Are your feelings of loss and negativity dragging you down?

There is no doubt about it, we have been struggling through hard times. Almost everyone knows somebody, if not themselves, that has experienced some kind of monetary, professional, or emotional loss during the last few years. Every time you pick up a publication or turn on the television there are multitudes of stories and tales of despair. It\’s contagious and destructive. The atmosphere here and in many other parts of the world is like a financial and spiritual cancer. If left untreated, it spreads. What the heck happened?

Were we so comfortable and so secure in our beliefs, that we would always be able to continue to improve and better our economic circumstances, that we didn\’t even notice the signs of change in the air? As the news spread like a wildfire out of control, that some of our financial institutions had been less than forthright, and the housing market was experiencing a traumatic adjustment, and a war was raging in the Middle East, a fear was slowly developing and festering.

Fear is a word in the dictionary defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the nearness of danger or expectation of pain.   Fear is also contagious, and too often spoken by those who wish to manipulate and control our minds.   Most of us got caught up in the whole thing, frozen like a deer in the headlights.

I am aware that many of us are suffering a great deal at the present time.   However, if we continue to allow fear, negativity, loss of hope and faith to dominate our minds, recovery and prosperity will take much longer to achieve. Just as negativity is contagious so is optimism. Optimism, positive thinking, and faith are the best medicine for the cancer that has plagued us. Best of all, they are totally free and readily available to each and every one of us.

Here are a few tips on how to cure negativity.

• For every negative thought that your mind conjures up replace it at once with a positive thought.
• In a personal written statement outlining your goals and aspirations, carefully detail how you believe you are going to accomplish your objectives.
• Read that statement out loud to yourself whenever feelings of hopelessness and despair overtake you. The most effective way to do this is by habit as you awaken and just before you fall asleep or the evening. This is a form of self-brain washing.
• Last but most important of all, remind yourself at the end of the day that you are grateful for what you do have.  You may feel that your losses have been so great that recognizing what good still remains is difficult. Gratitude is a positive emotion. If you search hard and look around, you will find things that will please you in your life. Little by little you will see the fog will lift.

Start today to change your negative thinking into a positive state of mind and begin your journey to more prosperity, happiness, and better health.