The Negativity Remedyনমুনা

Day 2:  How can I create a mindset that naturally sees the good in people? 

Have you ever stopped to think about what you’re thinking about?

When you brush your teeth in the morning, what’s going through your mind? When you’re scrolling through social media, what creeps into your head?

My mind used to be a negativity minefield. I wasn’t trying to be judgmental of that lady wearing the super-short mini skirt. It just sort of happened. I wasn’t trying to have a hypothetical argument in my mind with my husband. It just sort of transpired. I wasn’t trying to fill my brain with anxiety over all the things I needed to accomplish that day. It just sort of popped up.

Thoughts hold immense power over our lives. They set the tone for the day and affect the way we interact with other people. That’s why God tells us, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2 NIV).

That sure sounds promising, but how do we get there? What are the practical steps we can implement in our day-to-day lives? 

Rejecting and replacing. 

When you look in the mirror and all you see is sagging and wrinkling, say to yourself, “I reject that thought.”

When you’re driving in super-slow traffic, wishing the person who got into the fender bender would have been considerate enough to pull off to the side of the road first, say, “I reject that thought.”

When you walk into the living room and wonder if being single would be a better alternative to seeing your husband’s socks on the living room floor again, say, “I reject that thought.”  

I got really good at saying “I reject that thought,” but that’s not enough to move our minds from one spot to the next. I also had to replace the negative thought. For months I carried around a tiny piece of paper in my pocket. Nine words in blue ink on a white background said, “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23 NLT). 

I’m not so good at memorizing, which turned out to be a benefit. After saying, “I reject that thought,” I would force my brain to recite those words. Love, joy, peace… I could get three or four words out but then inevitably forget what came next and have to pull out my little piece of paper. 

Once I got them all memorized, I found something new to carry around to force my mind to continue to search for positive thoughts to replace the negative. “... whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things” (Philippians 4:8 NIV).

Find a verse that speaks to you, write it down, and stick it in your pocket. The next time you catch yourself thinking thoughts that wind you up or drag you down, pull out God’s Word and start memorizing. 

Your brain is creating new thought pathways every day. And we can literally rewire our brain to respond differently than we have in the past by repeatedly choosing these new paths. How amazing is our God to allow that to happen? Stay on top of rejecting and replacing your thoughts for just one week and you will be in awe of the way your outlook changes. All of a sudden, you will realize that instead of fighting off the negativity, you have created a mindset that naturally sees the good in people. 

And when we see the good in people, we see the God in people—and the world is a whole lot nicer place to be.