Have you ever wondered how to change habits of thinking?
In the world today, several things can discourage and negate a person’s thinking habits.
So, several people find it difficult to cultivate and have positive habits of thinking.
As a result, it can negatively affect the way they see themselves and life in general.
To avoid or stop this, you need to change your habits of thinking.
The question is ‘how will you get this done?’
In this article, we shall answer this question by sharing essential information and tips on how to change habits of thinking.
So, come along with us and discover the answer to your question.
We shall start this discussion by looking closely at the basics.
What is ‘Thinking’? – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Thinking is the process of reasoning or considering something.
It is the way your brain makes sense of the things around you and decides how to react or respond to them.
The brain is at work at all times even when we are sleeping.
Even babies brains functions and think.
Our brains control our reasoning and thoughts.
Without the brain, thinking will not occur.
What are Habits of Thinking? – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Habits of thinking are those frequent thoughts that people have due to what and how they think.
In other words, what a person keeps thinking about different issues is their habit of thinking.
A person’s thinking is shaped and influenced by their environment, beliefs, ideas, emotions, experience, exposure, and so on.
For instance, a person’s habit of thinking could be that they can succeed in life no matter what obstacle they face.
This habit of thinking can be based on what such a person believes or experienced.
Your habits of thinking influence your outlook in life, and the way you see yourself.
So, you need to be careful with the things you believe in and make a part of your thinking habits.
Habits of thinking are also called thought patterns.
Types of Thinking Habits – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Different people have different thoughts that make up their habits of thinking.
However, there are two types of habits of thinking people fall under.
They are negative and positive habits of thinking.
We will look at them closely to better understand them.
Positive Habits of Thinking – How to Change Habits of Thinking
‘Positive’ is a word often associated with good, happy, hopeful.
This is because when a thing is positive it has good qualities, it brings happiness or is happy, and it’s hopeful about things.
Hence, positive habits of thinking are those thoughts that bring about good things, happiness, and hopefulness.
Yes, indeed, a person cannot always be full of positive thoughts.
However, when a person’s thought patterns are mostly positive, then we can say that such a person has positive habits of thinking.
Positive habits of thinking should be what everybody aims for because it makes things better and easier for people.
For instance, when you have a habit of thinking that you are capable of starting a business, then you will not be scared out of starting a business.
When you are ready to start a business, you will be faced with many obstacles and challenges but because you think that you are capable, you will scale through.
As we earlier said, your thought patterns affect the way you see life.
Hence, it will affect the way you act, react, and respond to the world.
Positive thinking habits will make you see life and yourself in a brighter light.
This will make you happier, and more inspired to chase your dreams and goals in life.
Examples of Positive Thinking Habits – How to Change Habits of Thinking
To better understand what positive thinking habits are, we shall look at some examples:
Believing In Your Abilities
Believing that you are capable enough to do something, even when it is new to you helps to boost your confidence.
As a result, you will not be scared to make moves and take chance to succeed
Some thought patterns that spin-off of believing in yourself are thinking:
- I can do it
- I am knowledgeable enough to go for that test
- I will ace my interview
- I am an overcomer
These sorts of thoughts will push you to go far in life, especially when you add hard work, determination, and perseverance to it.
Accepting Your Imperfections – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Nobody is perfect.
We are all flawed humans, with wonderful personalities and uniqueness.
People, who understand this, accept themselves for who they are.
They accept their imperfections, flaws, and weaknesses
As a result, they can work on them.
Some thought patterns that spin-off accepting your imperfections are:
- I am flawed, but I know who I am
- I accept my mistakes
- I will work to minimize my weaknesses
- I am perfect with all my imperfections
These sorts of thoughts boost a person’s self-esteem and confidence.
People, who accept their imperfections, go farther than people who hate themselves because of them and people who refuse to see their imperfections.
Forgiving and Letting Go of the Past – How to Change Habits of Thinking
The past cannot be redone.
The past does not define who a person is; it is what they do in the present time that matters.
People who understand this forgive and let go of the past.
They do not dwell on the past.
