Power of Positive Thinking

I started a book my Aunt recommended to me when Brando and I had dinner with them in Pebble Beach. She had four books sitting in her house in Pismo that she said we could take, and even though Brando said to, I felt bad taking them and left them for others to enjoy and I would order them on Amazon. The other reason I left them is because they were hardcover, and I'm not one to get comfy with a hard cover book. Any way, I kinda wish I had at least written down the titles because I couldn't remember them! My Aunt did email me one of the titles and it is "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale and mentioned she was introduced to Dr. Peale in her twenties when she was starting out in what they do (very successfully now, by the way) and have followed along his many, many writings since. Another reason I was hesitant to take the books is 'cause I've read a lot of positive thinking articles and so much of it is hype. Okay, yeah, I need to think positively. HOW? I read the all positive reviews online and a lot of them talked about how the book is a guide to living the Christian life which intrigued me. I'm all over that.

So far the first chapter is interesting. Some of it makes me think of what "The Secret" might be about (haven't read that one), but one thing I love is it incorporates key Bible verses to memorize and repeat over and over to yourself. Almost obsessively. Which is perfect, because I can be obsessive. One that I love so far is, "If God is for us, who can be against us." I love that, absolutely love that.

I grew up reading the Bible, having verses around the house on the walls (my favorite was "We will rise up with wings like eagles..."), and having my Mom memorize chapters and chapters for much of my teenage life. It was her way of staying married to my Dad without actually having to talk to him. Now they are silly lovey doveys, I memorized a few chapters but honestly got pretty burnt out after waking up at 4am for bible studies and getting in trouble if we fell asleep. My parents look back now and realize how silly it was, but they were serious at the time and it was quite overwhelming to an eleven year old.

The fact that this book is offering little verses to tuck away along with some background and thoughts behind each one is awesome. I really would love to think positively, and I do, a lot of of the time. But not ALL the time, especially when it comes to overwhelming things like my back or overwhelming goals that wouldn't be if I just did them.

Looking forward to seeing what the rest of the book has to say, and, as always, taking everything with a grain of salt. For this particular example, this is what worked for this guy and has worked for a lot of people but may not work for me or may just need some adjusting in order to work for me.