"Oh no," you're thinking, "not another article about positive thinking - about why I should pretend everything is great when it really isn't!" Ah, well if you're thinking those thoughts then maybe you're already displaying negative thinking habits, eh! And that really isn't good for you, you know.

Okay, I'm only joking, and I am actually completely with you on how positive thinking - or the benefits of a positive mental attitude - are being 'sold' these days by all the self-help gurus and wannabee gurus. The fact is, sometimes life is hard, and sometimes you just don't want to smile and be cheerful - sometimes you do want to pack it all in, and become a Buddhist monk recluse!

(Or is that just me?)

In short, sometimes you don't feel like having a positive attitude.

And that's fine, it really is. Just accept that today, or this exact moment in time, you're not feeling too great. That's it - just accept it. Because - and I do have to be just a little bit upbeat here - you and I both know that your mood *is* going to change, *is* going to get better. Sooner or later.

Yes, things change - things do get better.

Okay sometimes it takes a lot of hard 'personal work' to see things differently, or to see things in a way that's more helpful to you. And sometimes your mood just changes, improves. Just like that.

So the thing for me about positive thinking is that it simply represents a better way of looking at your life - a more helpful way.

After all, "I can't do this" or "I'll never succeed" or "No-one's going to want to love me as I am" - none of these thoughts, however 'true', are going to make you feel good about yourself.

(And you and I both know that if a so-called best-friend kept whispering such 'upbeat' stuff in your ears all the time then they really wouldn't stay your best friend for long!)

So, to me, positive thinking is about accepting how you're feeling - good or bad - AND it's about realising that things change. Always things change. It's also understanding that thinking thoughts that feel good - well... they feel good. And nobody chooses to feel bad... Do they? Which perhaps gets us to the nub of the problem when it comes to positive thinking...

There are those that believe we can choose our thoughts - choose to think thoughts that feel good - and there are those who do not. Thankfully - and even though I sometimes feel down about myself, and the 'struggle' that is my life - I am a firm believer in the power to choose at least the nature of our thoughts.

So let me end my thoughts on positive thinking with some positive attitude quotes. And let's just imagine, if only for a few minutes, the power that these words can have on us...

"Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results."

-- Willie Nelson

"Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours"

-- Swedish Proverb

Steve M Nash believes that you are your own self help guru. And that's why he created http://www.SelfHelpCollective.com - to let you help yourself, and help others too. To read more about positive thinking check out this page - http://www.selfhelpcollective.com/positive-thinking.html.