As a result, some of the thought patterns they have are:
- I do not live in the past
- The past is over
- I forgive myself for all my wrong past actions
- I am a better person
Check this out to discover how to deal with your past and step into your entrepreneurial power.
Negative Habits of Thinking – How to Change Habits of Thinking
‘Negative’ is the opposite of positive.
While positivity attracts good things, negativity repels them.
This is because negativity is closely associated with bad things; the absence of good things.
Hence, negative habits of thinking are those thought patterns that are bad, wrong, sad, and hopeless.
These habits of thinking are what everybody needs to avoid, as it never helps a person to grow or become better.
For instance, if you have a habit of thinking that nothing good can come out of taking risks, and leaving your comfort zone, then, you cannot grow or succeed.
You will be stuck in one level of your life until you change that thought pattern.
Negative thinking habits will weigh a person down, as it makes people see life to be sad and depressing.
It makes people less motivated to chase their goals and dreams and live happy lives.
Examples of Negative Habits of Thinking – How to Change Habits of Thinking
To better understand what negative habits of thinking, we are going to see some examples:
Judging Yourself over Past Action and Decisions
The past is in the past; it is as simple as that.
Yet, some people cannot let go of the past.
These people look at the past and regret something they did.
They spend time thinking about it and it produces negative thoughts.
Some of the thoughts patterns that can lead to judgmental thoughts are:
- I can never do things right
- I hate myself
- I am a failure
- I do not know how to make good decisions
These sorts of thoughts and more might keep ringing in their mind till it becomes what they think of themselves
The Negative What-ifs – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Wondering what-if can help a person see logic and reasons why they should or should not do something.
It helps to calculate risks.
However, wondering and worrying about only negative what-ifs is considered to be bad.
Instead of calculating the risk and making moves when the calculations are okay, negative what-ifs can scare and discourage a person.
The following are some negative what-ifs thought habits that keep a person down:
- What if I fail the interview?
- What if I never make it in life?
- What if I am stuck in the place forever?
- What if I cannot run a business?
These thought habits can do more damage than good.
Instead of these thoughts, you should think about those things you can do to achieve your goals.
Worrying over People’s Thoughts and Opinions about You
Several people unnecessarily obsess about what other people think of them.
When they meet with new people, their thoughts about how those people might find them funny, pathetic, and so on will start running in their minds.
They will have thoughts like:
- Am I attractive enough?
- He thinks I am not good enough
- People are going to laugh at me
- What if they think I am a loser?
All these sorts of thoughts and more do not help your confidence.
It diminishes the way you see yourself.
Instead of valuing yourself for who you are, you will start basing your value on what people think of you.
Making Comparison – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Some people make it a habit of comparing themselves with people.
They forget their uniqueness and lust for someone else’s uniqueness
Hence, they have thoughts like:
- I can never be like her
- They are so perfect
- My hair is scattered every time unlike hers’
- He has it all and I don’t
These thoughts patterns will kill your self-esteem and confidence.
Instead of making comparisons with people, why don’t you work to build yourself up?
Judging Others
While some people obsess over what people think about them, some other people spend their time judging other people.
They judge people based on unacceptable reasons.
These people make it a habit of looking down on people, even without knowing who they are.
As a result, they never give themselves the chance to know people for who they are.
Some thoughts patterns people have when they judge others are:
- Nobody is worth my time or love
- They will mess up at all time
- He can never deliver at the right time
- She will fail horribly
These sorts of thought patterns and more do not allow a person to get to know and connect with people.
People who spend time judging others are hardly capable of building relationships based on trust.
Hating Your Body – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Some people spend time picking on their bodies.
They hate their bodies because they do not meet their expectations.
So, these people focus their brainpower on thoughts like:
- I have a flat backside
- My skin is too dry
- I am too ugly
- I hate my eyes
- I am not curvy enough
As a result of all these sorts of thoughts, people are not comfortable in their bodies.
When a person hates their body, they forget that it is their body that makes it capable for them to function in our physical world.
Tips on How to Change Habits of Thinking
As we have discussed, negative thinking habits will not allow you to enjoy life, take chance, believe in yourself, and achieve success.
The opposite is said of positive thinking habits as they will provide you will the ability to live your life to the fullest and be successful.
