I get ideas for leadership blogs everywhere – a bumper sticker on a car, a podcast, a personal experience and sometimes at church! Last week our pastor, René Perez, at John Wesley United Methodist Church spoke with us about “how we think shapes how we live.” He referenced the renowned pastor, Norman Vincent Peale, who in 1952 published his best-selling book, The Power of Positive Thinking.

Coping by Hoping

That caught my attention because I’ve relied on The Power of Positive Thinking through some of my darkest days. An old, worn copy stands at the ready on my bookshelf. During the Covid 19 pandemic, I came down with a serious case of Covid before a vaccine was available. I was beset with brain fog and a host of other nervous system disorders. It was scary, and because it was a novel virus, no one knew what the long-term effects of the disease would be.

I was overwhelmed with doubt about my prospects for recovery. So, I turned to Norman Vincent Peale for comfort and hope. I agree with Pastor René that how we think shapes how we live, and Norman Vincent Peale helped me live a more hopeful life during the uncertainty of the Covid pandemic. I needed that boost as a bridge between sickness and health, a long journey that took the better part of a year. I’m grateful to have fully recovered.

Overcoming Negativity

I admit it’s easier said than done to think positively. It seems everywhere one turns, there’s something negative in the news, on social media, and even in the workplace. It’s almost like we’re conditioned to focus on the negativity, and it’s hard to escape the insidious influence. It takes conscious, dedicated effort to actively seek the positive for ourselves, and to help others be positive. Norman Vincent Peale advises visualization through the concept of positive imaging, like focusing on a desired outcome. While struggling with Covid, that was a focus on my healthy self, prior to the infection.

I accomplished that objective through meditation. I’d set my timer for 15 minutes and lie on my back. I’d breathe in a positive thought and exhale the negative opposite. For me, it worked to use the nine biblical “fruits of the spirit,” found in Galatians. They are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. So, I’d breathe in love, breathe out hate. Breathe in joy, breathe out sadness, and so on. I’d finish by breathing in healthiness and breathing out sickness. How therapeutic!

Finding ways to live better, even during challenging times, through positive thinking makes us better people, better co-workers, better leaders. We owe it to ourselves and others to be at our best, and we can’t be our best if we’re not being positive.

Look in the mirror: What are some of the ways you tap into the power of positive thinking to be a leader people want to follow?

Please join me again next time for more on Leading with Character.

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