Positive Thinking: Start Positive Self-Talk to Reduce Stress and Increase Abundance
A few months ago, an executive I coach had to announce a restructuring to a room of forty people who had heard the rumors all weekend. Merged departments, new reporting lines, a handful of roles eliminated.
She didn’t sugarcoat it. She opened by naming what everyone felt: “I know the last two weeks have been hard, and some of what I’m about to share is hard too.” Then she laid out the changes plainly and spent the rest of the meeting on where the company was headed and why she believed this team would get there.
She told me the mood shifted before the meeting ended. Shoulders dropped. People started asking about the future instead of bracing against it. Honest, clear, positive, vision-driven.
It didn’t surprise me. I’ve watched that posture show up in her everyday moments, not just the big ones. Positive thinking shapes your personal leadership and how people perceive you.
So let me ask: is your glass half empty right now, or half full?
Understanding Positive Thinking and Self-Talk
Let me be clear about what positive thinking is not. It’s not ignoring life’s unpleasant situations. It’s not slapping a smile on grief, burnout, or a genuine crisis and calling it leadership. Some seasons are just plain hard, and pretending otherwise isn’t optimism, it’s avoidance.
Positive thinking means you approach unpleasantness in a more productive way. You look at the same difficult reality everyone else sees, and you ask, “What can I do with this?”
It starts with your self-talk, the endless stream of unspoken thoughts running through your head. These thoughts develop over time into trends, positive or negative. The good news? Trends can be changed.
Notice that the research doesn’t say positive thinkers avoid hardship. It says they cope with it better. That’s the whole point.
Practice Positive Thinking Every Day
I want to be honest with you: this is a practice, not a personality transplant. There are days it comes easily and days it doesn’t. Every day, I’ve watched myself grow in positive thinking and self-talk. It has calmed me down and helped me keep unpleasant situations in perspective. Not erased. In perspective. I’ve witnessed better health, better relationships, and better coping skills in my own life.
My father would say, “Steve, a positive attitude and positive thinking isn’t the only thing, but it should be the first thing.” He’s 93 and still practicing it as I write these words. He’d be the first to tell you that a long life hands you real losses and real struggles along the way. The attitude isn’t a shield against them. It’s how you walk through them.
Please take a moment and share this with a friend, co-worker, or colleague who could use the reminder.
Here’s to being a positive influence!
–Steve
As a master storyteller, Steve has unparalleled ability to communicate dynamic business and leadership truths through stories, anecdotes and humor. Harness the power of the “number one” predictor of professional success, impact, leadership, high performance and sustainable relationships in business and life. Steve’s highest rated keynote presentation.
To book Steve today, contact Michelle Joyce!
(For information on keynote presentations, team workshops, and one on one coaching.)
“The purpose of Leadership Quest is to help professionals develop their personal leadership, vision and emotional intelligence. Everyday I strive to help leaders and teams achieve their desired goals in sales productivity, leadership, time maximization, and life-balance. ”
About the Author
Steve Gutzler is the President of Leadership Quest, a premier leadership development company based in Scottsdale. As a dynamic and highly sought-after speaker, Steve has delivered over 2,500 impactful presentations to renowned organizations such as Microsoft, Starbucks, the Seattle Seahawks, Spotify, Boeing, Cisco, Starwood Hotels, Ritz-Carlton, and the U.S. Department of Commerce.
A published author and thought leader on leadership and emotional intelligence, Steve lives near Scottsdale with his wife, Julie. Together, they cherish time spent with their three adult children and six grandchildren.
