Everyday Survival: Think Positive

From National Geographic Adventure magazine, August 2008:-  one of 14 concepts that proved helpful to survivors in extreme situations, as well as to people trying to meet the challenges of daily life is THINK POSITIVE.

Viktor Frankl in his book Man’s Search for Meaning recounts the story of Jerry Long, who was 17 years old when he broke his neck in a diving accident. Long was completely paralyzed and had to use a stick held between his teeth to type. Long wrote,”I view my life as being abundant with meaning and purpose. The attitude that I adopted on that fateful day has become my credo for life: I broke my neck, it didn’t break me.”

Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University would agree with this sentiment. Dweck studies individual learning habits, specifically how people grapple with difficult problems. According to her research, individuals with a “growth mindset”-those are not discouraged in the face of a challenge, who think positively, and who are not afraid to make or admit mistakes-are able to learn and adjust faster and more easily overcome obstacles.