Copyright © 2018 by Freedom For Life ALL rights reserved.

this book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner

whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United states of AmericaFirst Printing, 2018

www.PositveThinkingRevolution.com

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sWelcome & IntroductIon 4

the ScIence BehInd PoSItIve thInkIng 6

the ImPortance of PoSItIve haBItS or rItualS 7

negatIve to PoSItIve 9

medItatIon 12

gratItude 14

affIrmatIonS 15

Your trIBe 17

PractIce the PauSe 18

nourISh Your Soul 20

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Welcome & IntroductIon

thank you for downloading the ‘Easy Steps to Positive Thinking’ workbook. Feel free to share with anyone you feel needs this workbook.

this workbook is intended to support people who are looking to change their thinking patterns. it doesn’t mean that you will be ignoring unpleasant situations or suppressing your feelings. it means you will have some tools to approach life in a more positive way.

Why is this important?

There are many proven benefits to positive thinking. According to the Mayo Clinic, health benefits that positive thinking may supply include:

• increased life span• Lower rates of depression• Lower levels of distress• greater resistance to the common cold• Better psychological and physical well-being• Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease• Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress

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the scIence behInd PosItIve thInkIng

In 1998 a new field of psychology was born. Its emphasis is on happiness and positivity, known has positive psychology. It is the scientific study of what makes humans flour-ish on many levels. It began with Martin Seligman when he chose it as his theme for his term as the president of American Psychological Association.

In this field of study, there are several ways that have been proven to help an individual create a mental state of positivity or happiness. the basic premise is that people are many times drawn by the future or the past. When changing the orientation to living in the present moment and being grateful, it can radically affect their thinking.

You might be thinking, “but i’ve never been positive”, or “insert life circumstance” has created a situation where i cannot think positively or possibly be happy. Viktor Frankl, survivor of a Nazi Concentration camp, argues differently. One of his most powerful quotes state:

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set

of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”.

Most of us can agree being in a concentration camp, having our family members not make it through is close to rock bottom for most humans. however, viktor was able to choose differently.

How?

he found meaning. viktor and other psychologist agree that one must live an engaged life and have meaning to experience positivity.

the great news is that neuroscience has proven that practicing positive habits such as affirmations, mindfulness, a gratitude journal, etc. done deliberately and daily can change our brains’ structure and function and create an engaged meaningful life.

in this workbook we will walk step by step through easy practices that will support you in your journey towards positive thinking. You will need some paper, a way to journal, and something to write with. Let’s get started!

“Change Your Thoughts Change Your Life.” ~ Wayne Dyer

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the ImPortance of PosItIve habIts or rItuals

What is a Habit or Ritual?

• “habit is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur sub-consciously.” ~ Wikipedia

• “A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through fre-quent repetition.” ~ Free dictionary

• “An acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involun-tary.” ~ Merriam Webster

• “something that you often do without intending to or without realizing that you are doing it.” ~ Macmillian Dictionary

How Do Habits Work?

habits are a behavior that is repeated until it become almost subconscious.

First, there is a cue, a trigger that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and which habit to use. then there is the routine, which can be physical, mental or emotional.

Why Are Habits Important in your journey towards positive thinking?

Your life reflects your habits or rituals. Without even noticing it, we can easily become negative because of habits we have. You might not even realize it, but you might be in the habit of looking at the negative side of a situation. Your self-talk may be negative. the way you talk about others and situations may be negative. You might have a habit of dwelling in the past or worrying about the future.

the good news is Positive thinking is a habit not a personality type. By making small changes to your daily life and mindset, positive habits can be formed creating positive thinking, making yourself and those you interact with happier.

To create positive thinking habits, you first must track and eliminate the negative thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts.

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3 Easy Habits to Incorporate:

1.Gratitude Journal. Gratitude journals are an easy way to start being grateful for the things in your life. Later in the workbook i talk about how to keep a gratitude journal and how to tie it to an existing habit, so it sticks.

2.daily affirmations. Daily affirmations are short easy sentences you say to yourself at least once at the beginning of the day. they are framed in the present and they need to “click” or feel right. Many people say their affir-mations all day long and have them written and posted in places they will see frequently. Later, in the workbook I go over affirmations and give some exam-ples along with guidance on how to create your own.

3.meditation. Meditation has been a practice for thousands of years and has been scientifically proven to have many health benefits. Don’t worry it isn’t hard and it doesn’t have to take a long time.

“You have a choice ever day to choose:To feel gratitude. To feel excited. To feel thankful.”

