Learning about thinking positively is a practical first step towards a life-affirming habit that can also be, quite literally, life-changing.

Unfortunately, it seems that our thinking has a natural tendency lean towards the negative. Evolutionary psychologists postulate that this originally helped our ancestors look out for risk in a dangerous world. Whatever the reason, today, negativity blights many people’s lives (Look into attributional style if you want to know the cognitive explanation for this, and also how to shift into a more positive mindset).

Thinking positively is a bottom-up approach to life. It comes from within and is founded on personal belief and an attitude. It is part faith and part understanding.

The critical part, and the short answer to this question is that you have to educate the mind away from negativity and teach it to adopt a more balanced slant. Some caution (you might say negativity) is necessary, of course, but it shouldn’t dominate.

My way of thinking about it is that, left to its own devices, the mind will allow negativity to dominate. It takes a conscious act and some self-awareness to take back control and teach the mind to behave in a more balanced way. With repetition and practice, it can become more or less automatic to think positively.

Not ‘positive thinking’

Before I go any further, leaning to think positively is not the same as the easily dismissed ‘positive thinking‘. Leaning to think positively teaches you how to use your mind and direct your thinking towards positive outcomes that are personal to you. Outcomes which are in line with your aspirations and personal values.

Positive thinking, by contrast, tells you what to think: “Look on the bright side”, “I am worthy”, “Good things are coming to me”, are a few examples. I am not going to argue the value or not of these ‘affirmations’, but notice that they are prescriptive – a few written words to memorise to remind you of some hoped for positive outcome.

Leaning to think positively teaches you how to use your mind and direct your thinking towards positive outcomes that are personal to you. Outcomes which are in line with your aspirations and personal values.

An affirming habit

So, thinking positively isn’t a vague and fluffy concept, it’s an affirming, trainable habit that reshapes the way your mind works. One of the most effective ways to strengthen this habit is to connect a positive thought to a small, manageable action.

When you do this, you activate your brain’s reward system. A single constructive thought, paired with a simple action like smiling, making a note of a success in your day, or sending a quick note of gratitude – releases feel-good neurotransmitters such as dopamine. That chemical response reinforces the experience, creating a loop: the thought feels good, the action feels good, and your brain starts wanting more of the same.

Over time, this repetition does something powerful. You begin to build confidence, not by forcing yourself to “stay positive”, but by proving to yourself – over and over – that you can choose helpful, constructive perspectives. Each small reinforcement strengthens neural pathways that make positive thinking more automatic. In other words, you’re rewiring your brain in your own favor.

Personal growth

The results are cumulative. What starts as a single thought paired with a single action grows into a pattern. Your self-esteem improves because you’re experiencing consistent wins, even in small doses. Optimism begins to feel more natural, less like a performance and more like a default mode.

The key is consistency, not intensity. You don’t need grand affirmations or major life changes to reframe your outlook. A simple “I handled that well” after a tough conversation, or pausing to acknowledge one thing you appreciate each morning, is enough to spark the reward cycle.

With practice, these micro-moments of positivity compound into a more resilient, hopeful mindset. And that mindset doesn’t just change how you think – it changes how you show up in your life.

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