1. Welcome & Why What and How You Think is Important

Over the next 21 modules, we’ll be talking a lot about positive and creative thinking. The way we think has a huge impact on every aspect of our lives.

We'll start off by taking a look at why what you think is important. Our thoughts have a lot of power over our attitude, what we get done, how we perceive the world around us, and even how we impact others. In short, it really is pretty important to pay attention to what we think and how we think.

I challenge you to pay attention to your thoughts.

We'll talk quite a bit about creative thinking. It’s just as important because it helps you think outside the box and find solutions that aren’t obvious. Combining the two will have a tremendous, positive impact on your life at home, at work, and in general.

We like to think of our mind and the thinking we do as something isolated and separate from our body and our environment. After all, what could our thoughts have to do with our overall health or how well we do in school or at work? How could our private thoughts impact our relationships with loved ones? They are just thoughts. As long as we don’t voice them, they shouldn’t have an impact on anything at all, right? Wrong.

What you think has big effects on your body, your environment, and those around you. You actually know this. When you watch a sad movie or recall a sad memory, you start to cry. Your thoughts affect your emotions and your body. When you think about the huge amount of work that’s piling up on your desk or the meeting you have with the new boss in the morning, your heart rate speeds up and you may even feel a little sick to your stomach. You can’t sleep well and, as a result, feel groggy the next day.

When your thoughts are going in a negative direction for awhile, you may find yourself getting depressed and suffering from all the physical symptoms that go along with it. Thankfully, the opposite is also true. You can lift your mood by thinking positive thoughts. Study after study shows that positive thinking helps our bodies heal faster. Think about the famous placebo effect. By thinking you’re getting a pill that will fix you up, your physical symptoms improve. The point is that our thoughts have a direct impact on our bodies. And it doesn’t stop there…

How you think and what you think also affects those around you. Think back on a time when you had a boss who was always in a good mood and had nothing but positive things to say. Then think about one that was always focusing on the negative and maybe even seemed depressed. This person can “infect” and influence an entire team. Are you starting to see why how and what you think is important and the true impact it has?