~ rebecca blust

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negatIve to PosItIve

Whether you realize it, or not negative thoughts drain you of energy and keep you from being in the present moment. the more you live in your negative thoughts, the stronger they become. the key is to reframe your thoughts and words.

Not sure if your self-talk is positive or negative?

some common forms of negative self-talk include:

• filtering. You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all the positive ones. For example, you had a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. That evening you focus only on your plan to do even more tasks and forget about the compliments you received.

• Personalizing. When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled, and you as-sume that the change in plans is because of something you did.

• Catastrophizing. You automatically anticipate the worst. the drive-through coffee shop gets your order wrong and you automatically think that the rest of your day will be a disaster.

• Polarizing. You see things only as either good or bad. there is no middle ground. You feel that you must be perfect or you’re a total failure.

You can learn to turn negative thinking into positive thinking. the process is simple, but it does take time and practice — you are creating a new habit, after all.

here are some ways to think and behave in a more positive and optimistic way:

• identify areas to change. if you want to become more optimistic and engage in more positive thinking, first identify areas of your life that you usually think negatively about, whether it’s work, your daily commute, or a relationship. You can start small by focusing on one area to approach in a more positive way.

• Check yourself. Periodically during the day, stop and evaluate what you›re thinking. If you find that your thoughts are mainly negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.

• Be open to humor. give yourself permission to smile or laugh, especially during difficult times. Seek humor in everyday happenings. When you can laugh at life, you feel less stressed.

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• follow a healthy lifestyle. Aim to exercise for about 30 minutes on most days of the week. You can also break it up into 10 - minute chunks of time during the day. Exercise can positively affect mood and reduce stress. Follow a healthy diet to fuel your mind and body. And learn techniques to manage stress.

• surround yourself with positive people. Make sure those in your life are positive, supportive people you can depend on to give helpful advice and feedback. Negative people may increase your stress level and make you doubt your ability to manage stress in healthy ways.

• Practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: Don›t say anything to yourself that you wouldn›t say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. if a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Think about things you›re thankful for in your life.

Exercises:

1.ChallenGe your thinkinG. For each negative statement ask yourself these questions:

• What evidence do i have for this belief?• What other explanations are there?• how likely is this to be the case?

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in the beginning you may be so entrenched in your thinking that you don’t even realize you are doing it. that is called a thought rut. to begin noticing these thought ruts and changing them, at the end of each day go back through your day and pick out a time where you were not reacting positively. Use the above questions to reframe your thinking.

2.do somethinG that will distraCt you from neGative thouGhts and feelinGs. sometimes we are in a place in life, or maybe have created a habit that we have an overall feeling of negativity that may not be related to something that just occurred. If this is the case, do something to distract yourself that is enjoyable. If you enjoy a form of exercise that is one of the best ways to change how you feel. exercise has been well documented to reduce anxiety and depression. When you exercise the levels of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, stress hormones and endorphins, change when you exercise. Maybe the activity is contacting a friend or doing something kind for someone else.

3.Positive reframinG. Try to find a positive aspect to the situation to fo-cus on, rather than the negative.

For Example:

• Negative: I hate getting up early.• Positive: I love that I have a comfortable bed that makes me want to sleep in.• Negative: Rush hour traffic is horrific.• Positive: I am so glad I have a car and a great playlist to listen to.

4.use Positive lanGuaGe. if you constantly use negative words such as can’t, or won’t you will convince yourself that it’s true. replace negative words with positive ones. to get started make a list of 3 words you will stop using.

5.refleCt on what has ContriButed to the neGative thouGhts and feelinGs. Positive thinking is not about denying that anything is or can go wrong. if something goes wrong, then take the time to consider what went wrong in order to avoid future mistakes.

6.run, run, run from neGative Conversations. Negativity is catching. have you ever been in a conversation someone who is talking about a negative topic? When you leave you find yourself drained? If you find your-self in these conversations find a reason to excuse yourself, change the topic, or have a positive response for every negative one.

7.Beware of any neGativity you see or hear. Yes, that means social media, movies, books and the news. Your diet is more than the food you eat. it is anything you put into your body or mind.

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Practicing positive thinking every day

if you tend to have a negative outlook, don’t expect to become an optimist overnight. But with practice, eventually your self-talk will contain less self-criticism and more self-acceptance. You may also become less critical of the world around you.

When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you’re better able to handle everyday stress in a more constructive way. that ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of positive thinking.

Watch your thoughts, they become words.Watch your words, they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits.

