I’ve been working really hard lately to change my negative thoughts into positive ones in a variety of areas in my life. I’m a firm believer in the creative nature of our thoughts and words.

Sometimes, however, I need inspiration as well–I need to be reminded that I need to keep persevering even when something feels difficult, when I’m experiencing rejected, when I feel alone, or when I perceive obstacles getting in my way. So, I thought I’d look for a video to inspire me that I could also post here to inspire others who might feel some area of their life was getting them down.

If you feel like something has happened in your life that has caused you to fall and it’s become difficult to get up and, therefore, to achieve your goal, watch this video.

Then get up. You can do it. And try again. You can do that to. You can achieve any goal if you set your mind to it. If this guy can do the things he does, you can, too.

Each year during the Passover holiday Jews tell the story of how the Pharaoh in Egypt enslaved the Israelites. Sometimes we talk about what modern day pharaohs exist in the world. I, however, think most of  us live with personal pharaohs every day–those in our minds.

I know I struggle with the chains put on me by the pharaoh who rules my thoughts. Well, he does not rule all my thoughts, but he does rule my negative thoughts, the ones that hold me back and don’t allow me to achieve my goals or create the things I desire. In this way he keeps me shackled, stuck in one spot.

I was listening to Wayne Dyer the other day and he spoke about how we often have the desire–the thought–that we want to be rich but the opposing thought that we will always be poor (or don’t have the ability to become rich). He said this state of mind equates to insanity. I say it equates to slavery. The part that wants to become rich is shackled by the part that believes it can’t achieve this goal.

Each negative thought that exists in opposition to your positive thought serves as just one more chain that keeps you enslaved to those negative belief patterns. And so you stay stuck right where you are or have been–achieving the same results as before.

How do you free yourself from this bondage? How do you achieve liberation from the pharaoh in your mind?

You become conscious of your unconscious negative thoughts.

Here are a few things to try (and believe me I’m trying them, too)  to help you become conscious of your unconscious thoughts:

1. Catch yourself thinking and saying things that negate what you truly desire.
2. Write down your positive thought in one column of a piece of paper and then write down the first negative thought that comes up in your mind in a second column. Do this until you run out of negative thoughts in your “response” column.
3. Ask a friend or loved one to tell you when they hear you saying something that negates your desires.
4. Spend time journaling about why you think you don’t achieve your desires.
5. Explore any issues of deservability or self-worth with a counselor or coach.
6. Make affirmations of action; rather than saying or writing positive things, actually do things that convince your mind that you are what you say you are.
7. When you say something that negates your positive thought qualify it with the words “until recently” or something like this that nullifies the negativity of the statement.
8. Try talking to your subconscious mind as if is not “sub”-conscious; treat it as if you want it to “come out of the closet” and be known. Talk to it and ask it to talk back to you. Allow those thoughts to come up in meditation or in your journal.
9. In a journal, ask the part of you that feels negative (about becoming wealthy, getting a new job or finding a perfect mate–or whatever) to tell you why it feels that way. Then try to stay aware of this part of yourself when it’s “energy” arises and turns negative at any given point during the day. In Voice dialogue, a therapeutic process developed by Hal Stone and Sidra Winkleman, this is called developing an “aware ego.” The part of you that functions as”you” most of the time becomes aware of the other parts of you that impact how you behave or react–or think.  We all have many parts of our “selves”–an Inner Child, an Inner Parent, an Inner Critic, etc.–and they can become our pharoahs controlling how we behave. Becoming aware of them allows us to free ourselves of their influence over our thoughts (and our behavior).

I suggest you try freeing yourself from the tyranny of your negative thoughts. It doesn’t have to be Passover for you to do this–and you definitely don’t have to be Jewish. We all become enslaved by our negative thoughts to some degree. I hope some of these tips help you find freedom in some way.

I know the uselessness of anger. I know the damage it causes both emotionally and physically. Yet, sometimes anger proves the most difficult emotion to change. Once it comes over me, it feels like it attaches itself to me like a vice with no removal mechanism. I’m left to watch the negative results set forth in my life by this emotion.

Judaism teaches that we should avoid anger at all costs. In all the spiritual and metaphysical circles I have traveled, the same holds true. We are taught  that as a negative emotion, anger just begets negative results in our lives and in the world around us. We don’t help ourselves or anyone else when we feel or express anger.

Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught that anger stirs up negative energies in the upper worlds who come down and take charge of the angry person. In the process, the person loses his wisdom and power and places himself at the mercy of these negative forces. Additionally, anger causes a person to lose wealth. (So, don’t get angry over your financial situation or it will get worse!) Feeling angry actually causes  the blessing of wealth to be taken away and causes a “stain” on your soul, said Rebbe Nachman.

So, how do we change our anger and the conditions that come with it? According to the great Rebbe, we must love. We must be kind to others, thus drawing on the energy of the righteous and positive energies in the upper worlds. By doing so, we will see that the real reason we are here in this world is to do good–to give. Our understanding and wisdom will increase, making it harder for us to feel angry. Through this increased wisdom, the emotion of love increases and we create less space for anger; we will feel more peaceful.