Therefore, if you have a negative habit of thinking, what you need to do to become a better person is to change that negative thinking habits to positive ones.
So, how will you do that?
We have prepared some great tips that will answer that question.
1. Control Your Thoughts
To change your habits of thinking, you need to become your thoughts’ police.
In other words, you need to pay attention to your thoughts, and if they are wrong, catch them before they get rooted in your mind.
Some people feel like they cannot control their thoughts.
This is true when you just let your mind think whatever.
However, when you consciously follow your thought process, you will be able to filter and stop some things from clouding your mind.
When something happens, go inward and see what popped into your mind at that very moment.
For instance, if someone reminds you of your past, there is a high tendency that your mind will think about it.
So, at that moment, pay attention to what your mind thinks.
If it starts judging you for your past actions, then you should arrest that thought and throw it out of your mind before it gets rooted.
You cannot keep your mind empty about that matter because your mind has to think.
So, after pushing that negative thought out of your mind, you need to replace it with a positive one to prevent the negative thought from coming back.
Let that positive thought keep ringing, till it sinks into your mind and becomes one of your thought patterns.
2. Practice Gratitude – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Most times, negative habits of thinking develop in people because they are not thankful.
People’s desire for something they cannot have tends to take over their minds and makes them unhappy with what they have.
As a result, they start comprising themselves with other people; start growing hate and envy towards those people.
With time, their minds will be obsessed with negative thoughts that will become their normal way of thinking.
To avoid all of these, and live a happier life, practice gratitude.
Gratitude helps a person to be satisfied with what they have and stay positive.
For instance, you might not have the latest designer clothes, but you have good clothes covering your body.
Instead of being envious or comparing yourself with people that have those designer clothes, be thankful that you have clothes.
This way, you will feel confident and happy with yourself.
3. Associate with Positive People
The kind of people you associate with can influence your thought patterns.
For example, if you spend your time with people who ruthlessly judge and critic other people, you will slowly become like them.
Your thought patterns will be reshaped to judge and criticize people.
The same goes for when you hang out with positive people.
Their way of thinking will rub off on you.
Do you want to keep being a negative thinker?
If your answer is no, then you need to disassociate yourself from negative people and spend your time with positive people.
4. Think of Factors that Can Help You Reach Your Goals – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Instead of allowing your mind to be filled with negative thoughts, think of those things that can help you reach your goals.
Let your objectives and plans dominate your mind.
When you do this, you block negative thoughts from accessing your mind.
You can make it a habit and use some time every day to figure out those things that will help you reach your goals.
When you keep doing this, your interest to think about irrelevant negative things will reduce.
5. Read and Study Positive Books
Positive books such as inspirational books can help you change your habits of thinking.
These books will help motivate, inspire, lift your spirit, and feel you with positivity.
As a result, they will slowly help change your habits of thinking.
So, you need to make it a habit of reading and studying them.
The more you read them, the faster your mind gets to embrace positivity.
6. Believe in Yourself – How to Change Habits of Thinking
Believing in yourself is a good way to stop those negative habits of thinking.
It makes you think that you can do anything you set out to do.
Believe in yourself cannot happen if you do not think it.
So, what you ought to do is to think ‘I can’.
Take time to think that you can.
You can spend your alone time just thinking of the things you can do.
As you are doing so, your negative habit of thinking ‘you cannot’ might pop into your mind.
When that happens, you should quickly discard it and continue thinking ‘I can’.
If you continue practicing thinking ‘I can’, your negative habits of thinking will slowly go away.
7. Say Positive Things to Yourself
Your words can also influence your thinking, as your thinking can influence your words.
So, say positive things to yourself.
In the morning, start your day with positive self-talk.
You can look in the mirror and give yourself some pep talk.
When you are feeling down, speak positive words to yourself.
The more you do these things, the more your mind and habits of thinking will be remolded into positivity.
Discard those negative thoughts.
Conclusion on How to Change Habits of Thinking
No matter how far gone you are in those negative habits of thinking, you can change them.
Follow the tips we provided in this article and make positive changes.
Click on Buy Now For A PDF Version of This Blog Post
 |