Watch your habits, they become your character. Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

~lao tzu

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medItatIon

if you are like many people, when the word meditation is brought up, you think of someone sitting in an uncomfortable position for an agonizing amount of time. You might think it’s a fad that will pass. Meditation is not just a fad – it’s something that peo-ple from different countries have been doing for centuries.

the reason people meditate is to gain control of their mind. the state of your mind is the most determining factor in your happiness. A person could have everything and yet feel miserable, anxious, or inadequate. You could have very little, and yet feel at peace and content in your mind.

We can say that attention is like the flashlight of consciousness. Whatever we put our attention on will exist for us and will grow. Whatever we withdraw our attention from starts waning, and soon it’s as if it didn’t exist anymore.

Meditation does not need to take hours of your time. start small and remember it is a process and there are many techniques. There are many ways to meditate find one that works for you.

Meditation Exercises

1.sit in a ComfortaBle Position. Make sure you are warm enough, there is no noise, and you feel at ease. Breathe in through your nose as deep as you can, then exhale slowly through your nose. do this for 30 breaths. Focus on breathing in and out. if a thought appears, let it go and go back to focusing on your breath.

2.foCus on a sinGle Point. Using a single word, candle, flame or repetitive sound. Breathe comfortable. As thoughts come into your head, release them without judgement and go back to focusing

3.download an aPP, like headspace it is great at helping get you on the right track. there are mini meditations on breathing, focus, and more. they are 3 minutes or shorter.

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Benefits of Mediation

There have been many studies regarding mediation and the short-term benefits to the nervous system:

• Lower blood pressure• Lower heart rate• Less anxiety• Lower blood cortisol levels• More feelings of well-being• Less stress• deeper relaxation

“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.”

~ amit ray

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gratItude

Keeping a gratitude journal can have many benefits for your life, including a big impact on your health and happiness. it has been shown to reduce stress and im-prove self-esteem and only takes a few minutes each day.

First, decide on the best time to write in your journal and try to tie it to an established habit. For example, right after you brush your teeth, or while drinking your morning beverage. Keep your journal and writing utensil in a place that is easy to access.

Second, decide how you are going to journal. Will it be online? Will it be in a journal book created for journaling or will it be a spiral notebook? Whatever will be easiest for you works.

Third, decide on the format. You can do a bullet journal, where at the top you add the date and I am grateful for: Then list away, no punctuation needed. Or you can write it in an essay form explaining in detail why you are grateful. Or maybe write sentences. there is no or right way, as long as it works for you, so you will keep doing it.

Fourth, if you are stuck start with these three:

• i am grateful for… name one person and why.• i am grateful for... the best part of your day. it could be that you had access to

clean water, anything works.• i am grateful for… any acts of kindness you witnessed, received, or gave.

There are many different journals you can purchase online or in stores. Once you get in a habit of writing what you are grateful for feel free to expand to other things.

Some ideas:

• Daily affirmations• goals• Wins

• Positive Quotes• dreams that you

remember

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions. The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more likely

you will have even more to express gratitude for.” ~ zig ziglar

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affIrmatIons

Positive thinking often starts with self-talk. self-talk is the endless stream of unspoken thoughts that run through your head. these automatic thoughts can be positive or neg-ative. Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk comes from things that happened in your childhood you may not have real memory of, but they are still part of your thought patterns.

if the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is more likely pessimistic. if your thoughts are mostly positive, you’re likely an optimist — someone who more often practices positive thinking.

How can you combat negative thinking?

One way is with positive affirmations. Affirmations are positive statements that you repeat to yourself that help you overcome negative thoughts. As you repeat them, and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes.

Many people think that affirmations are “wishful thinking.” But try looking at positive affirmations like exercises for our mind. These positive mental repetitions can repro-gram our thinking patterns so that, over time, we begin to think – and act – differently.Studies also suggests that affirmations can help to mitigate the effects of stress. In one study, a short affirmation exercise boosted the problem-solving abilities of “chronically stressed” subjects to the same level as those with low stress.

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Affirmations have also been used to successfully treat people with low self-esteem, de-pression, and other mental health conditions.

How to Use Positive Affirmations

• You can use affirmations in any situation where you’d like to see a positive change take place in your life. These might include times when you want to:

• Raise your confidence.• Change negative feelings such as frustration, anger, or impatience.• improve your self-esteem.

You can use the affirmations below or choose your own. If you decide to make up your own, make sure to word them in the present otherwise you are telling your subconscious you are working on it rather than it is.

For example, instead of saying i am becoming healthy, say i am healthy. if that doesn’t feel true, then change the wording until it does.

If you are affirming on a regular basis and not seeing a change then most likely you are subconsciously telling yourself something contradictory. start looking for times/areas in your life where that is happening and change your inner dialogue.

What we believe about ourselves at a subconscious level, can have a significant impact on the outcome of events.