We also can learn to not act upon our anger, holding it in and being patient and understanding, said Rebbe Nachman. This, supposedly brings blessing upon us. Indeed, in this way we actually help create a world in which the Messiah can exist, thus helping to herald in the World to Come, or peace on Earth–a world with no anger.

Today I felt very angry. Reviewing Rebbe Nachman’s teachings about anger helped me let go of that anger to some extent. I’ll be working on releasing this negative emotion through love and kindness the rest of the day, I’m sure. I might try some exercise as well. Rebbe Nachman suggests fasting as well, actually stating that ridding yourself of anger provides the main value of a fast; I choose not to fast, however. What do you do to get rid  of your anger?

Recently my mother had to put her dog to sleep. This week she was offered a new dog, but she turned down the opportunity. She said she wasn’t sure she wanted a new dog. “I’m too old,” she reasoned. “I may not be able to handle another dog.”

Her perception of being “too old” totally affects her results in the world. If she saw her self as young enough–and willing enough–to take on a new dog, then she would find that, indeed, she could handle a new dog. (In fact, it would give her a reason to get up each morning, give her joy and probably make her feel younger and increase her life span.)

How do your perceptions about yourself affect your results in the world? Do you feel you aren’t good enough to accomplish your goals? Do you not feel pretty enough to catch a guy? Do you feel your body isn’t as fit or flexible as it needs to be to do the things you want to do? Do you think you aren’t smart enough to learn something new or participate in conversations with those people you find most interesting?

To a huge extent, our thoughts control our results in life. Even some of the Jewish sages of old knew this. For instance, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov taught, “You are wherever your thoughts are. Make sure your thoughts are where you want to be.”

The moral: Don’t focus your thoughts on the things that hold you back or stop you from achieving the results you desire. Focus your thoughts instead on things that help you achieve your goals. Focus on the fact that you are still vibrant, strong and alive, smart and quick thinking, able to move freely, attractive and beautiful in heart, mind and body, clear headed and willing to learn, etc. These thoughts will help you get where you want to go in life no matter your age.

Is there something about yourself that you consider a “negative,” something you think of as a detriment to your career or resume? Maybe you didn’t graduate from college or you’ve changed jobs often or English isn’t your first language.

Today, figure out how to turn that so-called negative into a positive. Make it an attribute. That’s right. Find some way t0 make that aspect of yourself or your life work for you in such a way that it enhances your career or resume. Show people how it makes you better at your job, more able to help others, an expert in your field.

Then hold your head up and feel proud of who you are and your life experiences.

Think about Oprah Winfrey and her weight issues. She’s struggled with her weight in the public eye for years. Her failure to lose weight could be seen as a detriment; instead it makes her an expert at why diets don’t work, weight loss issues, what diets work and which ones don’t, what stops women from losing weight, and the issues that go with the inability to achieve perfect weight. She’s an “Everywoman” to a lot of women all over the world.

Of course, you also can choose to take the path of personal growth and human potential. You can choose to change things about yourself or about your life–if this is possible. If it’s not, then turn your negatives into positives. Do it now. Don’t wait another day to feel better about yourself and to start seeing the difference this will make in your life and in your career or business.

Yesterday I wrote a post about everything being for the good. Interestingly, today when I opened my daily message from Neale Donald Walsch he had written something very similar. He said God wanted me to know:

…that it sometimes looks like “one thing after the other,” but really, it is Blessing After Blessing.

I know, I know…you don’t experience it that way. But that’s because you don’t see it that way. In this business of life, “What you see is what you get.”

If you think you are looking at struggle, struggle is what you will experience. If you decide that you are looking at a gift (even if you can’t see it clearing in this exact moment), a gift is what you will get. Just wait. You’ll see. I mean that literally. You will see.

I believe we get messages for a reason. I don’t always open Neale’s emails. I only open them on some days. The fact that I opened this email the day after I wrote a post about seeing everything that happens as “for the good” strikes me as quite synchronistic. I’ll take that to mean I’m on to something: I–we–should all try harder to see the blessing (the good) in all that happens to us. And not only will we have an easier time accepting our situations, but we will create more blessings and more good in our lives.

Lots of human potential and personal growth experts will tell you that everything happens for a reason. I often say the same thing. This means there must be some good in every event.

This teaching can also be found in Judaism. In fact, we have a famous saying that comes from one of our Talmudic rabbis,  Rabbi Nachum Ish Gamzu. Many Jews have heard it: Gam zu l’tovah. This also is for good. This is one of my favorite sayings and teachings from Judaism.

The Gamara, which is part of the Talmud (a central text of mainstream Judaism), explains that Rabbi Nachum’s nickname came from the fact that his reaction to anything that happened to him was always, “Gam zu l’tovah,” or “And that is also for the good.”

What’s the lesson we can learn from Rabbi Nachum and his saying? We can learn that, indeed, everything that happens is “for the good.” Yes…even the “bad stuff.”

