There is power in the positive! How many times a day do you speak positive reaffirming thoughts to yourself? As much as I wish I could say  the numbers were higher, it is statistically proven that most people do not. In fact, more people are used to speaking, reading and watching the “negative” more than anything else. Our society, in some twisted way-has learned to thrive in a negative environment. Are people really thriving though? I think not.

If you look at the state of our world, what we are producing, how things are going etc.- it would prove that negativity is poisoning everything it comes in contact with. The older I get and the more mature I get, the more I am realizing what a  powerful role the MIND plays in achieving success, well-being and a positive PRODUCTIVE life. Your mind is like a sponge what you fill it with, is what it will produce. For this very reason, I suggest being quite selective of the books you read, movies you watch and things you listen to. ALL of these daily bombardments ultimately end up forming you.

From the spiritual perspective and approach to this, it is clear to see we are in a daily war of GOOD vs. EVIL. The worldly ways of doing things show our youth and their young impressionable minds that they need not value themselves, they need not be choosy of whom they let into their life and they need to have no regard for themselves as human beings… after all, the goal is to create cattle. People who follow and conform. Our minds (and the minds of our YOUTH) are being poisoned daily, filled with useless garbage and lies which are all attacks of the enemy. This is done through videos, music, movies, media, books and the list goes on and on. In fact, if you look at the way advertisements are geared towards our youth it is enough to make you sick! Sexual provocativeness, innuendoes and “sex” marketing plaque the stores, markets, web  and everywhere else our teens (and adults!!) look. So, how do you begin unravelling the negative ball of string that has entangled itself in your heart and mind?? After all, most people do not even realize they are being force fed this junk daily.

I really like what it says in 2 Corinthians 10:5 “Capture every thought and make it give up and obey Christ” … ok, lets dissect this. “Make it give up” … this to me, signifies “CHOICE” we have a choice to acknowledge our thoughts and we also have a choice to MAKE THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS GIVE UP. It starts by becoming keenly aware of that which we think, read and DO daily. I personally battled with negative self talk, low self-esteem (lower than LOW), self belittlement etc. on a daily basis. I engaged in relationships  that reaffirmed how I felt about myself. Negative was my daily bread. I realized one day after ingesting so much negativity that I was dying a slow death. Literally, rotting from the inside out. I was letting the WORLD and negativity consume and define me. Until one day….. by the grace of God, I was able to have a slight clarity of mind and what I now know as the Holy Spirit directed me to grasp a hold of my life and make the choice to change!!

I began to embark on “project Ashley” if you will. I began to take back control of my health and my mind. I started to become acutely aware of the thoughts that flooded my mind daily and I began to put myself in “thought boot camp” if you will! I wrote down and journaled my way out of this mess. I spoke positive reaffirming thoughts (you won’t always believe them at first!!) DAILY. In fact, I clearly remember a time where I stood in my bathroom looking at myself in the mirror tears running down my face as I repeated at least 20 times, “you are beautiful… you are beautiful …. you are beautiful” . I remember that moment as clearly as yesterday. I remember watching the tears stream down my face, the pain I felt so deep in my heart but there was an ember deep down that was burning and wouldn’t be put out. You see, I had to unravel YEARS of limiting self beliefs, negative self talk, embedded thoughts and patterns, abandonment and the list goes on and on. Yet, I had a desire to make a change. I knew that there was a better way. Now, I know that it was God guiding me and protecting me through the gift of the Holy Spirit. He will take you right where you are at and make like you like new.

Now, while it may seem like this is a bit off topic it really is not. You see, the things I battled with daily were just the symptoms. The real disease was the negativity. I had to begin to rewire my mind. To train myself to be positive, think positive, find the good out of the bad, seek the deeper meaning behind the pain of my life. I had to stop blaming and start realizing that I would be the only one left to blame if I chose to let my life go to “hell in a hand basket” … sorry, but its true! I began to be very choosy of whom I let into my life (friends, relationships, family) and I began to surround myself with only those things which would enhance my life, make me better or make me believe in myself more.

