In our family, we try to teach positive thinking, especially when it pertains to school and homework. So, when my 11-year-old son came home from his first day of 6th grade, I was excited to hear his evaluation. “How was school?” I asked. His response, “Great! . . . but I’m sure it’ll get worse as the year goes by.”

So much for positive thinking, or was it? Actually, his response is pretty typical for a lot of people who are trying to put on a good face and be positive but who don’t quite comprehend the full power of positive thinking in their lives. Too many feel that positive thinking is simply pretending that things are good, when they aren’t—that it is somehow being false or dishonest. Not so.

The true positive thinker is really an optimist, a positive “expector.” He or she has an unfailing belief that the future is bright and things will only improve. As a result, positive people are so focused on the exciting future, that they are unable to be dragged down by the so-called “realities” of the present. They can’t see them. It’s a good thing too, because these “realities” are often little more than negative thinking driven by fear. Even in the middle of difficult setbacks, a positive person has an unfailing belief in the future. They’re not being dishonest, far from it. Positive people feel positive today because they can project the bright future into the present moment. They are not just wishers, they are believers. They just know things will get better and they are working like crazy to make it happen.
 
True positive thinkers don’t live in a dream world, they live in an action world. Negative thinking results in indecision and inaction. But, positive belief breeds action and action creates results. Positive people actually create their own future by believing in it, focusing on it and working towards it. For the positive thinker the future is always bright—they make it so.

Success Tip: Visualize your bright future and keep it in your mind at all times. Figure out what you have to do to make it a reality and then get started! When you are on the path to an exciting, positive future, even if you just got started, you have every right to feel positive—today.