Positive Thinking and Paradigms
Positive thinking is a conscious, deliberate action.
For example, positive thinking might look like this: Max decides
that every morning he will say to himself, "Every day in every
way, I am getting better and better."
In contrast, paradigms are unconscious, automatic thought
structures.
For example, Max might have a paradigm that covertly informs him
that everything is getting worse and worse, literally falling
apart due to the law of entropy that tells us things are getting
increasingly chaotic all on their own.
As you can see from the examples above, Max's positive thinking
("getting better and better") is in direct contrast with his
paradigm ("getting worse and worse").
What I'm hoping Max understands is that his positive thinking
won't achieve its conscious, deliberate goal as long as there's
a deeper, unconscious paradigm that stands in opposition.
Let's look at a more detailed example:
Max has always gotten by financially, but he's also always
wanted more. Finally growing tired of not having as much cash as
he'd like, he deliberately and consciously decides to think the
following positive thought: "I am rich."
But Max grew up hearing that rich people are snobs, and that
information turned itself into an unconscious paradigm. As a
result, whenever Max thinks "I am rich," his unconscious
paradigm says, "I hear you, Max, but I also know you don't want
to be a snob. So, let's not get rich." And he doesn't. This
"hidden" paradigm also explains why he's never gotten rich
before this point either -- being rich just doesn't mesh with
his money paradigm.
Then positive thinking doesn't work? No. Positive thinking does
work.
But when it appears as though positive thinking isn't working,
that's the time for Max to see if there isn't an opposing
paradigm lurking about in his unconscious. And if he doesn't
find any unconscious paradigms right away, no worries, because
the positive thinking will help him flush them out, and here's
how.
As long as Max chooses positive thoughts that oppose one of his
paradigms, he'll feel discomfort. This is understandable, seeing
as he has two mutually exclusive messages inside him at the same
time. Now, the positive thinking might not appear to be working
the magic Max is looking for, but that's because it's first job
is to expose and/or weaken any opposing paradigms in its way.
As long as Max keeps up the positive thinking ("I am rich"), his
paradigm will resist ("You don't want to be a snob, Max"). As
long as his paradigm resists, he'll feel discomfort. It isn't an
easy thing to keep doing, but if Max plugs away, and pays
attention, he'll eventually see the underlying paradigm that's
standing in his way.
He'll remember something his parents told him about rich people
being snobs, or a movie he saw where the rich people were snobs.
He'll remember promising himself he'd never be like that.
Something will leak up from deep down inside, and suddenly his
unconscious, automatic paradigm will become exposed -- and
vulnerable.
For once we're aware of our paradigms (once we're conscious of
them), they can be replaced by -- you guessed it, Max -- the
positive thinking.
Sometimes the paradigms instantly and permanently dissolve the
moment they move from the unconscious to the conscious.
Sometimes it takes years of positive thinking to replace the old
thoughts with the new.
Either way, once Max's unconscious, automatic paradigms are
exposed by the light of conscious awareness, it's a whole new
ball game. And that's when the power of positive thinking really
becomes visible.
The things for Max to remember, then, are these:
** If positive thinking doesn't seem to be doing anything, he
probably has an unconscious, automatic paradigm that's opposing
his positive thoughts.
** If Max has an opposing paradigm, he should keep up the
positive thinking while paying attention, knowing it will weaken
and/or expose the opposing paradigm, bringing it up from the
unconscious.
** Once the paradigm is exposed, it will be far easier (if not
effortless) to replace the old paradigm with a new paradigm that
is in harmony with the positive thinking.
** And then, well, look out Max!
Copyright (c) Grant Pasay 2005. All rights reserved. You may
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