I got rid of the garbage. I took out the trash. You know, sometimes its hard to let go of that which we are comfortable with. It can attack in many forms from the relationships we are in, music we listen to, tv shows we watch. It is all feeding our mind something. Is it good or bad? Positive or negative? Useful or useless? Will it make you be more, do more or enhance your life? When you start asking yourself these tough questions it will help you to quickly weed out that which is clearly not needed in your life. You’ll be shocked to see how much negativity bombards your life (and your MIND!) daily.

For this very reason, I don’t own a television. You’d be shocked at how many people can’t comprehend this very thing. No TV??? What do you watch? The answer… not much. I choose to read (and only those things that will enhance my mind, my life and my value here on this planet.) I love to write, I love to study the word, I love to listen to CD’s and DVD’s that promote good things in this world. I love to enhance my knowledge. If its going to be a stormy weekend, I won’t know, because I don’t watch the news. Why?? 99% of it is meaningless junk that breeds negativity. While I do believe in “awareness” of what is going on in the world… I do not believe that starting and ending my day with 2 hours of “negative” or mind numbing media will do anything to help anyone. In fact, it will do the opposite. It will embed itself in my subconscious essentially affecting everything I do for the rest of the day.

Basically, in a nutshell, start to become aware of what you put into that head of yours. I thank God every day for giving me clarity of thought and mind. In fact, I am so aware now, that it truly perplexes me how people can live as long as they do ingesting so much junk.

As a recap: here are some bullet points for ridding yourself of negativity and becoming powerful through the POSITIVE

**Seek out a personal relationship with Christ. The only way (the ONLY way) to have a deeper relationship with yourself is to have one with Him. Everything you could ever want to know or learn about life, is right there in the bible! Everthing. Study it daily and watch what happens. He takes all of the hurts, pains, terrible things of life and He uses them for your good. He helps make you NEW again.

**Journal- this saved me! I love writing my thoughts, feelings and emotions on paper. Not only is it therapeutic, it gives you a different perspective that simply “thinking” about won’t do. It offers you an outlet and a way to diffuse. As you go back to old journals, you will be amazed at what God can do!

**If you are in a place where you think NEGATIVE all the time, carry around a notepad and start to journal your thoughts. First, this increases awareness. Second, it allows you to go back to EACH NEGATIVE thought and perform a REDO. This means, you replace that negative thought with a positive reaffirming thought.

**Remember, learning to be positive is like learning a new language. It takes time, effort and patience. You won’t be positive overnight but as you let God work in your heart and your mind suddenly, things that made no sense will make PERFECT sense.

**BE CHOOSY!! Think about the movies you watch, TV you watch, books you read, music you listen to etc…. ALL of these things are being absorbed into that precious mind of yours daily! YOU HAVE A CHOICE WHAT GOES IN. Do not forget what goes in usually comes out!

**Ask yourself the TOUGH questions:

Will this make me better?

Is this useless or useful to me?

Will this enhance my life?

Will reading, watching, doing this particular thing bring me closer to where I want to be tomorrow?

Is this positive for my life OR negative for my life?

Friends, in conclusion I just want you to understand that becoming AWARE of these things is the first step. My project took years of healing and letting God work in the deepest places of my heart but let me tell you…. He is revealing more to me about myself and others than I ever thought possible! YOU have the power to step up and say “MY life is valuable! I am a child of God and I have a place and purpose in this world” … if you really want to fulfill the divine purpose that God has for you, it starts with you combating the NEGATIVE in your life. You do NOT have to be force-fed the meaningless lies and negativity that you are eating each day. You can choose what goes on your plate. Just remember, what goes on your plate…. well, it’s what you have to eat.

God bless and happy thoughts!

~Ashley Poptodorova