Psst! I have a secret for you. It is so secret that I am posting it on the Internet. This “secret” will help you achieve happiness and success in your life. It will elevate you to the higher levels of consciousness and, most importantly, make you filthy, stinking rich. Are you ready for the “secret”? Here goes… Positive Thinking movements are bullshit! The sooner you realize this as a ploy to keep you happy and oblivious, the sooner you can become self-aware, and acknowledge your right to get pissed off.
The notions of Positive Thinking, and the power of thought in general, have been around for years, but it has made its mark on pop culture with films like “What the Bleep Do We Know” that spiraled out of control and generated “Down the Rabbit Hole” and, most famously, “The Secret.” These films, along with motivational self-help books, promised that your dreams would come true if you only utilize optimism, and the power of visualization in a productive way. “The Secret” even suggested taking the time out of your day to meditate on the things you want most. Go-ahead, imagine yourself driving that new convertible. Feel the wind blowing in your hair and forget the fact that you only have $20 in your bank account (after paying $35 for this crappy show) and a can of beans for dinner. Somehow, without any (or very little) scientific basis for their findings, “What the Bleep” said that positive thinking could change the molecular structure of the water in your cells and make you more happy or healthy. This reminds me of the time when I was little and my grandmother used to “energize” water in front of the TV during Anatoly Kashpirovsky’s shows (a spiritual healer in the former Soviet Union). Somehow the water was meant to cure you of aches and pains. Of course, in my grandmother’s case the pains were so intense that she would drink jugs of this stuff and then complain of being boated.
It seems that what is missing is the explanation of positive thinking. Being optimistic will not make you wealthy, visualizing your cancer as a “small, easily squashed creature” (www.healingcancernaturaly.com) will not make it go away, and meditating on that car you want will not make it appear in your driveway. What positive thinking does is enables you to work towards your goals. Yet, people spend millions on books and videos that promise ultimate bliss and a quick fix. There are even websites that say that if you are not getting the things you want from positive thinking, than you are doing it wrong (i.e. www.successconsciousness.com). So, we read these sites, buy these books, watch these videos and walk around with big dumb grins on our faces thinking that it will be okay, that some how the Universe will provide if we are only thankful and positive (“thank you for the $20 in my bank account, now if only I had $2million…[insert dream bubble here]”). Yet, isn’t it clear that this movement has taken the idea of human drive and will power and turned it into a huge scam? So, here’s my solution and it won’t cost you a cent – I’ll call it “The Power of Realizing That Your Life Sucks and Not Being Afraid to Voice It”:
- If you are broke – get a job. I understand that you are educated and you can’t just settle for whatever comes your way, but realistically, a Women Studies degree won’t get you very far. (This advice is more for me…)
- If you want that awesome car, but have no money – well, friend, suck it up! Take some photos in front of the car and make it your profile picture on Facebook. We all know you don’t really want the car, you only want the respect that comes with it.
- Most importantly, take the comfort in small thing. You don’t need more stuff to be happy, you just have to change the outlook on the stuff you already have. Happiness does not lie somewhere in the universe (or in some bullshit self-help fad), it lies within. Be happy if you are happy, be angry if you are angry, and cry if you need to. You are not doing anything wrong, you are just being human.
Resources:
-Barbara Ehrenreich Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America (2009).
- A cartoon version of a chapter from Ehrenreich's book (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5um8QWWRvo ) ~ A must watch!
- If you want to keep deluding yourself, here’s a book you won’t want to miss Thank You for Firing Me!: How to Catch the Next Wave of Success After You Lose Your Job by Kitty Martini and Candice Reed (I’d be cautious, however, of taking advice from a person whose name is both a baby animal and a drink)
- Everyone, start monitoring your thoughts! (http://www.lifepositive.com/mind/psychology/positive-thinking/thoughts.asp)~ as you see this is a learning process. You'll be happy to know, however, that Anil Bhatnagar, the writer of this article, has many books for you to purchase that can help you learn this process...
- Demotivational posters blog (http://verydemotivational.com/page/2/) ~ in case your day is going just a little too good :)
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