Today, think about what happens to you in a positive manner–even if initially it doesn’t look like it is “for the good.” Or simply accept what happens knowing that at some point you’ll understand why the experience was “for the good.”

You don’t have to understand why something is “for the good” right this moment. Just know that it is. One day, you’ll understand. That’s why we say “hindsight is 20-20.”

I know some people are going to jump up and down and yell, “But the earthquake in Haiti couldn’t have been for the good! 9-11 couldn’t have been for the good! The Holocaust couldn’t have been for the good!”

We also don’t always see the reasons; God has better vision than we do. I do think, however, a reason exists. I have faith. I trust. I agree with Rabbi Nachum.

And you know what? Believing that on some level–even a level I may not understand–everything is for the good makes it easier to deal with disasters and tragedies. It doesn’t make them less horrible; it makes them easier to accept.

I suggest you read a bit more about Rabbi Nachum’s views on this here.

And try his words out. You might find you them.

Lots of experts–including me!–will tell you to think positively and to speak positively to yourself.  These are not new ideas.

The fact that our thoughts are creative has been around for a long time, as the author of The Secret wanted us to realize, however, it has been no secret. As the Law of Attraction says, we must combine our thoughts and feelings to create what we want. (Add action into that formula.)

And psychologists have long known that when we use affirmations our subconscious mind tends to believe what we say. That’s why positive self talk works. We affirm that what we want is already true and the mind responds as if it is.

Many spiritual traditions also say that we know everything there is to know prior to taking on a physical body. However, as soon as we are born, we forget all that knowledge.

I watched a little girl in a video that seemd to be having a moment of remembering…and she provides a wonderful example of what it means to take time in the morning to combine our positive thoughts with positive feelings. Indeed, using these principles in the morning can help you create a positive day. She’s “doing positive self talk” or affirmations exactly as they should be done. She’s demonstration these principles for all of us–and then running off to have a great day!

So watch and learn from an expert!

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I’ve been thinking today about the benefits of speaking no evil. You see, I was writing a post for my Examiner column on the topic, and, as often happens, that got me thinking in much more general terms. Let me back track a bit.

How often do we each speak badly of others–which basically constitutes speaking evil? How often do we gossip and, in the process, slander those about whom we speak? How often do we criticize or judge without a second thought to what we are doing?

Most of us do this a lot…every day…some people every hour. In Judaism, we call this lashon hara, or the evil tongue.

I know I’m at fault. I’ll say something bad about a person I know while telling someone else about my day. I’ll relate a story about their behavior, which I didn’t like. I’ll talk about how someone cut me off in traffic. I’ll discuss some one’s work practices with which I don’t agree. I’ll criticize the government. I’ll complain that the waiter moves too slowly. I’ll tell my husband that our kids are lazy because they leave dishes all over the house.

What about you? How often and when do you commit lashon hara or speak evil of others? Be honest now…

Here’s the problem with doing so: Our words have a creative energy. What we focus on expands. If we focus upon all those things we don’t like, if we judge and criticize, we’ll create more of all those things. Yuck! What a horrible fact of life! None of us want more of the things we complain about. So we must stop complaining, judging, criticizing.

And we must stop talking about other people. This negativity just begets more negativity. It doesn’t help us in any way. It simply makes us and our lives feel dark and heavy, because the energy around this type of language is just that, dark and heavy.

Instead, we need to speak using positive words. These will create light and uplifting energy patterns in our lives. They will help us focus on the things we want and help us create them.

I took a metaphysical class recently, and we told to put money in the jar each week for our negative thoughts and words–a dollar for each one! We were told to add money for negative attitudes in general. We ended up with a lot of money in that jar. We then donated it to charity.

Get a jar and put a penny, a dime, or a dollar in there every time you catch yourself speaking badly about someone. See if you can break the habit of lashon hara. Commit to speaking no evil.

Remember, speaking evil is a habit. Habits can be broken.

I write a blog about blogging a book into existence. (I’m actually blogging a book about how to blog a book.) So, I’m always looking for information on what types of blogs are being found by agents and publishers and turned into books.

Today I found an article about an awesome blog that was found and turned into a book. I plan to put the blog on my blog roll right after this. Finding out about this blog and book is my awesome “thing” for the day.

During the worst year of his life, Canadian Neil Pasricha decided to try to focus on the positive and come up with 1000 simple, free, awesome things most people take for granted, posting one each day on a blog 1000awesomethings.com. Pasricha, 30, who works in human resources in Toronto, won two Webby awards,  known as “the Oscars of the Internet,” at the same time that his marriage broke up and one of his closest friends committed suicide. Yet, he kept on finding little things that he found awesome…like putting on underwear hot from the drier, the moment when you unravel the knot in a necklace, finding change in your pocket, and a new checkout lane opening up at the grocery store.

The Book of Awesome, published by Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam, contains 200 of his awesome things. It’s due out this week.

Wow. What an awesome idea! And what an awesome practice. I’m going to start looking for awesome things in my life every day. How about you?