contentment and empowerment that she has.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/author\/dschwartz"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/lessonsfromarecoveringdoormat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}