Much of the stress and unhappiness of people's lives is caused by negative thinking. There is a constant battle going on between negative and positive thoughts, and when there is some type of setback, those negative thoughts can become rampant.
Sometimes, though even day-to-day living can be overwhelmed by negative thoughts for those who are unable to control their spread. One tool in the positive thinking armory can be visualization. What you see, feel and believe becomes you in every way of life.
Appreciative-assertive thinking is a form of abundance thinking. We start with zero minimal expectations. We may set a goal to receive a friendship, a good job, money, a nice home, or whatever else that contributes to our happiness.
Yet there is no guarantee that we will obtain what we see, everything we receive is a bonus over our initial naked condition. Now, if I have chosen to be happy and want others to be happy because we seek it then we can assert it and become entitled to it.
Deficit motivation is victim motivation; abundance motivation is power motivation. If I view myself as having an abundance to meet my need, I feel happy and peaceful. If I view myself as having a deficit or less, I will feel like a victim deprived and depressed.
Abundance thinking starts with having no assumptions about what we will receive in life. We develop zero expectations about what we will receive. We make zero assumptions about what anyone will give us.
Foster thinking by assuming that you are responsible for your own happiness. Developing your interest and skills in areas that make you happy. Know that even when you are poor, someone, somewhere loves you.
My abundance comes not from the amount of money I have in the bank, but from the amount of happiness I have in my life. My health and family and good name out weigh all the gold and titles I could ever hold.
This positive assertion replaces all phrases like 'should have' or 'must have' with the phrase 'I want.' Assert that you want something based upon your choice of your ultimate concern for happiness for yourself and others.
Deficit motivation is victim motivation and has many negative consequences. When we choose to continue believing that we have less than we deserve, then we defeat ourselves personally in all areas of growth.
Deficit thinking can even create paranoid type thinking that other people reactively try to prevent us from getting what we deserve. And this leads us to either withdrawal from relationships or open anger and conflict.
