5 Steps to Creating Positive Thought Chains: The Foundation of Positive Thinking

If the past year and a half have taught us anything, it’s that mental fortitude is key to getting through challenging times. Our personal and professional lives were more intertwined than ever this year, with most of the workforce having to work from home. Creating positive thought chains will bring you peace and strength whether you’re at home, in the office, or both. We can all benefit from consistent positive thinking.

Why does positive thinking matter? 

You know the old saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” But being “tough” doesn’t mean ignoring the problems and pain around you and muscling through the difficulties. It’s quite the opposite. It means softening our hearts and pivoting our mindsets. When the going gets tough, we need to swivel our thinking and focus on what we can do to accept the situation for what it is and create something positive. It’s impossible to manifest incredible things if we only focus on the negative.

I know that firsthand. I was in a pattern of broken relationships, a shattered career, and health issues for a solid decade. I was completely closed off to my intuition and inspiration until I finally hit a breaking point and had no other option than to go within.

To keep feeling better in life, we need to have an internal commitment to choosing better thoughts. One positive idea leads to positive inner dialogue, which ultimately leads to feeling good. Positive thoughts bring good feelings. The key is conjuring enough positive thoughts consistently — letting one lead into another to form positive thought chains — to sustain a better feeling.

Here is what I did to practice forming positive thought chains:

Step 1: Write down five aspects of your life that are positive. Keep it simple. For example…

• I am a good listener.
• I am a good mom.
• I appreciate my job.
• I am good at staying fit.
• I love my dog.

Step 2: Go to a place where you can be alone and quiet. Sit in your private space, as free of outside noise as possible. Close your eyes and clear your mind by focusing on your breathing — in through the nose, out through the nose.

When you notice that you feel calm, open your eyes and say out loud the five positive points you wrote earlier. Repeat until you start to feel a momentum building — until you feel ready to attach more positive thoughts.

Step 3: Start to notice your surroundings, and say out loud what you perceive as positive. Continue to call everything out that you like, everything that looks good, everything that feels good. Move from one positive aspect to the next, slowly and thoroughly absorbing each point, each thought. For example…

• I like the feel of my comforter under my hands.
• I like the light coming through the window.
• I love that I can see trees outside my window.
• The sun feels warm on my skin.
• The room smells fresh.
• I am blessed to have a home here.
• I hear quiet in the house.
• I feel at peace in this moment.
• I feel appreciation for where I am.
• I feel happy about what I have created.

Step 4: Stay in this place of positivity — where you’re only thinking positive thoughts — for as long as possible. If a negative thought creeps in, start again. Your goal is to hold a positive thought for at least three minutes. For the most transformative change, work up to ten minutes daily.

Step 5: Notice how you feel after staying in that positive thought space as long as possible. Observe your renewed sense of happiness, and be proud of yourself!

You will not maintain a positive mindset overnight. Just like anything else, positivity is a mental muscle that you have to strengthen. But, in the long run, it will make it easier to adapt to whatever life throws your way.

Written by Diana Cole.