Positive vs. Negative Thoughts

This blog is a reminder of the impact of a very old principle: that Likes Attract. The person who is Smarter Sooner knows this especially as it applies to thinking and saying positive things. Simply put, the more you behave / think / speak in a positive way, the more positive things you will have in your life. It’s so simple.

Power-of-positive-thinking

Conversely, when you’re generally negative in your thinking and speaking, you are more likely to attract negative things in your life.   If it takes the same amount of energy to be positive as it does to be/think negatively, why would you not be more positive? This is a very simple concept and something that, unfortunately, many people don’t realize and apply.   If the simple act of being positive would bring more goodness into your life, why wouldn’t you simply think positively? It’s a reminder that all of us can use. I believe that more people would apply this if they actually thought about it. Test if for yourself and see what happens.

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Can Sadness Actually Make Us Happier?

Happy_Sad_copyHow Periods of Unhappiness Can Actually Make You Happier…

I know this seems odd, but it’s actually true when you consider the following premise: Feeling unhappy from time to time helps us truly sense and appreciate the opposite — when we feel happy.   It’s the contrast that makes the difference. If we only felt one emotion (whatever it is) without any contrast or change in emotion, that emotion would be meaningless and mundane. In this example, if we never knew the feeling of being unhappy, how would we truly know what happiness is, and in the same sense, how would we truly appreciate being happy if being happy was all we felt? (The same applies with many other contrasting feelings or experiences we have in our lives.)

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Learn from “Close Calls”

plane_CloseCallHave you ever had a close call and breathed a sigh of relief? These happen to all of us in many different situations. BUT, have you ever thought about paying closer attention to these events and perhaps considering that they’re sending a subtle (or even blunt) message that we can use to our advantage?   As I’ve aged, I’ve become more aware of how ‘close calls’ are usually good signs and reminders for us to ‘wake up’ and examine our behavior. Thinking about our behavior more often is a good rule and it makes us “Smarter”. Here’s how it applies to close calls…

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The 24-hour Rule

24_hours

In the heat of the moment when you’re upset about something, it’s easy to do things that you might regret. This is a simple concept and most people realize this… but this is an important reminder to really apply discipline here. When emotions are inflamed, nobody thinks very clearly and behavior can be erratic. So, if at all possible, take a deep breath and wait as close to 24-hours as you can before responding / reacting. You’re response may be an email, a phone call or a direct confrontation with somebody – whatever it is, 9 times out of 10, it can wait. Obviously, 24 hours is a target time period because you can technically ‘sleep on it’, but the point is to take some period of time to pause and calm down before reacting (and likely doing something you might regret).

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