~ Walter e. Jacobson, m.D

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Your trIbe

As humans most of us are wired to want a sense of community. We want to be part of a group of like-minded people. People who have similar interest, views, where we are loved, and accepted. Our tribe, the people we spend most of our time with is crucial to who we are. We need a happy tribe to be a happy person.

How to Create a Positive Tribe

1.write down your 3 to 5 Goals. it could be anything from working out, learning a new skill, starting a new career, or being more positive. Be specific.

Good Example: i want to start working out 3 times a week, lifting weights, and 2 times a week doing cardio.

Bad Example: i want to get into shape.

2.now list the five PeoPle you spend most of your time interacting with and any attributes they have that will help you reach your goal or nourish your soul:

3.Go BaCk uP to the five PeoPle and rate them 1 to 5 based on the scale below:

• 5: i feel positive around this person and they have many of the habits/life-style/mindset/etc. that match my goals.

• 4: i feel positive around this person and they have a few of the habits/lifestyle/mindset/etc. that match my goals.

• 3: This person does not affect my mood and does not exhibit any habits/life-style/mindset/etc. i am interested in.

• 2: i feel depressed, anxious, annoyed, (insert any negative feelings) around this person and they do exhibit some habits/lifestyle/mindset/etc. i am inter-ested in.

• 1: i feel depressed, anxious, annoyed, (insert any negative feelings) around this person and they do not currently exhibit any habits/lifestyle/mindset/etc. i am interested in.

Action:

1.Begin decreasing the time you interact with anyone who is a 3 or less and begin increasing the time you interact with anyone a 4 or more.

2.Measure your process by journaling each night.

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Answer these questions in your journal:

• What did you do today to strengthen those positive relationships? it could be as small as a phone call, sending a card, or a text message.

• What did you do today to decrease interactions with people who are bringing you down?

“We are the average of the five people

we spend the most time with.” ~ J im rohn

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PractIce the Pause

We have all probably heard advice that is similar to the Pause. things like count to 10 or think before you speak. All of these are pointing to the same direction, which is don’t react right away. Usually, your first reaction, unless you have been working on your thinking, is based on some sort of trigger and often isn’t your best version.

telling yourself to Pause before reacting sounds simple, right? if it was that simple, we’d all be doing it. One way to begin practicing the Pause is to put a sticky note in a few strategic places where you feel you most react.

For a mom it might be on the steering wheel of her car, so while driving back from work, she can remind herself she may need to pull out this skill set. After a long day of work sometimes walking into a house of hungry, grouchy kids can easily push your triggers. For some people it might be on their computer screen, so when that certain co-worker or boss comes by, they can have that little reminder.

remember, every time you can pause for 90 seconds and let that chemical response pass through your body, is an opportunity to change your patterns. every single word you utter impresses on your subconscious and should make you feel positive. reacting unkindly, making a quick judgement, or giving a quick response often leads to doing and saying things we regret and doesn’t move us out of thought patterns that don’t serve us. Words are very powerful they can be forgiven but they are not forgotten by your subconscious or others.

Some words to try and never say:

Can’t Always Never

Broke or Poor

Problem WrongstupidFault

impossible hate

exhaustedWon’t

“Human freedom involves our capacity to pause between the stimulus and response and, in that pause, to choose the one response

toward which we wish to throw our weight. The capacity to create ourselves, based upon this freedom,

is inseparable from consciousness or self-awareness.” ~ rollo may

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nourIsh Your soul

do something every week that nourishes your soul or even better catches your soul on fire. What does that mean? It means what is it that when you are doing it, you lose all track of time. Your thoughts melt away and only the present moment exists. When you are doing this activity time goes too quickly, hours feel like minutes.

THAT is what nourishes your soul and yes, it’s important you do that, not just for you but for those around you.

Exercise:

if at this point you are saying i have no idea what nourishes my soul, here is a simple exercise to figure it out.

1.find a quiet PlaCe and take some deeP Breaths. take enough time until you feel calm and peaceful. then write down at least 3 things that make you feel Free when doing them. Free from stress, Free from everyday life, Free to be in the present moment. there is no right or wrong answer. these things can be very small things like taking a walk, or they might be big-ger like going to a play or movie. don’t censure yourself.

2.then, look at that list and CirCle the one(s) that make you smile. try not to think.

3.write down a small next steP you need to do to make this happen once a week. it might take some problem solving like, look up local plays, or search online for a dance class. Or it might be as simple as adding a reminder to your calendar to go on that walk or have lunch with that friend.

4.do it!

“To heal we need more than nourishing food. We need to nourish our souls”.

~ Paulo coelho

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