Go to the First Thing You Can Say Yes To

To stay in a negative no-mind means that nothing will be happening. The status quo is that we are going nowhere because the mind is a "yes" system. It is a simplistic thing to say, but, to stay in a "no" mode is simply the lack of our decision to go to a "yes" mode. This is the basis for understanding that depression is simply the lack of a decision to be cheerful. "But I want to feel good," we wail. Then we must think good thoughts. I remember the first time I did this exercise. I was so distressed, I was racking my brain to think of someone or something I could feel positive about. My husband, ugh, my children, yuk. I was really desperate, and if you are shocked at my attitude, please remember that when we are filled with terror and fear and looking for help we want a purely nourishing, no-questions-asking, not-wanting-anything-for-itself "sure thing." Probably why sometimes we prefer the company of trees. Sometimes we are so low in energy that we don't have anything to give. That's why giving a positive thought seems almost impossible, even if we have the intellectual understanding that we need to come up with one. If we don't have the intellectual understanding that we must bestir ourselves in this direction, we generally just give up and do nothing. I was going through the list of possibilities to which I might give a positive thought when I lighted upon my dog. Yes, I thought, I guess I could manage a positive thought about my dog. I could give a "yes" to my dog. We can switch our mind from "no" to "yes" in this way.

This is also a great sales gimmick. Good salespeople understand that if they can get a customer to start saying "yes," the law of inertia will be working in the favor of the sale as there will be resistance on the part of the customer to change the "yes" to a "no." That's why the first question of all those telephone solicitors is usually "How are you today?" They expect a positive answer. "Fine, thank you." Or, "Is this Mrs. Jones?" "Yes." When we are in a down mood this is the way to sell ourselves on a good mood. Find something you can say yes to.

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