How To Sell More With Positive Thinking

Do you know what successful people all have in common? They tend to focus on the positive. Most successful people are positive thinkers.

So what does positive thinking have to do with success in selling? Why should you be a positive thinker? And what are the benefits of being positive?

By learning positive thinking techniques and putting them into practice throughout every aspect of your life you can achieve many internal and external benefits.

The internal benefits that come from adopting a manner of positive thinking are a positive attitude, belief in alternative possibilities, creative thinking, better problem-solving skills, confidence, focus, determination, satisfaction and feelings of achievement.

Positive thinking leads to a positive attitude simply because thinking about the positive traits and aspects of your life cause your brain to operate in a “feel good” state.

By constantly thinking positive thoughts, your brain is trained to look on the bright side of every situation, which in turn causes you to feel satisfied with your current position in life.

Positive thinking also leads to a positive attitude because it keeps your mind busy. If your mind is busy concentrating on positive thoughts, it is extremely difficult for it to dwell on negative thoughts at the same time.

Positive thinking also leads to a belief in alternative possibilities by its very nature. When faced with what seems at first glance to be a no-win situation, positive thinkers have the natural ability to look outside of the facts for off-beat or less conventional solutions.

This ability to look past the obvious facts opens more doors and possible outcomes for both personal situations and professional ones.

For example, a person who utilizes positive thinking skills has a better chance of overcoming a stressful situation like being fired from their job, than a person who possesses little or no positive thinking skills.

A positive thinker will use their skills to broaden their new job search and ultimately find better employment in less time.

What Is Positive Thinking?

Before putting the powers of positive thinking to work in your personal and professional life, you must first understand exactly what positive thinking is. By definition, the word positive means dealing with matters of fact; expressed clearly, or in a confident manner.

However, in the concept of positive thinking, the word positive is meant to signify a manner of thinking — a manner that puts emphasis on processing thoughts in a more desirable, upbeat way.

Positive thinking can be described as the practice of embracing the affirmative in our thoughts, our feelings, our actions, our reactions and our speech.

Positive thinking can also be described as a type of attitude. Happy, optimistic people are usually described as having positive attitudes and expressing positive thoughts. People who consistently “look on the bright side” are utilizing positive thinking.

Most importantly, positive thinking can be described as a skill that can be acquired by anyone. By learning the process of positive thinking, you can more easily reach your goals, whether they are personal goals or professional ones.

How Does Positive Thinking Work?

So, now you know how to describe positive thinking, but how does it work?

Positive thinking is the act of reviewing thought processes and personal actions for areas that need improvement and then using appropriate tools or techniques to change those thoughts or actions in a positive, goal-oriented way.

Positive thinking begins with a conscious desire to pay attention to and recognize the affirmative in any given situation. Once you recognize the positive trait of a situation or thought, you can put the process of positive thinking into practice.

In essence, the ability to pinpoint and utilize the positive in your thoughts and actions enables you to better reach your goals, realize your dreams and make a positive impact on all of your endeavours.

The actual process of positive thinking works to bring about desired outcomes in both our personal life and our professional life in a variety of ways. By acting in a positive way we naturally draw positive people to ourselves.

By believing in positive outcomes we more readily accept them as fact and open ourselves to their reality. By thinking positive thoughts we are better able to see alternate, more advantageous routes to take.

By truly accepting a positive way of thinking we are better able to see the path to success and better able to use our know-how to get there. The basic mechanics of positive thinking are simple.

This simple process involves consciously searching for the affirmative in any situation, recognizing the benefits of each positive trait and then employing a can-do attitude to follow through on these positive thoughts.

Change Your Mind, Change Your Life

When tapping into the power of thought and getting positive, the most important step is to create a mindset that allows you to think positively. Once you have pulled the weeds from your mental garden, you can begin to sow the seeds that will anchor your new way of life.

Creating a positive mindset takes training. In much the same manner as runners train their bodies to endure long periods of sustained activity, you can train your mind to sustain positive thought, and naturally, defer to pleasant or optimistic paths.

At first, thinking positively may feel awkward or ridiculous. Keep in mind, though, that it does get easier the more you do it, and eventually, sustaining a positive mindset will be as natural as breathing.

Like any training program, there are steps you can follow to achieve your optimal results: in this case, a positive mental outlook.

Since it takes 21 days to form a new habit, you need to perform each of these steps for at least 21 consecutive days. You can take on one step at a time, or implement the whole program; just be sure you aren’t leaving anything out.

Step up to your mental treadmill, and let the training begin!

“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” — Abraham Lincoln

3 Exercises That Reinforce Positive Thinking

In order to reap the personal and professional benefits of staying positive, you must first train your mind to think positively automatically — without you consciously having to decide to “be positive”.

To do this you will need to take certain steps. First, you will need to make a conscious decision to pursue positive thinking and then commit wholeheartedly to realizing that goal.

In order for positive thinking to have an impact on your life you will also need to believe in its benefits. And, since there will be setbacks throughout your journey, you will need the power of your convictions to help keep you on track.

Once you have committed to learning the skills of positive thinking, you will need to use certain exercises to teach yourself the methods and to reinforce the affirmative thoughts in your mind.

Here are some ways to learn and practice the art of positive thinking.

1. Review Your Self-Talk

The first step to learning positive thinking skills is to review the type of thinking you are currently engaging in now. Think back to the last bad day that you had. How did you react?

What types of things were you saying to yourself, both internally and out loud? What feelings did you have immediately about the situation? What feelings did you take away from the situation? How do you feel about the situation now?

The answers to the above questions will give you a pretty good idea of what type of self-talk you usually engage in.

For example, did you beat yourself up about the problem? Did your mind search for ways in which the problem was ultimately your fault? Did you blame the incident on bad luck?

We have the power to literally “talk” ourselves into or out of success and satisfaction and it’s possible to rewire your brain for success if you find that your self-talk is consistently negative.

2. Smile For Success

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a smile is worth a million. The power of a smile is incredible. Even if you don’t feel like smiling, the simple act of lifting the corners of your mouth can help you lift your entire spirit and find something worth smiling about.

Some of the greatest self-help advice out there comes from those who advocate “fake it until you make it.”

This is especially true when it comes to positive thinking, and faking a smile goes a long way toward producing the genuine thing. You may end up laughing at yourself merely because you know you have nothing to smile about.

Another great thing about smiles — they’re highly contagious. A smile spreads faster than a cold in a daycare. Most people can’t help smiling back when someone casts a happy expression their way.

This is a simple and exciting theory that you can test out for yourself. Go to any public place and start smiling at random people, then keep track of how many smiled back (even suspicious smirking counts!).

You’ll likely find that 9 out of 10 of your targets return your joyful expression to some small degree, and you’ve probably just made their day a little brighter, too. Learning to smile on demand is an important step in developing a permanently positive mindset.

One good technique for summoning smiles is to choose a happy memory that never fails to fill you with good feelings. Keep this memory at the front of your mental catalogue, and access it whenever you feel a case of the blues coming on.

It may not solve your problems, but it will at least make you smile — which in turn helps you relax and take an objective look at your situation. Smiling often creates a mental cue for the foundation of positive thinking and helps prime the pumps of happiness.

You should also spend a little time in front of the mirror observing your own expressions. At first, this practice may seem uncomfortable or downright silly, but smiling at your own reflection has a positive effect on your psyche.

You can even practice different smile variations: the amused smirk; the close-lipped leg-pulling smile; the toothy grin; the laugh-out-loud open-mouthed smile. Think of it as an Olympic event…it’s your personal Smile Marathon, and you’ll win the gold every time!

3. Consider Alternative Possibilities

Since positive thinking makes the ability to believe in alternative possibilities a reality, it also leads to more creative thinking when faced with everyday setbacks.

By believing that the solution may not be obvious, positive thinkers are more prone to draw their ideas from unusual sources. Positive thinkers also express more creative thinking throughout everyday life.

Self-proclaimed positive thinkers are responsible for a large amount of the inventions, discoveries and innovations that we enjoy today. Since positive thinking promotes more creative thinking, it also promotes better problem-solving skills.

When positive thinkers are faced with a particularly stubborn situation they not only use their skills to envision an increased number of solutions, but they also use their belief in the affirmative to continue on until they have found a resolution.

People who are faced with problems or failure are usually too quick to give up. However, by using positive thinking problem-solving skills you can tackle problems head-on and seek out desirable outcomes.

Through the previous benefits, positive thinkers are awarded a boost of confidence. By utilizing the skills of positive thinking, you will begin to experience an increased belief in yourself and your abilities.

After experiencing success after success with positive thinking, your brain will become trained to see each situation as a simple challenge instead of as a barrier that blocks your success.

As you build your positive thinking muscles, this new belief in yourself will lead to greater focus and determination. By simply believing that you will find a suitable solution you will gain the motivation necessary to stay on task until that desired outcome is achieved.

Plus, a can-do attitude will help centre your concentration enabling you to stay focused on the positive aspects of the situation until the problem is resolved.

How Positive Thinking Can Influence Your Customers

Once you have used the skills of positive thinking in your life to overcome a situation you will be rewarded with feelings of satisfaction and achievement. You will feel satisfied with yourself and the situation due to the pride that comes from a job well done.

The feelings of achievement will come from your knowledge that you personally were responsible for believing in and working toward the final outcome.

The external benefits that come from adopting a manner of positive thinking are more positive relationships, higher trust levels from your customers, increased sales, increased success, quicker conflict resolution and increased opportunities.

These external benefits are, in part, due to the internal traits you now possess. For example, your new positive thinking skills will help you believe in and strengthen your personal relationships.

When you feel good about something those feelings rub off on those around you causing them to also feel good about the situation at hand. When others are influenced to feel good around you they subconsciously seek your company.

Positive thinking can also enhance your personal relationships because it causes you to feel better about yourself. The more you like yourself and the better you feel about yourself, the more comfortable you are being with someone and being admired by them.

By thinking positively about yourself, you open your life up to closer, more rewarding relationships. Your new skills can also help you win the trust of your customers.

Once you learn how to use positive words to influence your customers, you can write sales messages that inspire your customers to buy. Simply put, trust can be inspired through the written word, and that trust can turn shoppers into buyers.

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